Green Party of Canada

The Green Party first started out as the Green Movement during the 1960’s valuing peace, love and understanding, sparking ideas for the Green Party’s values of Social Justice, non-violence, and ecological thinking. In the early 1980’s, groups from the Green Movement made attempts to further the movement into coalitions. During this time the Canadian Environment Network, Canadian Organic Growers, Canadian Peace Alliance, Voice of Women, and the Solar Energy Society of Canada was founded, motivating the green movement to organize a political party.

The Green Party of Canada was founded at a conference at Carelton University in Ottawa during 1983. The party ran 60 candidates under the leader Dr. Trevor Hannock in the 1984 federal election. The Green Party of Canada is separate from other green parties around the world, but has similar philosophies as them.  The first green party in North America was called The Small Party, was located in the Maritimes and was founded by the Green Party of Canada’s current leader, Elizabeth May, who was also one of the first candidates running for public office. There are currently over 100 Green Party’s around the world with green members of parliament in multiple countries including Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Italy, France, Germany, and Finland.

Since the Green Party’s start, it has been developing as an organization by expanding its member ship and improving in the polls. On June 28 2004, the green party of Canada became the fourth federal political party ever to run candidates in all 308 ridings. For that election, the Green Party secured 4.3 percent of the popular vote, passing the 2 percent threshold required for party financing. In the January 23 2006 election the Green Party ran 308 candidates again and increased its popular vote to 4.5 percent. Later in that year, the party’s new federal leader, Elizabeth May, made Green Party history when she finished second in a by-election in the riding of London North Centre. In the 2008 federal election May was excluded from the televised candidate debate but after pressure from the public was included and impressed many with her performance. In the 2011 federal election May ran in the riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands in British Columbia and won, becoming the first elected Green Party MP in Canadian history.