Any kind of change starts with one person. But having a second person along for the ride does help.
The Green Party of Canada has shown recent success in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. Now the party has a second Green MP in Ottawa.
Paul Manly won the federal byelection in Nanaimo-Ladysmith and will join Green Party leader Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands). May had been the only Green Party MP since 2011.
"I will not compromise on the future of our children and our grandchildren." -@paulmanly pic.twitter.com/mq2DgCny17
— Green Party Canada (@CanadianGreens) May 7, 2019
"How we can change the economy — that we are working in to protect the environment that we need for our health, for our children, for our grandchildren," Manly said in his victory speech. "How we can do a better job of taking care of people who are less fortunate."
The Nanaimo area has shifted back and forth between the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Conservatives. The seat became available when Sheila Malcolmson (NDP) won a a provincial byelection. Manly ran for the seat in 2015 and finished fourth.
Manly will run again in October in the upcoming federal election.
As we've learned on the provincial level, every election counts because voters see the Green Party as being a more viable option with more electoral victories. Climate change is a factor but the Greens have shown to be more than just about the environment.
Any election — provincial or federal — is seen as a sign for what might happen in the October federal election. The standard perception has been that Greens are a threat to the reigning Liberals and Justin Trudeau. I would argue that the NDP has more to worry about federally about a potential Green wave.
NDP federal leader Jagmeet Singh did win a seat in Burnaby South earlier this year, but the party has lost momentum. The electoral area that is left-of-center doesn't have a lot of space.
Prince Edward Island has a Greens growth spurt with a minority government
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All these elections involve British Columbia, including that as we noted in our Prince Edward Island election coverage, Elizabeth May's new husband John Kidder will run in the federal election for the Green Party in the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Valley riding.
12 seats in the October election might be a long shot, but 12 seats is the minimum in the 338-seat Parliament to be a “recognized party” for the purposes of parliamentary proceedings. The Bloc Quebecois currently has 10 seats in Ottawa.
photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @CanadianGreens
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