‘Grassroots’ effort to carve out Green space in Manitoba

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This article was published 08/09/2021 (1466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Green candidates in Manitoba likely won’t get to share a local podium with their national leader but say, even without that spotlight, the party’s message is resonating with voters.

Green Leader Annamie Paul has not visited Manitoba in the past or during this election campaign. She will “probably not” reach the province before the Sept. 20 vote, federal press secretary Rosie Emery confirmed this week.

Emery noted smaller parties like the Greens have “limited” resources and time during a short election campaign, while COVID-19 pandemic concerns have also led Paul to campaign solely in Ontario so far.

That means Greens running in 11 of Manitoba’s 14 federal ridings will vie for seats more independently than some of their competitors.

However, two Winnipeg candidates say it may be an advantage.

“One thing that might be a strength of ours is that we are grassroots; the candidate is (always) working hard. I think the message is clear,” said Douglas Hemmerling, Green candidate for Winnipeg South Centre. “Everybody seems to understand that climate (change) is an issue.”

Hemmerling said the Greens obviously stand for action to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recognizing global warming as an emergency that must be immediately addressed.

“This is our history and legacy, and it’s still our strength,” he said. “Our platform (offers) a quicker way to end (the use of) fossil fuels.”

The Green platform, unveiled Tuesday, promises to cancel all new pipelines and oil exploration and raise the carbon tax by $25 per year between 2022 and 2030. That’s part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net negative emissions by 2050.

While Manitoba Greens have far fewer staff and less resources than other larger parties to help share that message, it is well-received at local doorsteps, said Saint Boniface—Saint Vital candidate Laurent Poliquin.

“I’m not saying that everybody is going to vote Green but (as for) the message, they are really open to it, for sure… We’ll have support and we’ll have some Greens who can win.”

After wildfires wreaked havoc with Winnipeg air quality this summer, Poliquin said environmental issues have become top of mind for local voters. “If you want green, there’s no other solution than (to) vote Green.”

Meantime, a Manitoba political expert noted there are several challenges that keep them from enjoying more national party support.

“(In this province), we’ve only got 14 ridings out of 338 (nationwide) and, so, having (the Green leader) visit Manitoba would have less impact then say a (visit) in British Columbia, or parts of Ontario or even Quebec. I would also say there are other regions that have a stronger affinity to the Green party than Manitoba. We’ve never elected a Green MLA or a Green MP,” said Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

The party’s budget is known to be “a fraction” of that of larger political organizations, he noted.

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Paul also needs to compete to secure her own riding (Toronto Centre, last won by Liberal candidate Marci Ien in a 2020 byelection) and heal the party from recent in-fighting, which could distract her from focusing on the national election picture, Adams said.

The Greens may also face a greater challenge in distinguishing their environmental platform, since other parties have offered their own initiatives to combat climate change, he added.

— with files from The Canadian Press

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.