Letters to the editor

One has to wonder about the motivation of the Green Party and its supporters. Although many of us admire a particular focus on the importance of environmental issues, the party seems ambiguous at best on a number of social and economic concerns. More importantly there is no doubt it divides the "progressive vote" permitting the election of right-wing governments with their corporate agendas frequently being contrary to environmental protection.

There is little doubt that the majority of Green Party support is at the expense of the NDP. In my home province of Saskatchewan, a small (4th place) Green Party vote in five ridings caused the defeat of five NDP incumbents in the provincial election. Federally, many excellent NDP candidates (such as former NFU President and internationally known environmentalist Netty Wiebe) have been kept from Parliament because Green Party candidates have drained just enough votes to ensure Tories are elected. 

So, why is it that Green Party supporters are turning their backs on the party of Tommy Douglas, Ed Broadbent and Jack Layton; helping to elect right-wing governments federally and in provinces such as BC?

I think we NDPers need to engage our Green Party friends and to determine why they would be so short-sighted as to deny our generation the opportunity to make Canada a better place, environmentally and socially, for future generations. The current situation means the Green Party actually aids and abets those who would govern against the interests the party professes to support.

Brian Cousins