By Greg Wigmore
Green Party members will soon cast their votes for the provincial leadership candidate they feel can best rid the party of what supporters vexedly refer to as “the tinge of fringe.”
Frank de Jong, who has led the Ontario Greens since 1993, is facing a leadership challenge from the party’s deputy leader, Judy Greenwood-Speers. The contenders squared off in Centretown two weekends ago in one of a series of leadership debates held across the province in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 vote.
Rarely have Green candidates approached double-digit support in elections and the prospect of them actually winning seats in the Ontario legislature remains an unfulfilled dream. In the 1999 election, the party received 0.7 per cent of the provincewide vote, well behind the three major parties and slightly ahead of the other so-called “fringe parties,” such as the Family Coalition and Natural Law parties.
The two leadership hopefuls differ in their vision for the party.
Greenwood-Speers says it’s time for the party to become a more professional organization so it can dramatically increase its membership and funds.
De Jong is urging Greens to follow him on the current course he’s helped chart and is pledging to “continue solidly building the party, brick by brick.”
Both candidates agree the Greens have to quickly double or triple their current provincewide membership of 800 members and prepare to field candidates in all 103 ridings during the next provincial election.
Greenwood-Speers says the party has to improve its organization and fiscal management, hire a professional fundraiser to increase its shoestring budget, and eventually pay its leader and a number of office employees to work full-time between elections.The party currently employs only one part-time staff member.
De Jong says hiring outside help is unnecessary and adds he’s prepared to travel throughout the province to help constituency associations raise funds themselves.
He says the party can attract new members by appealing to people who already support the “Green business community,” which he says includes health food stores, natural medicine and renewable energy industries, as well as other environmentally-friendly firms.
De Jong says the Greens are on the brink of shattering their traditional public image of being just another fringe party and feels they can solidify their position as the fourth political option in Ontario, after the Tories, Liberals and NDP.
He touts Ottawa Centre as one of the ridings where Greens have the best chance of making an electoral breakthrough.
Riding organizer Andrew Van Iterson says that’s due to a membership of 55 people and a candidate in the past federal and provincial elections who is well-known and respected in the community.
That candidate, Chris Bradshaw, says the large number of local members “indicates that a lot of people who have Green values tend to live in this area.”
Bradshaw says there’s a good possibility he’ll run again in Ottawa Centre, and expects his public recognition and experience as a campaigner will translate into increased media exposure, better fundraising, and more votes.
Bradshaw and Van Iterson say it’s crucial for riding associations to remain active outside of election campaigns. They view the time between elections as an opportunity for Greens to educate the public by advocating Green causes such as cycling and clean water.
“We want to be seen as a party that’s doing things in the four years we’re not asking for your vote,” Van Iterson says.
Bradshaw is optimistic party candidates will be able to greatly improve on the last election’s results. In the 1999 contest, he received 2.6 per cent of the vote in Ottawa Centre. He says a doubling or tripling of that number next time would be viewed by many as a major victory.