"Green Leader Elizabeth May has called on her candidates to consider whether their participation in a close contest could help elect a Conservative MP – an outcome she opposes.
May made the statement yesterday after acknowledging that some Green candidates have expressed concern about vote splitting that could result in Tory victories.
"It's up to our local candidates to decide in a close riding whether they feel their participation is likely to elect a Conservative or not. I'm not weighing in on that. But in the vast, vast majority of ridings in this country, voting Green is clearly the right thing to do," she said in an interview last night.
May made the comments after two Quebec Green candidates were reported to have asked their supporters to back their Liberal rivals."
In both of those Quebec ridings, the Bloc is an absolute lock - nowhere near being close ridings - so their switchover to the Libs does not help defeat the Cons and changes absolutely nothing in the vote outcome.
May acknowledges their actions were a mistake/misquoted.
Meanwhile the rest of us are waiting for May to finally throw the whole Green Party under the Liberal bus.
Ekos polling has May running third in her own riding against Con Peter MacKay and NDP Mary Louise Lorefice, who came second in the last election.
May's previous SV do-over.
The Greens must be tearing their hair out.
h/t Rabble
Nanos Daily Election Tracking ending October 10 :
CP... 32, LP... 28, NDP... 22, BQ ... 10, GP... 8
Sunday night Update : Right under the bus!
G&M : "Ms. May has been accused of “selling out” the Green candidates and supporters in close ridings, but the Green Leader says those candidates understand Canada's first past the post-electoral system forces situations where voters sometimes must leave their first choice.
"Those are not places where we're going to win seats. I love our candidates. I think they're fantastic people,” said Ms. May. “Of course the situation created by first past the post and the Green Party's larger commitment to action on climate means there is a certain amount of confusion… I cannot lie to voters and say there is no issue [with voting Green] in these ridings. I trust the voters. That's what it comes down to."
In addition to Central Nova, Ms. May said there about six other ridings where the Greens will have a chance of winning on election night."
LaPresse called it back in early September
2 comments:
Well I am not pulling my hair out. I applaud Ms May for leaving the decision to each individual candidate and their local EDA. That is in keeping with the bottom up democratic processes the party beleives in.
Its a fact that all parties have strong candidates and weak candidates in different ridings, they also have strong support in some ridings and weak support in others. There is no way to make any across the board recommendations that are true for all ridings.
The fact that the Greens may consider throwing their support behind the Libs or the NDP in some ridings just shows that they put their money were their mouth by putting environmental issues ahead of partisianship.
May is a Liberal shill.
The Greens are not a party - they're a farm team and many of them would be more at home in the Cons.
Tuttle
Post a Comment