There's actually another thread on the Green Party in the Federal Election section, but I think it fizzled a little bit and is now back about three pages.
It's interesting on that one people were convinced that the Green Party had become too right wing.
I decided to read through the election platforms and do some research this election, to figure out had the Green Party gone right wing? Is the NDP environmental policy better? Had the Green Party declared a stance on PR? etc....
Overall here's what I found out after reading the platforms and submitting some questions.
On PR:
The Green Party stongly supports Proportional Representation, Jim Harris works with Fair Vote Canada, and the Green Party along with representatives from all other parties sit on the board. Fair Vote has not come out in favour of any one particular form of PR, however they do ask for citizen's assemblies where peole should have the chance to be educated about PR, and then a referrendum question.
There are many Green's who are in favour of MMP, but the Green Party itself has not passed any resolutions supporting one form of PR over another.
On Environmental Platforms:
I was really surprized when people began touting the NDP Environmental platform as "greener" than the Green Party. I think the major argument was that Greenpeace and the Sierra club had endorsed the NDP platform.
After reading both parties platform I have to say the Green party platform had consistent and thought out environmental policy that they admit is a long term goal and it runs consistently into other areas of their platform, making a very cohesive well thought out policy platform.
The NDP's platofrom with respect to environmentalism this year seemed really week. It was evident that the NDP platform, like the Liberal and Conservative was put together not as one unified document, but as the campaign emerged with reference to what polls indicated voters were responding to. I found the NDP section on the environment very shot, low on detail and not solution driven.
My theory (and this is purely my own suspicion) is that the Green Party lost many former NDPers during the red-green split that happened mid 1990s the NDP has more connections and financial power and was probably better able to get their platform in front of large organizations like Green Peace and Sierra club, who would endorse the NDP platform over the Liberal or Conservative, but the Green Platform may not have even been present.
On Left or Right:
I think I would have trouble firmly pegging the Greens, they have definately become more fiscally conservative, but they are much more socially progressive than the new Conservative party. Generally they're my favourite type of conservative, they are conservationists, and don't adhere to social conservatism.
Has anyone else done a platform comparison, I'd love to discuss that, but think that I may be the only nerd who read the silly things.
