Greens' Sterk 'Quite Optimistic'
The party's leader on her ideas, her chances, facing 'hostility' and more.
BC Green Party leader Jane Sterk.
Within a block of the intersection of Esquimalt Road and Head Street there are two payday lender storefronts, two tanning salons including the "Shake and Bake," a pawnbroker and a club advertising a "Hotbuns contest" on Thursdays.
It's the heart of the Esquimalt-Royal Roads consituency where Jane Sterk, the Green Party leader and a former Esquimalt city councillor, hopes to make a breakthrough for her party and become the first MLA elected from its ranks.
To do so, she'll have to beat the NDP incumbent Maurine Karagianis, as well as the Liberal challenger Carl Ratsoy in a constituency that has been solidly NDP with few exceptions for decades.
She'll also have to beat the perception that there's no hope for her or the Green Party.
"She's definitely one of the people there for us," said Diana Willison, asked in a sidewalk interview if she'd consider supporting Sterk. "I can vote for the party I like the best, but if they don't have any pull, what's the point?"
Llyn Wood said he'd likely vote NDP. Asked about the Greens, he said, "That was my second choice. I'd like to see the Green Party get in, I just don't think they will." He added, "I don't think they've built up enough of a reputation."
And Donna-Lee Munroe said she would do "anything that does not elect Gordon Campbell." To her, that meant voting NDP. "The Green Party can't stop him," she said. "I like the theory of the Green Party, but they don't have any chance of stopping him."
Even for Angela Deimling, who said her "number one concern is the environment" because "we are in strong danger of annihilating the planet," voting Green was not a certainty. "I probably would," she said. "I have voted for the Green Party in the past."
Polarized politics
Sterk herself said she's unsurprised by the response.
"It's frustrating of course for the Green Party because lots of people say that. 'I would vote for you except I have to vote for someone I don't like as much because I don't like the other person even more,'" she said. "At some point in time people are going to have to vote Green if that's where they want to vote."
That difficulty persuading people to vote with their hearts is part of the polarized politics of the province, she said. "I'm quite disturbed actually by the making-Gordon-Campbell-evil movement which is being propagated by the NDP," she said. "I think it's really unhealthy for our democracy that we can't value diversity of opinion. It's based in a hostile view of the world, a negative view of possibilities, and it's not where I function."
In 2005, Sterk was elected to Esquimalt council, topping the polls. Hers was a lone Green voice on a council that crossed the political spectrum. "We had the most constructive council that community has ever seen," she said. Diverse opinions led to better decisions, she said.
While she holds no illusions about her chances of becoming the next premier, there would be value in adding her voice as an MLA, she argued.
Sterk on the Record:
Here's what Green Party leader Jane Sterk had to say on a few other subjects:
On the media: "I think it makes three-dimensional people two dimensional because it's easier to try and define people... From the photos that are used to the words that are quoted, those are all I think reflective of the biases that are inherent in the media's reporting."
On poverty: "We need to be looking at why is it in one of the wealthiest places on the planet, 20 per cent of our children and 13 per cent of our population live in poverty... What is it about the institutionalization of poverty, the poverty agenda, that makes us want to continue with the same strategies when other strategies would work better, would solve the problem?"
On gambling: "We'd get rid of the most addictive forms of gambling, online gambling and slot machines. Governments across the world become addicted to gambling revenue and it penalizes the poor and the desperate. It causes all kinds of devastating consequences to families... Ultimately we have to wean governments off gambling because it's just completely unethical."
On weaning the province off hydro power by 2100: "We need to transition ourselves away from a fossil-fuel-based economy. We believe we can transition away from hydro."
On the high public cost of homelessness: "For $55,000, a person might be able to afford to choose their home rather than us saying you have to live in this substandard housing because we're feeling good about buying a single occupancy room hotel and giving you the opportunity to stay there in mould-infested conditions for the rest of your life. We need different ways of thinking about our social structures."
On Facebook and Twitter: "I'm actually not a fan of social marketing. I think it's a diversion from interpersonal contact. . . It's become necessary as a political tool but at some point in time it will be uninteresting to look back and see what I did on a particular day at a particular time. It's not my sense of the future."
"I would bring into the legislature a belief that the purpose of being a legislator is to be respectful of others, to ask real questions not rhetorical questions, to provide constructive suggestions for improving legislation that's being proposed, to work constructively with members of both the governing party and the opposition, to try and bring that diversity of voices that creates a more likely outcome of good legislation."
'I have a good shot'
In B.C., she continued, the two main parties have become "caricatures" of each other, though they share many of the same views.
"The NDP's position on crime is the same as the Liberals. The NDP's position on Gateway is the same as the Liberals. The NDP's position on Site C is the same as the Liberals. The NDP's position on electoral reform is the same as the Liberals."
They would also govern in similar ways, she said, even though they pretend to be different. "They both support a whipped legislature so that MLAs are required to vote as their party prescribes. They both would concentrate the power of decision-making in the hands of the premier, a few unelected people and some of the favoured MLAs."
People are ready for a change, she said, and it could start in Esquimalt.
"I'm quite optimistic they will decide this is the election to elect a Green," she said. "I think I have a good shot at winning this riding. I think people might just say enough is enough. I'm tired of this negativity. I'm tired of the lack of constructive suggestions."
Two-party race
The NDP's Karagianis said most people she meets in the community and on the doorsteps believe the election is a two-party race between the NDP and the Liberals. "This election is about who is going to form government and who is going to be premier," she said, adding that will either be Carole James or Gordon Campbell.
For voters, it's about whether they are tired of eight years of Campbell's policies and whether they want to support James as a positive, viable alternative, she said. "I think it's as simple as that."
Karagianis also served as a city councillor before entering provincial politics. "People know me as someone who's not afraid to stand up for my community and the things they need," she said. "They know I'm a fighter."
In 2005, Karagianis won with nearly 50 per cent of the vote in a race that included a strong Liberal candidate. Sterk, in that election, held several months before she won her seat on council, came a distant third with 11 per cent of the vote.
Recent Esquimalt mayors including Chris Clement and Ray Rice have had strong NDP connections. Former NDP premier Dave Barrett lives in the constituency. And Moe Sihota took it in 1996 for the NDP with almost 60 per cent of the vote.
The Greens' best result came in 2001 when they got 18 per cent of the vote in the area. Even then, with support collapsing across the province, the NDP polled nearly twice that.
Difficult recruiting
Esquimalt has been solidly NDP, Sterk allowed, but said that could change. "I don't know that it's strong, committed NDPers. It's really a duck shoot in terms of how the splits go."
Boundary shifts and changing demographics have added more upper middle class people to the constituency, she said. They are people who may not embrace the NDP's messages, she said. "People to whom 'ordinary British Columbians,' 'working British Columbians,' 'working families,' that rhetoric, isn't as meaningful to as it is to some others."
Put another way, "New development brings in a different kind of income level, which I think is less likely to feel they need to be rescued."
She will also have the advantage of appearing on television with Premier Gordon Campbell and NDP leader Carole James. "I think quite frankly the leaders' debates will be a critical factor in people seeing me as the person they want to vote for," she said.
While things can change fast in a campaign, there's little sign that Green support will be any stronger now than it was four years ago. Poll numbers across the province have held steady around 10 per cent. In Vancouver byelections in October, the two Greens, one of whom was Sterk, each received fewer than a thousand votes.
And Sterk acknowledged the party has had some trouble assembling a team of candidates. "It's been a really difficult recruiting election," she said. "There's been a lot of attempts to intimidate Greens by the NDP with that same argument that if you vote for the Greens, it's a vote for Gordon Campbell. It's been very hostile."
On the issues
The campaign has so far been limited to Campbell's arrogance versus James' incompetence, Sterk said. "I feel that the very serious economic, environmental and social issues we're facing are not being discussed," she said. "There's no real discussion of issues in this campaign. It's all about personalities. It's all about entitlement."
Instead we should be talking about reforming the government, she said, starting with adopting STV, but also campaign finance reform and giving all government agencies a greater mandate to look out for the public interest.
"We ought to be talking about real action on transforming our economy to one that is based in long-term sustainable job creation," she said. "Not trying to re-form this same economic system that got us in trouble."
The Green platform has been criticized for being impractical, but another way to look at it is they are putting big ideas out there and getting them talked about. Sterk talks about "favouring B.C. business over supposedly cheaper business from outside," "favouring local business over big international consortiums" and building an economy on "resilient local potential."
The Greens would keep and increase Campbell's carbon tax while adding many other climate-change fighting measures including a cap-and-trade system like what James advocates, Sterk said.
As people get to know her and the party platform, Sterk said, they'll like what they see.
"I'm quite optimistic they will decide this is the election to elect a Green," she said. "I'm getting lots of people saying they feel like for the first time their Green vote is going to make a difference. This feels like a time that voting Green will be a constructive vote."
And how do you convince people you have a real chance, that they aren't wasting their vote? "If I knew that we'd be in the legislature right now."
Related Tyee stories:
- BC Green Party announces platform
- Greens to run full slate, narrowing NDP chances
- Did the Greens Put the BC Liberals Back in Office?
They may have, depending on estimates. Efforts renew to pursue an NDP-Green alliance.
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
seth
24-04-2009
Greenies for Gordo
The ChickenDub great debate is over and Sterk's strategy is obvious. She is working with Green Leader Gordon Campbell to defeat the NDP.
In the debate, she directed her most vicious attacks at Carole James who like a hurt puppy shivered in the corner and refused to respond to Sterk. Sterk seems almost complementary of Gordon Campbell.
Most NDP rank and file support a lot of Greenie issues and they would help the people of BC a lot more if all joined the NDP attended policy conventions and overwhelmed the law n' order/labour wing of the party.
This woman and her party care nothing for the environment or the people of BC. She simply wants to reelect the Liberals, give them four more years to have at his destruction of BC environment and then hope a demoralized NDP collapses completely for the next election and her party can form the opposition.
Once again like Green leader Ralph Nader who's 5% vote split and gave us a million dead Iraq's, 8 years of environmental destruction, and the 21st century great depression, Sterk by splitting the progressive vote, wants to give us a uninterrupted Liberal (aka Neocon) dynasty.
"I personally don't think the salmon are going to survive another Liberal term" Alexandra Morton 21 April 2009
Sterk frankly doesn't give a damn.Five years from now we will be bulldozing over the remains of our environment after Greenies give Gordon Campbell more time to have at her. Just like Ralph Nader these Greenie fools will have no apologies for their irresponsible candidacies.
michael maser
24-04-2009
Greenies for Green Issues, period.
You don't know what you're blathering about, 'Seth'.
If British Columbians wish to park their vote with the party that is authentically dedicated to the broadest spectrum of 'green issues' such as renewable energy, triple bottom line accounting, Smart growth, conserving precious habitat, sustainable agri- and aqua-culture, value-added forestry, Ecosystem-based management, reducing GHG emissions, and social indicators of progress, then their choice is easy - the Green Party of BC.
If you want to stick with more of the same - the same rhetoric, same 'faux-democracy', the same superficial green agenda that has characterized BC politics for 15 years - then by all means vote for the NDP or Liberals, because they both had their time to advance these agendas and they both failed miserably.
Luke Skywalker Redux
24-04-2009
Different Election Dynamics...
In 2005, much latent anger existed against Campbell, he was held in a campaign bubble, small crowds, etc.
OTOH, in 2005 James had the crowds, momentum, etc.
2009 is turning out to be a different animal with the exact opposite election dynamics from 2005 with James and the NDP having negative momentum.
In 2005, the Greens were polling as low as 8% (achieved ~9.5% on election day), while they are currently polling as high as 16%.
There are two types of Green voters - the "progressive" green and the "conservative" green.
And Jane Sterk has much more credibility than Adrianne Carr ever had, IMHO.
In fact, the Province's Michael Smyth declared Sterk as the winner of yesterday's radio debate.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/James+doesn+rally+could+lose/1528430/story.html
And Sterk's statement at the debate, a la Gordon Wilson from the 1991 televised debate probably will resonate at the TV debate:
"One says the other is arrogant, while one says the other is incompetent"
With the polls in the last 10 days still likely to show a Lib double-digit lead and a Lib win a foregone conclusion, many soft NDP and Lib voters may mark their X for the Greens on election day. The "pox on both your houses" vote.
I've always said that the Greens are likely to achieve ~15% in 2009 and with the current moderate enviro movement abandoning the NDP and with all the NDP infighting spilling over into the public realm, that seems ever more achievable.
frenchy mcswede
24-04-2009
Jane sterk is a
stooge for the bc liberals, and as reported by jason youmans, in victoria's monday magazine has a large photo of herself on her office wall being heartily embraced by a smirking gordon campbell. Sterk's strong ties to the business community in victoria far outnumber her ties to environmentalists.
The history of the green party in bc has been overwhelmingly one of splitting the progressive vote so that right wing environmentally destructive governments are elected. Truly progressive greens like chris shaw, the young woman whose now a vision vancouver parks board elected representative, whose name escapes me at the moment though she's very well known, etc, etc, have left the green party as it has dawned on them what this reactionary sell out party really stands for in bc: electing campbell whose environmental record is beyond horrifying.
The carbon tax itself is a travesty: it is a GAS TAX, plain and simple, gas consumption has gone up under it, it adds to inflation, especially with food costs, thus hitting the poor hardest despite campbell's puny rebates. Transportation increases are in fact highly inflationary and in general drive up the prices of the majority of goods and services. The premier has also refused to let the carbon tax fund transit.
The worst thing about the carbon tax however, is that it aids the GREENWASHING of a premier who gutted every environmental law in his first term, who is in favor of mining in national parks, in favor of fish farming, in favor of exporting raw logs, of oil and gas flaring and in favor in every way of letting every single big polluter in bc of the hook, and in favor of oil and gas drilling and shipping off the bc coast wqhich contains some of the most dangerous shipping areas in the world, especially in Hecate Straight and other shipwreck littered seas. The foregoing statements are not merely my opinion, but a matter of public record. So if you want to see the last wild salmon wash up dead on the beach, if you want an unpredented destuction of what's left of the natural environment in bc, vote for gordon campbell or the green party it hardly makes a difference.
Alexandra Morton, a true environmentalist, who at the risk of her livelyhood and reputation fought against wild salmon destroying fish farming condemns absolutely the support for the carbon tax by stooge environmentalists like forest ethics, the pembina institute etc, who are DEPENDENT ON BIG BUSINESS TAX WRITE OFF DONATIONS FOR MUCH OF THEIR FUNDING. These people have sullied the name "environmentalist" forever in bc and it is all too obvious just who is calling the shots that govern their attitudes.
seth
24-04-2009
Greenies for Gordo This just in
On ChickenDub this afternoon Greenie star candidate Jody Emery stated that the Liberal's have a better environmental platform than the NDP.
christy clark: "Jody Emery, which of those two parties do you think has a better platform on the environment?"
jodie emery: "While I would hate to say it but I think the liberals might. The NDP has abandoned their base .."
Liberal environmental platform (approved by Greenies)
1) Continue and accelerate massive oil, coal, and gas field development so billions of tons of BC's greenhouse gases can be exported to the US, China and Japan
2) tear up as many as 200 rivers, use lakes on the rivers in place of dams, and tear up the forest to built transmission corridors, so BCHydro can buy power from Gordos buds to sell at a 40 billion dollar loss to California in the every summer for the next 40 years.
3) Drill for oil in the Hecate Strait to export more greenhouse gas and pollute the pristine waters.
4) Massively expand oil tanker traffic on the BC Coast to allow Alberta to export its greenhouse gases to the far east
5) Elimate park ranger support in provincial parks so tourism wastes can accumulate
6) Allow the provinces agricultural lands to be sold off to developers for a massive profit to the developers
7) Give the provinces tree farm licences to forest companies to sell to developers for a massive profit to the developers and the big forest companies.
8) Massively expand fish farms along the coast in an effort to eliminate all salmon runs
9) Implementate a 2.5 cents a liter carbon tax growing to 7.5 cents in three years with no plans to increase despite paid Liberal party hack Mark Jaccard's contention that 24 cents a liter would be required to make any difference. BC actually increased fuel usage by 4% in 2008 despite Neocon Gordo's Wall Steet cronies own 50 cent a liter hedge fund oil speculation tax .
10) Institute and undefined Cap and Trade system maybe sometime in the future if needs be
11) Ask oil and gas producers to please stop flaring gas sometime maybe would ya.
Stated NDP environmental policy is silent on item 1) but aims to cancel and if possible roll back items 2 to 9, actually do item 10, and tax number 11 at a rate of $500 million annually until flaring stops.
It takes a Greenie endorsement for us to see what Suzuki and Berman are telling us. The ineffective gas tax in item 9) weighs in more than all other environment issues. Sure makes me want to vote Green (or Liberal same thing ) and send money to Berman and Suzuki!!!!
realisticman
24-04-2009
Mark Emery's wife: "Greenie
Mark Emery's wife:
"Greenie star candidate Jody Emery stated that the Liberal's have a better environmental platform than the NDP.'
Mmmmm. Somehow I don't have the impression that Jody Emery is a raving neo-con, big-business buddy of Campbell and one of his lap-dogs. Perhaps she's right.
Frank
24-04-2009
Marijuana Party leader's wife
Perhaps she was high?
Just another possibility...
riderji
25-04-2009
political puberty?
Anyone who advocates a position dedicated to the ideas of the radical centre has historically at least, been a pariah in British Columbia's traditionally very silly & divisive political culture. Many of Jane Starks comments on the other hand seem like a breath of fresh air. Someone who is actually abandoning the divisive politically play book and starting to sound and act more like a grown up? That this could happen here in British Columbia with its long traditions of parochialism, narrow mindedness and insularity? What will happen next, perhaps Carole James will wake up one morning and realize that her parities ideology died its political death well over a generation ago.
Frank
25-04-2009
riderji
Sterk and Campbell sing from the same songbook as the debate showed. Your comments aren't anti- traditional parties, they're only anti-NDP so its kind of obvious that you would agree with a couple of right-wingers like Campbell and Sterk.
mmills
25-04-2009
vote for decency
I have always voted NDP and have spent long hours in the past canvassing for NDP candidates, hoping that an NDP government would fulfill our desire for decent, honest, open, respectful governance in British Columbia. I have not forgotten the behaviour of the NDP when it did suceed in forming government in our province: it diminished our safety programs for poor, vulnerable people in our province and promoted shady programs and questionable ethical leadership in support of gambling, expansion of liquor availability and misleading, secretive deals such as the "fast ferry" fiasco.
Carole James is a disaster as a supposedly progressive leader with her flipping sides about the twin bridge development and her crude, anti-environment activities regarding the carbon tax. She is running a campaign of misinformation and obfuscation with her cliche-riddled pronouncements and outrageous ill-informed attacks on our environmental organizations.
Jane Sterk and the Green Party have my support as having the most decent, clear and most thoughtful policies of either the Liberals or the NDP. It is very sad that people will create a foregone conclusion that the Greens cannot elect anyone in BC by the very fact of voting for a party they do not fully support. I will vote my conscience this time for the party that expresses my values and hopes for our province. I'll vote for decency and vote Green.
Frank
25-04-2009
mmills
If you think increasing consumption taxes and lowering income taxes is good then the Fraser Inst, the CD Howe boys, the Libs and Greens agree with you and you would be more comfy in their camp.
ladze
25-04-2009
Sterk is a breath of fresh
Sterk is a breath of fresh air. She is intelligent, and genuine and humble. She isn't engaged in the divisive game that has characterized our politics here in BC. My fellow in the north is very unlikely to win, but I am so over the political game the other two parties are playing. One in the back pocket of big business for the sake of business at whatever cost and the other in the pocket of business pandering to big labour at whatever cost to our environment. I signed up with the Greens and I will be voting Green. My children's future depends on many more doing the same. I hope more closet Greens step out with their vote. I am just tired of saying how much I admire the Green platform and not taking any real action. I am also voting for electoral reform. I hope the Tyee will spend some more time on STV.
doggone
25-04-2009
Just got a call from the Local NDP office
I said they did not need to worry that I might vote for the liberal (I know him and like him but could never vote for Gordon Campbell (can not understand what Rob Hutchins had in mind))
But I could vote Green.
What a province!
We have the "Head Cop" lost his driving licence and the Premier busted for drunken Driving and the MAD still hunker down and vote them back
Because they all attend the same goofy church?
Don't ask me about van Dongen
morechatter
25-04-2009
How Green Is Your 2010 Olympics?
Well I am so digusted and who wouldn't be as an election is called and and we have a foundation who says they are committed to the environment support a Leader?? Who is not. As Campbell is into deregulation of environmental regulations.
BC impossessed a tax when economy showed signs of serious troubles as recession is doing a fine job of discouraging that sorta of behaviour or any consumer spending for that matter.
How Green is the Suzuki Foundation as it backs a Premier that is into some serious environmental damage?
http://action.davidsuzuki.org/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=94&ea.campaign.id=2355
And finally how green is the Green party as apparently when it comes to the Olympics there is no wrong...and thats just wrong.
morechatter
25-04-2009
350,000 tonnes of carbon
Thats what the Olympic's means to the environment and the primary demon is air travel. Such a leader BC in ensuring our environment is that much safer for future generations blah, blah, blah along with that blah, blah, blah foundation.
How do you go green with air travel???
Suggestions?? Strapped yourself to a couple carrier pigeons? Lets ask Suzuki how he gets around by air without destroying the environment.
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
26-04-2009
KWD: Thanks for the heads
KWD: Thanks for the heads up. I'm exploring.
morechatter: I always vote for the person with the warmest smile, who evidences the most self-respect. The number one thing we need to do to get the candidates we deserve, is to do what we can to raise everyone's self-esteem. Truly liking themselves, they'll be attracted to candidates who genuinely want and will effect good things for society at large, passing over all those driven to effect hell on earth for all the presumptive happy people, and the least well off.
Dressing smartly isn't always the thing--but it can signal considerable self-respect and love of life.
fisher
26-04-2009
green
hopefully there will be some green left to green by the 2013 election! and Im not refering to politics! fisher
Politicsasusual
26-04-2009
The NDP is not an alternative
I see the TYEE has posted GDP figures for NDP and Liberal parties over the last 2 decades. Looks about the same. That's the point. Both support growth economies, primarily based on natural resources. Both continue to push for more growth and consumption. Both continue to pave, build, and practice economics as if the earth didn't matter.
These two parties are but 2 sides of the same coin, despite the partisan wailings on this forum. Environment? I believe the NDP was in charge during Clayoquot. And it was the NDP that called out the "eco-terrorists".
The NDP "moratorium" on fish farms in the 1990's allowed the industry to expand 2-3 times at then current sites. And now they propose a "moratorium" on run of river IPP's. The NDP has no more credibility than Liberals
With all due respect to the NDP stalwarts on this site, your party has outlived it usefulness. It's time to move over and let real opposition step forward.
alive
26-04-2009
Phony smiles
Dear Patrick:
I have a friend who does commercials for TV; He did a most convincing ad for milk, showing great relish and satisfaction drinking a glass of milk ----yet he confessed to me that he hates the stuff!
So in other words do not get taken in by a facial expression!
a nice smile does not count for anything, not does great clothes!
Ronald Reagan had a nice smile, remember?
Your reasoning disappoints me.
RickW
26-04-2009
The Greens might well hold
The Greens might well hold the balance of power, should they end up with one or three seats..........
KWD
26-04-2009
The NDP is not an alternative ... to what?
Reading between the lines it appears that, according to some, the Green Party will provide “real opposition” to the party in power. And by claimng that the earth matters to the Greens, I’m assuming that they will put the earth first in all economic decision making.
It would be nice to think that could actually happen, however, the odds against seem insurmountable.
Putting the earth first would require dramatic changes in the way we presently view the sturctures of human commerce that provide the energy and resources required for growth and sustaining our life styles. On top of that, the Greens would have to overcome the deafening roar from religious objectors because changing those structures would require revisiting the ethics of controling population distribution and abundance.
While putting the earth first is unlikely so long as we accept that more is better, an even greater road block is the fact that the Greens would have to deal with population growth and resource use, along with the “growth is good” ideology, on a global basis … water, air, soil polution and climate changes are borderless.
If the Greens become an opposition party and try to put the earth first, they will not only anger many locals who think they have a right to destroy the environment for profit, they will anger most of the developing world who also think they have that right.
If the Greens aren’t prepared to truly put the earth first, how can their opposition will really be any different or more effective than the NDP?
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
26-04-2009
Reagan had an elative smile,
Reagan had an elative smile, as, to some extent, did Clinton. Carter had a warmer smile, born from love, not conquest.