Green Party B.C. leader Andrew Weaver thanks family, supporters and volunteers during election night at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel,as he makes history becoming the first Green Party MLA elected to the B.C. legislature.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Globe and Mail
Buoyant Green Party looks to bloom
The election of Green Party candidate Andrew Weaver, and strong showings by party leader Jane Sterk and Adam Olsen, perhaps indicate that the Green Party's message can resonate with the electorate and that a vote for the Greens can translate into results.
Next, the party needs to extend its reach beyond Vancouver Island.
"Our job as the Green Party over the next few months is to find great candidates out there, and as we're moving forward, set up constituency associations," Mr. Weaver said. "It's about getting candidates out in the community right now, and offering a positive choice, always with that positive message."
Rejected Conservatives keep their heads down
The fledgling B.C. Conservative Party was dealt a crushing blow on May 14, receiving less than 5 per cent of total votes and failing to win a single seat. But while campaign chair Rick Peterson commends Premier Christy Clark on having a "very strong mandate," he insists the Conservatives still have a place in B.C.
"The B.C. Conservative role will be to support the government where it could be, and needs to be, supported but point out if the government takes measures, or introduces legislation, [that] we don't think address the very important issues of fiscal conservatism," he said.
Leader John Cummins, who has been criticized for his inability to connect with voters, has hinted at a possible change during a leadership review later this year. However, Mr. Peterson credits the 71-year-old for energizing candidates and getting the party "to this point."
"I don't think we have to do a rebranding; we just have to grow from where we got [to]," he said.
Andrea Woo