Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, made a stop in Jasper last weekend, as part of her cross-country whistle stop tour aboard a Via Rail train.
Starting in Vancouver July 11, the “Green Train” chugged across Canada, arriving at the party convention in Fredericton July 17. Along the way May, and a growing gang of Green Party members, stopped in more than a dozen communities for rallies with Green supporters.
On the way, May hosted activism workshops and discussion groups from her seat on the train, talking about issues such as climate change, the rural-urban divide and “pipeline politics.”
On July 11, about 10 supporters decked out in Green hats, shirts and buttons, and brandishing signs calling for “True Democracy” and announcing “EMay In The House” lined the fence at the Jasper railway station in the blistering heat.
Jasper was one of May’s first whistle stops, and as her train creaked into the station, the group clapped (while some even squealed in delight) as the party leader grinned at them through the door.
As she stepped off the train, May gave a big wave and strode to the group, exchanging hugs over the fence.
As Greens filtered off the train, May grabbed a microphone hooked up to a small sound system and called everyone over.
She explained that the Green Train tour was dedicated to one message: “getting Canada back on track.
“This tour is about getting us back on track to a real transportation policy that will include and sustain and invest in passenger rail, so that trains are not just an interesting antique for tourists, but a real, functioning transportation system to reduce greenhouse gasses, and increase efficiency with which Canadians can get from coast to coast,” she told the crowd of supporters.
May also said that the tour is a chance for Greens to get democracy back on track, and urged them to call their local MPs and ask them to support Bill C-559, which will reduce the power of political party leaders by removing the requirement that they sign nomination papers for all electoral candidates.
A major theme throughout her speech was that of grassroots democracy, and removing power from political parties. Several times she told the crowd that political parties are contributing to Canada’s “broken” democracy.
“Canadians don’t care about political parties ... what they care about is that the MP they elect works for them,” she said.
May spoke to the crowd for about 10 minutes, touching on the need for proportional representation in federal parliament, and stressing that the world is moving into a time of climate uncertainty.
“We are now in a period of uncertain, unpredictable, morphing climate. We are not yet at a point of equilibrium, we do not know what the new normal will be,” she said.
She remained silent, however, on issues close to many Jasperites’ hearts, like the proposed overnight accommodation at Maligne Lake and the temporary foreign worker program. Her speech also lacked reference to issues facing Canada’s national parks.
Green supporters, however, didn’t seem too perturbed.
“[May] is always great,” former Green Party candidate Monika Schaefer said, “she’s probably the smartest politician in Ottawa.”
Janet Keeping, the leader of the Green Party of Alberta, was also at the rally, ready to hop on the train to ride with May to the city.
“We know that politics is sick in Canada, and we know that Elizabeth is the remedy,” she said.
Trevor Nichols
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