SHARE:
[Editor’s note: On Thursday Michael Byers published an opinion piece in The Tyee saying Green candidate Andrew Weaver, while criticizing the NDP platform, had months ago told Byers he wished he'd been sought as a nominee to run for the New Democrats in the 2013 election that ends Tuesday. Weaver asked for an opportunity to reply and we publish it in full here.]
Until last fall, I had never been a member of a political party. Instead, I spent my career working across party lines and advising governments of all political stripes -- including the NDP and the Liberals -- on the steps we need to take to develop sound environmental policy. Yet, in the last four years, one thing has become clear: Our hyper-partisan political system is getting in the way of effective policy.
This province used to be leading in the fight against climate change. In 2009, after the government announced continent leading climate policy, the NDP responded to this leadership by taking a calculated risk to campaign on one of the most destructive environmental policies in B.C.'s recent political history: "Axe the Tax". Now, four years later, the roles have reversed. The Liberals are banking on the LNG pipe-dream to boost our economy and the NDP has calculated that its best path to a majority government is to acquire the "environmental vote".
The truth is, I could not -- and would not -- run for the NDP or the Liberals. Both the NDP and the Liberals are playing politics with our environment.
They stick their fingers up in the wind, do some polling and calculate the "environmental" position that will garner them the most votes. Ultimately, they are concerned less about our environment and more about gaining environmentally-minded votes, when, and only when, that will help them win a majority.
I believe it is exactly this dynamic that leads more voters to distrust both Adrian Dix and Christy Clark, than to trust them, according to the recent Ipsos Reid poll. In fact, the most trusted party leader in B.C., and the only leader who more people trust than distrust, is Green Party leader Jane Sterk.
Ultimately, I agreed to run for the Green Party because it is the only party that is truly doing politics differently. It is the only party that is taking a principled, evidence-based stance on the environment and it is the only party that will allow me to vote my conscience and on behalf of my constituents, every time. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: BC Politics, Environment, BC Election 2013
Tyee Commenting Guidelines
Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.
Do:
Do not: