Greens campaigning two elections ahead

Even as Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May admits she is torn over whether she would like to see a federal election again so soon after the one last year, she revealed the environmentalist party is sowing the seeds to score more House of Commons seats in two elections' time during a brief stop in Ste. Anne de Bellevue on Friday.

"We will have green MPs in Quebec," May said, "but maybe not in the next elections, but the ones afterward."

Supporters turned out in a small flock to greet May at the eco-friendly Co-op du Grand Orme store on Ste. Anne Street Friday afternoon, where she made an appearance along with the two official West Island candidates in an improbable fall federal election, Ryan Young in Lac St. Louis and Jonathan Lumer in Pierrefonds/Dollard.

"I'm very supportive of our candidates here in Quebec," she said.

She did not deny the chance of winning a Green seat is slim at best in the two ridings, where voters have a tendency to vote for the Liberal Party in overwhelming numbers.

"It's not just about winning seats," she said. " It's about supporting our grassroots who are working so hard, and making sure that the word gets out that the Green Party is on the move."

Peter Graham, a Concordia University professor who had run for the party in Lac St. Louis during the last federal elections, seems to set a perfect example. Leaving Lac St. Louis, he will now run in the Eastern Townships riding of Compton-Stanstead, but admittedly, not in order to win.

"They have three potential candidates there (within two elections)," Graham explained. However, since none of them have any experience running, Graham agreed to take on the task of being a candidate for the next election as he trains and teaches those waiting in the wings. "I'll do the debate, I'll talk to the media, I'll do the door to door, go through the meet and greets," he said.

Graham also told the local riding association in Compton-Stanstead to avoid spending any money for his own campaign, since he has many signs left over from 2008.

Meanwhile, his replacement in Lac St. Louis, Young, is no stranger to green politics himself. Last year, the John Abbott College teacher ran federally for Pierrefonds/Dollard, and as a provincial Green candidate in the Jacques Cartier riding.

Still, though he is the official candidate for Lac St. Louis, he admit it is not certain yet whether he will run or not as he has a strong interest in running for council in Ste. Anne in municipal elections. "I'll know by the end of this week," he said.

The current Pierrefonds/Dollard candidate, Jonathan Lumer, is a fresh face in party politics, though the Université de Montréal law student has been involved in helping out the Greens for two years.

Chances of a federal election look slim as of this moment with the NDP and the Bloc Québecois throwing their support behind the minority Conservative government. Though the Liberals have vowed to stop supporting Prime Minister Stephen Harper, they would need the support of at least one other opposition party to bring him down.