In professional sports, where colours are mixed fearlessly, orange and green complement each other—just look at the Miami Dolphins. In Canadian politics, standard colours are safer—think of the boring red and blue hues of the Liberal and Conservative parties. Primary shades dominate the country’s narrow political spectrum. They represent tradition and prestige, men in navy blue power suits projecting their superiority and paying lip service to democracy.
What this country’s lethargic political landscape desperately needs is a shot of orange and green: a merger between Jack Layton’s NDP and Elizabeth May’s Green Party. A new party, let’s call it the Green Democratic Party (GDP) would provide a refreshing, socially progressive outlook, and reflect the wishes of an increasing number of Canadians. It would also pose a considerable threat to the hegemonic control exercised by the Tories and Grits. The GDP would advocate universal prescription drug coverage and oppose privatized health care; shift the emphasis in Afghanistan to diplomacy, defence, and development; create green-collar jobs; and promote pollution-based taxation. In an increasingly divided country where health care, Afghanistan and the environment are hot button issues, we need a political party that can think outside the box and reshape the tired, traditional style of politics.
Layton’s about-face over May’s inclusion in the televised leadership debates betrayed his anxiety over the Green Party’s snowballing popularity. May is here to stay, and Layton feels the heat. The frumpy but feisty May was tackling environmental issues long before it was cool, and long-time supporters of the NDP and Liberals are intrigued by her policies. Voting in Canada is rarely as simple as selecting the preferred candidate. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and Mays’ non-compete deal is telling. Though the NDP has long been the party of choice for progressives, many would-be supporters cast strategic votes for the Liberals when the Conservatives seem poised to win. Canadians are increasingly dissatisfied with the rigid, first-past-the-post system, and they’re looking for creative ways to make their voices heard. Cap’n Jack must ask himself whether he’s satisfied with his party’s honourable, but ultimately powerless role as the “conscience of Canada.” A merger would appeal to those who see the NDP and the Greens as virtually identical. If the number of viable parties was decreased to three—Conservatives, Liberals, or GDP—the small-l liberal vote would be strengthened, and the GDP would appear more legitimate to voters.
A glance at the major party websites is revealing. The Conservative site’s home page features a photo of Harper at home with his family, relaxing on a sofa and leaning to the right. Harper’s wife Laureen is listed beneath the Prime Minister’s under the heading of “leader,” indicating that she is the First Lady of Canada. The Liberal website is bland and awkward, a fitting metaphor for the campaign and leadership style of Dion thus far. The NDP site is smart, practical, and features an attractive orange glow. But the Green Party’s site is by far the most impressive. Despite its overly commercial aesthetic—it looks more like an ad for Garnier Fructis than a political party website—the Green’s site dispenses with the window dressing and discloses its policies in with clarity. If websites are an accurate measure of political acuity, then May scores points for keeping it real.
Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell was crucified for saying that an election was no time to debate the issues. This doesn’t mean our campaigns have to mirror the celebrity circus of American politics today, where airbrushed candidates compete in a popularity contest—Canadian politics are boring, and that’s a good thing. Our leadership debates have always been more inclusive than they are south of the border; the public support that will allow May to crash the boy’s club on October 1st is democracy at work. Much depends on how well May performs in the debates, but she has little to lose. If she is ignored by Harper and Layton, they will seem like male chauvinists. If she wipes the floor with them, her popularity will only increase. Either way, she will be chipping away at a rotting foundation which supports stale ideas. The NDP and Green Party are similar in spirit, if not in terms of their policies. Their support base includes far more than just hippies, tree-huggers, and university students in Che Guevera t-shirts. By merging, the two parties can offer Canadians a strong alternative; no one will play the vote vacuum in a four-party race. They could repaint the electoral map in the colours of the Miami Dolphins. And they could win.
