Sonia Furstenau on the Greens’ Big Opportunity

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau says she will consider it a successful provincial election if the legislature returns with more than the two MLAs currently in the Green caucus.

A month before B.C. votes, Furstenau harbours no illusion of a Green wave arriving to carry her into the premier’s office.

There are, however, half a dozen of the province’s 93 constituencies where the party is competitive and Green candidates can hope to do well, she said. “We’re realistic about this.” None of them are safe seats, especially with Adam Olsen leaving provincial politics after representing Saanich North and the Islands since 2017.

Adding to the challenge, the party came into the summer ill-prepared to fight an election. While it has been taking steps to turn its fortunes around, including replacing its campaign director with Maureen Balsillie last month, as of Wednesday it still had just 51 candidates nominated.

Among those who could eke out wins, Furstenau said, are Arzeena Hamir in Courtenay-Comox, Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands, Chris Hergesheimer in Powell River-Sunshine Coast, Nicole Charlwood in Kootenay Central and Camille Currie in Esquimalt-Colwood.

There is also Furstenau’s own campaign in Victoria-Beacon Hill.

When Furstenau announced that instead of running in Cowichan Valley, where she has won twice, she would be competing for the seat held by NDP cabinet minister Grace Lore and previously by former NDP leader Carole James, many observers were ready to count her out, suggesting she secretly wanted to retire.

In the 2020 election, the NDP’s Lore received nearly 55 per cent of the vote in Victoria-Beacon Hill.

But Furstenau points out that the Green candidate got 30 per cent of the vote and that for several elections the constituency has been one of the best for her party, so there is a base of support.

“I had a much steeper climb in Cowichan than I do in Victoria-Beacon Hill,” she said, adding that she is accustomed to people underestimating her chances.

Certainly the campaign has signs of life. The Fort Street office was busy with volunteers on a recent Monday morning. A table was loaded with lawn signs — about half the supply available, Furstenau said — ready to go as soon as the campaign period officially starts Saturday.

Posters with Furstenau’s image and the slogan “Fight for a B.C. That Puts People First” have already appeared on bus shelters in the riding, including one half a block from the legislature.

The question for people in the constituency is who they want to be their representative, Furstenau said.

MLAs from the party in power often become the voice of the government in their communities, she said.

But Furstenau can instead offer a record of having been a strong representative who has successfully advocated for her community.

“What I see here is the need for the same kind of collaborative cross-jurisdiction approach to things that really does result in success and change,” she said.

It’s the same pitch Furstenau said she makes for Green candidates everywhere: they have to try so tirelessly just to get elected that voters can be sure they are electing someone who will work incredibly hard. “You have a proven person, hard-working representative,” she said. “They’re not there in service to a political party; they are there in service to their community.”

After the election the legislature may look very different than it does going into it. The biggest shift is the collapse of BC United, which as the BC Liberal Party won 28 seats in 2020 and formed the official Opposition.

In late August BC United suspended its campaign. Some of the party’s incumbents and candidates are running for the Conservative Party of BC, which polls suggest is competing to form the government, but others are running as independents or endorsing NDP or Green candidates.

The volatility could be an opportunity for the Greens, especially as the other parties shift on key issues like the carbon tax. Space has opened for a party that promises action on climate change and social issues but also values fiscal responsibility.

Under the NDP, Furstenau said, the budget has ballooned but the government isn’t getting good results.

“I’d like us to be spending more wisely,” Furstenau said. “I would consider myself a lot more fiscally responsible than the NDP. I’ve had to be.” As a single mother for a period in her life and a bookkeeper for small businesses, she knows the strain people face, she said.

What will the election be about? “Cost of living and feelings of insecurity, and I think that ignoring climate change in that question is folly.” Fires, floods, drought and heat have shown just how expensive the climate crisis can be, she said. “It’s very expensive for us to not respond in a proactive way.”

Businesses, starting with the insurance industry, are alarmed by just how expensive damage from climate disasters could be, she said. So it’s appalling that Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad has taken the position that even if climate change is real, it’s not a crisis. “He has somehow outsmarted them all,” Furstenau said. “It’s nonsensical.”

There have been good steps by the NDP government, she said, including the appointment of the technical advisory panel on old-growth forests, the creation of the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and the passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, though more needs to be done for the actions to live up to the words.

“Overall I would like to see a greater combination of urgency and actions focused on outcomes from this government,” she said.

Her own vision for B.C. includes ensuring that people’s basic needs are met and everyone can achieve their full potential, which means building a strong education system, ensuring food security and treating housing as a human right.

It’s also key to protect the natural systems that people depend on for their well-being, she said. “We are not going to be well if we don’t have clean water, if we don’t have clean air, if we don’t have healthy food.”

Neighbourhoods need to be vibrant, safe, connected and resilient, and the government, political systems and institutions need to be trustworthy, she added.

“I don’t want people to be angry about government,” said Furstenau. “I don’t want people to feel enraged. I want people to feel happy about the role government is playing in their lives because it is doing its job of delivering those foundational pieces of a thriving, connected society.”

While the Greens may not form government after B.C. votes, its MLAs play a role in the legislature that would be missed, she said. “We’re an essential voice in the landscape.”

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