13 May 2013

A message from Elizabeth May to voters on the eve of the BC election


Dear fellow British Columbians,

During my campaign in 2011, nearly everyone outside of my team and supporters said there was no way I could win. Even as polls were closing, the media was still saying I didn't have a chance. I recall one interview (with CKNW in Vancouver) days before the vote when the guest host for the Bill Good Show told me I couldn't be elected dogcatcher. And then the results came in - we won by over 7,000 votes (10.1%). It was a very decisive win!

Now that I've been working as an MP for two years, I've worked to improve civility in Parliament, reaching out across party lines within the principles I laid out during my campaign. I've proposed hundreds of amendments to Conservative omnibus bills, I've created two non-partisan caucuses that include members from all five parties, I've kept my constituents and fellow Canadians informed of all the secretive back-room politics that go on in Ottawa, and my fellow MPs even voted me "Parliamentarian of the Year".

Having Greens elected to the BC Legislature will be a win, not only for the Green Party, but for democracy itself. In this campaign, Jane Sterk and her fellow candidates have already pushed the NDP to adjust their decisions, such as with Mr. Dix's sudden refusal to allow Kinder-Morgan to use the Ports of Vancouver or Delta. Despite the NDP loss of a huge lead, Adrian Dix still has a commanding lead and will form government. A few Greens will have a very healthy impact on the NDP-Liberal partisanship of the legislature. Greens will be a powerful presence. Andrew Weaver, Adam Olsen, Jane Sterk, and other Green MLAs will be able to fight for a guaranteed livable income, a transition off fossil fuels, and support for the burgeoning clean energy industry in BC; they will keep us informed of what goes on in our Legislature, and they will model a new kind of politics that isn't about what party you belong to, but what values you hold dear. BC needs Green MLAs or none of that will ever happen.

So I'm asking you not to listen to the fear-mongering, the scare tactics, the vote-splitting propaganda, and to vote for what you believe in. Feel good about your vote - vote with hope, not fear. My election in 2011 gave hope to people across Canada. Let's do it again tomorrow and see BC take the lead! Let's make history again.

Election Day: tomorrow, May 14, 8am-8pm.

Elizabeth May
MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada

1 comment:

  1. "vote splitting propaganda" is she serious? I'm in a riding where the CPBC decided not to run a candidate. Green candidates from other ridings have, however, turned up here to support the NDP candidate.

    They want you to vote Green unless they don't give you the opportunity and, in that case, they'll make it clear who you're to vote for.

    This sort of thing is as manipulative as "vote splitting propaganda" and there's something very wrong about it.

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