ApresHe
TheDellLugedVille
David Climenhaga has the story on his truly excellent Alberta-focused blog. Here is his lede:
Michael Kalmanovitch, the Green Party of Canada Candidate in the tight Edmonton-Strathcona race, told an all-candidates’ forum at the riding’s King’s University College yesterday that he is dropping out and asking his supporters to vote strategically for the NDP’s Heather McPherson.
“Based on polling projections, it has become clear that success is unlikely under our first-past-the-post system,” Kalmanovitch said in a news release on his personal website. “The Climate Crisis is too important for people and parties to play politics as usual.”...
The response from the FedGreens is the most succinct, unequivocal thing they have said all campaign:
...Within hours, the Green Party issued a statement in Ottawa announcing Kalmanovitch “has been removed as its candidate in Edmonton Strathcona and is no longer a member of the party.
“The Green Party will have no further comment,” it concluded...
Imagine that!
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Wednesday, October 16, 2019
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-trudeau-minority-government-2019-election-1.5324496
This happened before in Albeta: the errant Green candidate was dumped after conceding—pre-election—to the NDP.
This is yet another occasion to gage leader Elizabeth May’s cavalier position(s) on tactical (“strategic”) ~voting and voting ‘from the heart’ instead of with the head.
She sniped at the NDP for clarifying allegations that its “candidates” had gone Green —which May initially welcomed until the disingenuity of the report was outed. She retorted her party “gave” the NDP leader his by-election win in a riding the Greens wouldn’t have won. The NDP leader had to defend against this smear, not apologize.
It’s May’s conceit that the Greens will hold the balance of power in a minority: the NDP or Bloc are much more likely to win that position.
May insists the BoP will empower her to force a minority government—even a ScheerCon one—to implement proportional representation without the alleged divisiveness of a referendum (after a series of convincing referendum defeats). Can May expect a ScheerCon minority to impose pro-rep on an electorate that’s reiterated its distaste for it—all to advantage a small party like hers? (The day is yet to come when the Cons want pro-rep as much as May; they have to be reduced to fringe party status first.)
In today’s Tyee, May said not to “worry about strategic [sic] voting, or at least decide the strategic [sic] vote is Green,” speaking to voters who want to help “wild salmon, climate policy and reconciliation.” But in ridings like mine that would split the vote, elect the Conservative candidate, and maybe a Conservative government—a curious recommendation for a professed environmentalist given the incumbent NDP MP here has done all those things and more whilst in Ottawa. For May, tactical voting equals ‘bad’ (so ‘bad’ as to recommend pro-rep which, May claims, would preclude such ‘evil’)—unless it tactically helps the Greens, a remarkably flexible ethic).
May is flexible, not only about tactical voting and balance-of-power brokering, but also about which ridings Greens may or may not run in. Nominated candidates may not continue to run if they pre-concede the contest in favour of an environmentalist candidate with better odds of winning (who released Green supporters can assist); they may not run in by-elections where the leader of another party is seeking a seat; and they may not run in ridings where May is courting a stand-offish Independent candidate like Jody Raybold Wilson. But it’s too bad a Green may run in ridings like mine where the risk of Green supporters splitting the vote and electing an environmentally unfriendly party is almost certain without tactical voting.
It’s remarkable is how poorly the Greens have polled despite the environment being the number-one issue. What is holding an overtly environmentalist party back in this circumstance? Perhaps it’s not so much what as who.
I don’t wish the Green Party ill, I just want Green supporters to vote tactically in ridings where the Party has little chance of winning but where Green votes are likely to split the anti-ScheerCon vote; the party simply isn’t strong enough yet to discount this electoral tactic —or to get preachy about tactical voting as if this general election is a referendum on electoral systems. The Greens have made this their centrepiece platform in every election without reward. If electoral-reform was so good to JT and BC’s NDP and Greens, why not for the federal Greens?
May I say to my Green compatriots: whatever happens on Moon’s Day, you might consider making this the last election to use Elizabeth May as leader considering y’all should be doing much, much better than having to affect cavalier conceit about parties, elections, parliaments and voters.
Scotty on Denman, you've said it all, in my opinion. thank you.
What e.a.f. said--
Thanks Scotty.
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Thanks Anon-At-The-Top--
I think.
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Thumbs up on Moon’s Day, my friends!
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