Greens tout proportional representation at party convention

Former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion was the keynote speaker at the Green Party biennial convention this weekend in Sidney, British Columbia.

Prior to his appearance, many wondered aloud why a Liberal MP would address another party's convention. Was Dion joining the Greens? Was Elizabeth May going to make a play for the Liberal leadership?

But alas, on Saturday afternoon, it became clear that Dion was only there as a cheerleader for proportional representation — an issue that he's championed for years. Proportional representation, or PR, means that the number of seats won by a party is proportionate to the number of votes received. And without PR in Canada, Green Party leader Elizabeth May and her Greens have a tough slog ahead of them.

It's no coincidence that the countries' that have significant political representation by a 'green' party — Germany, France, Belgium, New Zealand, and Finland — have some form of PR.

New Zealand's Green Party, for example, is the third party in that country's House of Representatives, earning 14 seats with only 11 per cent of the popular vote in last November's general election. Green Party of New Zealand co-leader Metiria Tuei, who attended the convention in Sidney, says proportional representation has made "all the difference" for her party.

"Prior to our proportional system coming into place [in 1996] we had no representatives in [New Zeland's] parliament," she told Yahoo! Canada News.

"Even during various periods where we had 20 per cent of the vote. Proportional representation would make a significant difference in the green movement in [Canada] and help solidify the party."

Finnish Green Member of Parliament Oras Tynkkynen, who also attended the conference, says the fact that Canada has only one Green MP doesn't mean Canadians are less environmentally aware than the Europeans.

"Historically, Canada has had a very strong track record on international environmental issues," he told Yahoo! Canada News.

"The only reason [Canada has just one Green MP] is because of your electoral system. I could easily see Canada have a very strong Green Party in the Parliament with proportional representation."

Tynkkynen adds that Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system actually encourages people to vote against the Greens.

"Even if they want a Green MP, they won't necessarily vote for a [Green] candidate because they think he or she doesn't have a chance."

In Canada, the Green Party's high mark came in 2009, when they achieved 6.8 per cent of the popular vote. In 2011, they earned only 3.9 per cent of the vote.