Nov 27, 2012
Congratulations to Donald Galloway, his election team and the people who voted for him Nov. 26. Although we were disappointed he was not elected to Parliament, we must take heart in the fantastic level of support he achieved – a seismic shift that shows people in Victoria and across Canada are becoming increasingly aware of the need for change.
The shift in voter preferences, as much as the final outcome, is the story of this election. The Green Party of Canada moved to within four percentage points of the New Democrats in what was considered a secure NDP riding (the NDP saw their vote share drop by over 14 percent). But what’s really important is those votes didn’t migrate to Liberal and Conservative candidates (to the ‘traditional parties), they coalesced around Green candidate Donald Galloway.
Thirty years of dedication and hard work came together for the Green Party Nov. 26; we almost succeeded in electing a second Member of Parliament to sit beside Elizabeth May in the House. If we keep working at the provincial and federal levels, we will certainly see more Green MPs and MLAs in office.
If the positive result had occurred only in Victoria, it might have been characterized as an idiosyncratic blip only possible on the south end of Vancouver Island. But Chris Turner in Conservative Calgary earned almost 26 percent of the vote there, and both he and Donald were gaining momentum as their campaigns progressed. The results are a clear indication that people are waking up to the Green Party’s messages, and seeing the party as their choice to move the country toward an prosperous, sustainable and achievable future.
Respect for the environment and for all other species is one of the foundation stones of our movement. But people are beginning to see the broader scope of the Green approach. And we have to thank candidates like Donald and Chris for that. They are both highly professional men who want to represent their constituents’ vision for a better Canada. They chose the Green Party because it expects elected representatives to put the interests of citizens and the good of the country first, not the interests of entrenched powers or party insiders.
Greens will not be whipped. None of the people running as candidates would put up with the party telling them what to say and how to vote in the Legislature or the House. Nor would they accept threats and punishments as a means of enforcing party discipline. Our candidates are independent, successful people for whom politics is a vehicle for change, not an invitation to silence. Those are the kinds of people our members expect us to put forward to represent them.
Last night bodes well for Greens in the May provincial election: it shows a growing level of support for a Green vision. We plan to build on Donald’s spectacular achievement in May’s provincial campaign, and we have exceptional candidates who can capitalize on that success.
The federal riding of Victoria includes much of Oak Bay Gordon Head where Andrew Weaver is running; Victoria Beacon Hill, where I am running; and the Vic West, part of Esquimalt Royal Roads where Susan Low is running. A win for Donald Galloway would have been achieved Nov. 26 if just 4.5 votes per poll had switched to Green. The provincial party can take heart from that. We have longer to organize and momentum is on our side. Thanks to Donald, Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May, and a growing majority of the population that recognizes ‘business as usual’ is a surefire strategy for failure, we are poised to make positive gains.
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