The 2007 Green Challenge - Majority Government

At the left is my projection for the next federal election, a Green majority government with 37% of the vote.

In the London North Centre by-election, we discovered that in the final days of the campaign, we experienced a tremendous surge in support, probably something in the range of 10 percentage points. In total, we increased the Green vote from 5.5% to 25.8%, an increase of 20%. The first half of the campaign was almost completely hidden by the municipal election that was happening at the same time. Those of us on the ground on that campaign knew that we could have squeezed another 5% to 10% if we had had another 10 days in the campaign.

This time, we are more prepared. This time, we have more people working on the campaign. This time we will have better national media coverage. This time, Canadians will know that we are contenders. The Green Party is up to 13% in the national polls, tied for third place. Two parties down, and two to go.

Here is my challenge to the rest of the country: only one voter in four needs to join us to form a majority government. At 13% + 25% = 38% we would have a very commanding 170 seats.

I do not extend this challenge lightly. In my riding in 2006, the Conservatives won with 46%. Here in SW Ontario, we are polling at 15%. After one in four, I will have 40% of the vote, they will have less and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex will be Green. I challenge myself and I challenge every person in Canada to find a couple of other people to support the Green Party. Then ask them to find a couple more.

The Green Party cannot make this happen by itself. However, the voters can make it happen in the blink of an eye.

Show your children that you care about their future. Take back your government.

Please, consider being a community leader, one of the heroes, who will free Canadians from the seesaw of broken promises. If you only vote once in your life, do it now and help paint Canada Green.

Jim

Even better polls

It takes more than polls to win an election, but it is a good start. Decima has recently released its Canada numbers showing Conservatives at 36%, Liberal at 27%, Green and NDP at 13% and Bloc at 11%. More interesting is that the Globe and Mail reported this as a Conservative "surge". Well, here is the interesting thing. The Conservatives got 36.3% in the last election, so they have surged back to below where they were a year ago. The Liberals are down 3%, which is relatively insignificant. The story focuses on the "gap" really, which has increased from 6 to 9 points.

However, the real story is the Green Party, now tied for the number three spot in Canada, up 8 points from the last election. The growth is coming from all of the other parties. I believe this is the beginning of an explosion, much like what happened in the London North Centre by-election.

Once people can see that we can win, we will win. How can anyone look at their children and grandchildren and say, "I did what was best for your future in 2007" and not vote Green?

Jim