The Moderate Republican

The Green Alternative

For those of you who are not Canadaphiles like yours truly, Canada is in the tail end of an election campaign. Next Monday, they will go to the polls to vote for a party and in turn decide who will be Prime Minister. The interesting story of this election has been the Green Party of Canada. The current leader is a former member of what has become the Conservative Party of Canada and he has steered the party away from the socialist left (which is already well represented by the social democratic New Democratic Party) to a more pragmatic green politics. According to a Globe and Mail editorial, he is in support of lower taxes to spur investment, and he supports revenues based on "brown taxes" on gas-guzzling SUVs. A look at their website sees a view that is fiscally responsible and socially liberal. They are polling at about 6 percent nationally, which isn't a lot, but it could mean gaining a seat in Parliment.

What's refreshing is that the Green Party of Canada is seeking to influence the national debate. This is a far cry from the Green Party of the United States which seems stuck in a sixties-style socialism. The Green Party here could get more attention if it adopted a more less doctrinare approach. The Green Party of Canada had the same problem until Jim Harris, their new leader took over. What the Green Party here should do is adopt some kind of "pragmatic progressivism" that is open to a wider view. There are many people here in America that care about the environment, but are turned off by the hard left views of those that run the Green Party now. Maybe if the Canadian Greens do well, the American Greens will buy a clue.