Canada

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Byelections give boost to Greens

By: Joan Bryden and Bruce Cheadle

Posted: 11/28/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS Elizabeth May, with musician Sarah Harmer and Independent MP Bruce Hyer behind. (CP)

OTTAWA -- Three federal byelections Monday night failed to alter the party standings in the House of Commons -- returning two Conservatives and a New Democrat -- but the results gave a clear boost to Green party fortunes.

Despite the low voter turnout that is typical of byelections, three Green candidates actually managed to increase their cumulative vote count in the byelections from the 2011 general election -- the only party to do so Monday -- while playing an influential role in both the Victoria and Calgary Centre outcomes.

The Conservatives lost vote share in all three ridings they contested and, despite their success, their vote totals were down dramatically.

Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt hung on to Calgary Centre but her share of the popular vote dropped 21 percentage points in the face of a surprise surge by the Liberals and the Greens. A Conservative handily won the central Ontario riding of Durham, but came a distant third in Victoria, where the NDP eked out a slim victory over the Greens.

While byelection results are notoriously fickle, the Green surge is enough to raise some interesting questions about vote splitting and inter-party co-operation as Canadians look ahead to the real contest in the general election of October 2015.

Just ask Green party Leader Elizabeth May. "I hope it says, 'look, the Greens have arrived,' " a jet-lagged May said Tuesday after returning from Victoria.

If so, it also says new and interesting vote splits are on the horizon that could benefit the ruling Conservatives immensely. That's a point May is eager to make.

"I don't worry about how the byelections went, but I think it should be an object lesson to the Liberals and the New Democrats that it's time to start talking to each other," she said, after noting her party's official policy position is one of co-operation.

Liberal leadership candidate Joyce Murray also said the Calgary Centre outcome demonstrates the need for co-operation among Liberals, New Democrats and Greens.

"This was, I think, a good illustration of what happens when we split the progressive vote, election after election," said Murray, a Vancouver MP. "Over 60 per cent of the votes were cast for progressive candidates who probably agree on more than half of the issues."

Murray is the only Liberal leadership contender so far to broach the idea of co-operation among so-called progressive parties. For the next election only, she is proposing runoff nominations to choose a single progressive candidate in ridings where a united opposition front could defeat the Conservatives.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has adamantly ruled out any co-operation with the Liberals.

Despite winning Victoria, the byelections were not great news for the NDP, which saw its vote share plummet 13 points in Victoria and 11 points in Calgary in the face of a Green surge.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 28, 2012 A11

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Canada

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.