Elizabeth May’s Greens hope for big gains as she secures Vancouver Island riding

@LizaYuzda has more from Victoria.

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Elizabeth May has been re-elected for her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The Green Party Leader is at the campaign headquarters in Victoria, B.C. where she says they are hoping to capitalize federally on gains Greens have made provincially.

While they want to at least double their seats from two to four, party officials say they’d be happy with three, ecstatic with six and over the moon with any more than that.

In a breakthrough for Atlantic Canada, the Greens made history winning their first ever federal seat in New Brunswick.

Jenica Atwin won the riding of Fredericton after a close race with the second place Conservative candidate and the third-place Liberal incumbent.

Atwin’s strength follows recent gains by the Green Party in both the New Brunswick election last year and the P.E.I election last spring.

This gives the Greens their first federal victory outside of B.C.

The best case scenario for the Greens would be 12 seats and party status or getting the rare power position of another party needing Green votes to keep the confidence of the house.

“What matters is do we have enough to play a constructive role in a minority parliament,” she says, “We certainly will have achieved something way beyond anything any Green party around the world has achieved in a first-past-the-post system.”

If that happened May would waste no time setting her sights on scrapping the pipeline the Liberals bought. She says they would never do any work with the Liberals as long as the pipeline goes forward.

“There’s not a single way. It’s not about one project – it’s about holding to the advice of the scientists to ensure the world is livable in the lifetime of our children and you can’t add more fossil fuel emissions,” she says.

Or getting that political wonder – like in B.C. where a few greens are needed for the leading party to win the confidence of the house.

Both east and west coasts are key to seeing that happen.

It’s been a big campaign for the Green’s on the west coast, specifically the southern part of Vancouver Island that is crucial to the Greens getting more seats.

With files from the Canadian Press

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