Green Party Leaders coming to Campbell River

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Canada is expected to have another Federal election in October 2025. Green party leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault launched their national campaign almost two weeks ago. Cortes Currents interviewed them in Ottawa (via ZOOM) yesterday morning. They will be coming to the Maritime Heritage Centre in Campbell River on Saturday, March 2. 

“We're less than 18 months away from a general election. It's crucial that voters get a chance to engage and ask questions to Elizabeth and I about where the party's key priorities are. It's crucial  for us to also get a pulse of  what the key issues are for voters from coast to coast,” explained Jonathan Pedneault.  

“We've been traveling extensively since the leadership race ended (on Nov 19, 2022). It's a great opportunity for the party to test a number of messages on housing, on affordability, and on the climate. Last year we saw some of the most dramatic impacts of climate change ever to have been seen in Canada - with the wildfire season, the storms in the Atlantic and with a continuation of an extremely dry summer in British Columbia. I think it's top of mind for a lot of small communities across Canada.” 

“The key objectives of the tour are for us to get to know what's on people's minds and to share where we're at as a party. We are really kickstarting our electoral readiness process ahead of what is going to be an extremely important general election.” 

Cortes Currents: The Green party often does surprisingly well in polls taken prior to elections. A Nanos poll taken during the 2015 election showed that when the second choices of respondents were factored in, the Green party could potentially reach 27.7% of the electorate. During the 2019 election, 338Canada’s projections showed them leading in four Vancouver Island ridings throughout most of the campaign. In both cases, the Green party was not able to transform this potential into seats on election day. 

What could make the next election different?

Elizabeth May: “Voter turnout, and voter turnout means citizens feeling engaged and empowered. That is the strategy, and we will win more seats on Vancouver Island and certainly that will encourage people who are dispirited.”

She went on to illustrate her point with statistics from ridings where the Greens have won, adding that if 75% of the electorate turns out this election, they will take North Island-Powell River from the NDP.