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Green Party

When the Green Party was formed in Canada in 1983, it was the first green party in North America. Its fortunes have gone up and down since. In the 2017 election for British Columbia's provincial Legislature, neither of the two biggest parties — the center-left New Democratic Party and the center-right British Columbia Liberals — captured a majority of votes. For the first time, the Greens had real political power in North America, in support of the New Democrats.

The New Democrats favored some positions in line with the Greens, such as including the limiting of mining and forestry. But the economic importance of the forestry, pulp and paper industries to British Columbia would make it difficult for the New Democrats to adopt any Green Party position that might limit production in the interests of sustainability and the mitigation of climate change.

The Green Party has never won a seat in the Commons, despite fielding candidates in all 308 ridings nationwide in the 2004 and 2006 elections. Its support has ranged between 4.5 percent of total votes in 2006 and fifteen percent in subsequent polls, and it has not fallen below 7 percent in any opinion poll since 2007. With approximately 9,000 registered members, it is the largest federal party in Canada without representation in Parliament. The party claims supporters from all political parties, but leans largely to the left of the political spectrum. The party's platform emphasizes "green economics," investment in green technologies, progressive social planning and taxation, and responsible governance.

The party's lack of a regional base or local pockets of strength makes it unlikely to win any seats. Leader Elizabeth May ran a symbolic but futile campaign against Conservative Defense Minister Peter MacKay in his riding in Nova Scotia. However, the party threatens to drain NDP and Liberal support in urban Ontario and British Columbia, particularly if the next election focuses on the environment and the Liberals' carbon tax proposal.

In the 2015 campaign, the party supported containing military spending to 1% of GDP, and never to exceed 1.3%. It promised to restore Canada to its “peacemaking roots,” establish a Ministry of Peace and Security, and redirect military spending away from war efforts and toward disaster relief and UN-sanctioned peacekeeping missions.

The Green Party supported total nuclear disarmament, the closure and criminal investigation of all military detention centres which circumvent international law, and the conversion of Canadian and international military industries into “peaceful and restorative industries”. It opposed all Canadian participation in the global arms trade and promises to end weapons production, sales, and research, with the exception of UN-approved peacekeeping equipment. The party promised to fund the purchase of search and rescue aircrafts, ice-breakers, and coastal vessels.

Greens proposed to " work together with our allies to counter threats and ensure a safer world. We will strengthen our international influence by investing in our diplomatic skills and talent, and shift our focus and funding away from NATO military contributions, towards United Nations peacekeeping, poverty alleviation and disaster relief efforts. We will commit to ending poverty globally by contributing 0.7% of GDP to official development assistance. We will not purchase the F-35 stealth fighter jets. We will invest in new military equipment that fits Canada’s defence requirements. We will purchase fixed-wing search and rescue planes, ice-breakers and replace dangerous old military hardware to ensure that threats to our military are not posed by the equipment we give them."