http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080830.wgreenparty30/ BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
Green Party announces its first member of Parliament
The Canadian Press August 30, 2008 at 12:37 PM EDT OTTAWA —
The Green Party has gained it's first ever federal member of Parliament — even before an anticipated fall election call.
Green party Leader Elizabeth May introduced Independent MP Blair Wilson — a former Liberal first elected in 2006 — as a Green MP at a news conference Saturday morning in the capital.
Ms. May characterized the move as an historic moment, and said it provides her fledgling party with an entry into the mainstream media election debates.
"With a Green MP sitting in the House of Commons, it will now be impossible to exclude the Green party from the televised leaders' debates in the next election," said Ms. May. Mr. Wilson said he approached the Green party about possible representation only within the past week and "the sun and the moon and stars all lined up," to get him aboard.
The party's 1.5 million votes in the 2006 election, combined with continued strong national polling numbers near 10 per cent and federal by-election results that have placed Green candidates ahead of other mainstream party contenders all point to a legitimate political entity, said Ms. May.
"We've established ourselves as a party that cannot be described as fringe."
But whether Mr. Wilson ever enters the House of Commons as a Green party MP will likely be determined by voters in his riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country later this autumn.
That's no sure thing.
The Vancouver MP resigned from the Liberal caucus last fall after allegations of spending irregularities in his 2006 campaign.
Elections Canada finally cleared Mr. Wilson this summer of any improprieties following an eight-month investigation, and Ms. May said he shared "deep and detailed" financial information with the Green party over the past week that proves his innocence.
Mr. Wilson is also contemplating a defamation suit against family members following an ugly financial dispute. Mr. Wilson won his Vancouver seat, which had been held by Conservative party stalwart John Reynolds, in a tough three-way fight with the Tories and NDP after Mr. Reynolds' retired from politics and did not run in 2006.
"Not only do I embrace the policies of my new party, I will feel that all my past difficulties are justified if, by my actions, I can make a real difference by ensuring Elizabeth May is included in the leaders' debates," Mr. Wilson said in a statement. "There is a democracy deficit in Canadian politics and this is one step in restoring effective democracy in Canada".
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is widely expected to dissolve Parliament next week before the fall sitting resumes, sending Canadians to the polls for a vote in mid-October. Mr. Harper was to meet with NDP Leader Jack Layton later Saturday, ostensibly in a bid to seek opposition support for the Conservative government's fall legislative agenda.
Stumble It!
Whether Blair Wilson gets elected or not, is much less important than his giving Elizabeth May a legitimate seat in the upcoming leaders' debates. Ms. May is positioned to ask tough (and potentially embarassing) questions of all the parties. This is one debate I am actually looking foreward to watching!
Which is exactly why they will make up some loophole that will exclude her from the debate. Assuming they even bother to have one.
Good point! There is no legitimate way they can exclude her now, so "because of the short duration of the time between announcing the election and holding it, debate will be cancelled"-- unless the Americans hold a debate, in which case we will have to reconsider. But the lawyers are working on it..........