Party games
Having followed the federal polls closely, I was surprised when Green Party leader Elizabeth May told the Peak during her Powell River visit [“Greens aim at growing vote in federal election,” August 5], “There is no chance of a Conservative winning in this riding. It’s either going to be a Green or an NDP member of parliament in this riding.” This statement seems directed at those concerned that by voting Green they’ll help re-elect Stephen Harper.
But the idea that our new riding, North Island-Powell River, will be a race between the NDP and the Greens is not supported by the evidence. If the current new riding boundaries had been in place in the 2011 election the Conservatives would have received 46 per cent of the vote and the NDP 42 per cent. The Greens and the Liberals would each have received five to six per cent.
A recent poll after the first leaders’ debate showed the Greens at 6.9 per cent in BC, a decrease from 2011.
In the 2011 election, the Conservatives won 21 seats in BC, the NDP 12, the Liberals two and the Green Party one. The NDP placed second in 18 of those 21 Conservative ridings; the Liberals came second in three. The Green Party didn’t finish second in any.
The Green Party has said it is more dedicated than the other opposition parties to getting rid of the Harper government because it is willing to cooperate with those parties in selected ridings. The other parties, however, have little incentive to do this because, based on their low polling numbers, the Greens have very little to offer.
The Green Party now seems to have abandoned the idea of cooperation and instead is putting serious effort into ridings like ours where they cannot possibly win. May is committed to devoting major resources in this riding just to improve her party’s total vote.
If the Conservatives run neck and neck with the NDP here (as suggested by the 2011 poll results), and the Greens pull enough votes from the NDP, that could tip the balance in favour of Harper’s Conservatives.
That’s the harsh reality of our “first past the post” voting system.
Murray Dobbin
Michigan Avenue
Green jewel
Here’s how to save Lot 450: take the money Sino Bright pays for the property it buys up near Brooks Secondary School and use a part of that to buy Lot 450 trees from Island Timberlands [“Conservationists hear advice for winning in woods,” July 29].
Then the sustainability charter everyone seems to have signed onto can be put in place. Manage the local forest to create long-term, value-added local jobs.
Clear plots for managed development in a manner that will keep the heart of Powell River green, by nature. A green jewel on the Sunshine Coast.
This is a real, possible solution. All that’s required to apply it is will. It’s what the people want and, essentially, Lot 450 belongs to the people.
Lyla Smith
Roberts Road
