Green Party of British Columbia: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:50, 30 December 2005

Revision as of 18:48, 1 January 2006

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The Greens maintain they receive support from all over the political spectrum. In the [[Canadian federal election, 2004|federal election of 2004]], former [[Social Credit Party of British Columbia|Social Credit]] Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and media personality [[Rafe Mair]] confounded many by openly supporting the Green Party, and has actively supported the BC Green Party since. The Greens have often been labelled as openly right wing at the same time as being labelled openly left wing by opponents. Leader Adriane Carr has openly supported striking hospital employees and British Columbia Ferry workers, and has been highly critical of the [[2010 Winter Olympics]].

The Greens' strength is concentrated on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, the West Kootenays, Sunshine Coast-Howe Sound region and in high density areas of Vancouver. In 19961991, the party's strongest showing was 4.4% in Rossland-Trail; in 1996, 11% in Nelson-Creston and in 2001 and 2005, in Carr's riding of Powell River-Sunshine Coast where she received 27% and 25% respectively. Since pollsters began analyzing Green support in 1997, the Greens' support patterns have demographically clustered in the 18-34 age bracket, a group with, unfortunately for the Greens, very low voter turnout. While the party's activists tend to be overwhelmingly middle class, there is insufficient data to determine if this is the case with the party's voters on average as low-income voters appear more likely to vote for the party. Retirees and trade union members appear consistently more predisposed to vote against the Greens.

This demographic profile may help to explain the party's loss of momentum just prior to the 2005 election after Carr ran as a [[parachute candidate]] in the highly suburban, low-density, high-income Surrey-Panorama Ridge riding, where she came a distant third, with less than 9% of the vote, approximately the same vote share the party had received in the constituency in the general election.