The Green Party of Canada is sick of being ignored.

The party complained Monday that the Canadian Federation of Students left them out “in the cold,” not including them in their annual report card-style evaluation of party platforms.

Party leader Jim Harris asserts that this makes no sense, since his party has long enjoyed popularity among youth. Indeed, many of its candidates are students themselves, including U of T student Jeff Brownridge (bringing the number U of T student candidates in the 2006 election up to five, if you’re counting).

Although one of the Greens’ primary concerns is the environment, as its name suggests, it is not the only one. Among its social policies, the Green Party has outlined a plan to improve post-secondary education.

“It is important to provide students with the opportunity to offset their debt while still in school,” said Thom Chapman, the Green Party candidate for U of T’s Trinity-Spadina riding.

The Greens say they would invest $8 billion in education, re-structure loan programs into a needs-based grants system, and boost participation in apprenticeships and cooperative education program to allow students to work and earn money in their fields while completing their degrees.

Chapman also spoke of eliminating GST for students on “tools related to their education, such as books,” as well as giving a tax rebate to students for their transportation costs, such as metropasses.

Most significant for students is the party’s policy of working with provinces to freeze tuition costs and ultimately reduce them over time.

The notion that the younger generation is more environmentally-conscious is illustrated by the fact that many of the party’s candidates are young themselves.

Jeff Brownridge is a prime example: the 25-year-old is both a history student and the Green party’s candidate for the campus’s riding of Pickering-Scarborough East.

“The Green Party has made two major commitments,” said Brownridge. “The first is to have 50 per cent of the Green party’s candidates as women. The second is to have 25 per cent of our candidates under the age of 35.

“Instead of having a youth wing, the Green Party works to incorporate the youth perspective into their initiatives by encouraging young people to take on leadership roles within the party,” he said.

In an attempt to boost lagging political participation among youth, the party announced January 13, the first day of the advanced polls, as “Youth Voter Day.”

When asked why a person should vote for a party with no seats, Brownridge urged voters not to vote strategically.

“If you do not vote for what you want, how can you expect to get it?” he demanded.