Skip to main content
tim powers

Georges Laraque speaks to reporters as the start of Canadiens training camp in Montreal on Sept. 19, 2007.Francois Roy/The Canadian Press

This past weekend, former NHL tough guy Georges Laraque became one of two deputy leaders of the Green Party. Laraque, not one to be tangled with on the ice, seems to be well-meaning and big hearted off of it. Good for him for getting involved in politics and playing a role, though he says he isn't going to run for office at this point.

Getting a notable national figure, particularly a hockey player, skating in the federal arena at some level must make politics a tad more interesting to some of those who are disengaged. But a panacea it is not.

The Laraque signing is also a stunt by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. Ms. May is more P.T. Barnum than P.E. Trudeau. Just like her time as head of the Sierra Club, Ms. May's effectiveness as an advocate has been more about noise generation than tangible outcomes. Kyoto was a failure, much like her her bid to win a Green seat in Ottawa so far.

From her co-operation deal with Stéphane Dion, to running against Peter MacKay, to her inclusion in the 2008 federal election debates, she has proven her capacity to generate headlines. But headlines don't always mean results. May appears to be sticking to form. By getting a high-profile celebrity deputy, who won't run, she has earned herself some summer ink and made many forget that her pugilist got in because the previous deputy, Jacques Rivard, punched out over his frustrations with the state of the Greens.

If Elizabeth May spent less time making noise and gave more effort to some smart strategy, her party's chances of success might improve. For example, why not target 30 seats as opposed to 308? Greens could use their expertise in a concentrated way to focus on ridings where their popularity is as legitimate as the opportunity to flip the seat.

Far be it for me to give the Greens advice, but I gotta believe May's noise strategy is wearing thin on many in her own party. Laraque could quickly find himself in role he is more accustomed to, as May's protector if her detractors get their dukes up over her won-lost record.

Interact with The Globe