The election of David Coon, Leader of the New Brunswick Green Party, in yesterday’s provincial election brings the number of Green Party politicians to four across Canada – Elizabeth May (Saanich – Gulf Islands) and Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay – Superior North) in Ottawa, Andrew Weaver (Oak Bay – Gordon Head) in BC, and David Coon (Fredericton South) in NB. Combining both federal and provincial governments, there are now Green Party politicians from BC, Ontario, and New Brunswick, along with a scattering of municipal politicians who are members of or ideologically aligned with the Greens.

Political predictions are a fools game but slow and steady growth in the Green Party seems likely. Both May and Hyer are hard working and high profile in their constituencies, positioning them well for re-election in next year’s federal election, though Hyer has never been elected as a Green (he was elected previously as a New Democrat).  Weaver and Coon are new but barring major mistakes or unexpected trends their first election was likely the most difficult and future ones should be easier. They are both very solid policy wonks and should have little difficulty convincing voters that Greens are not radicals, meaning that their party may pick up a couple of additional seats in each province in future elections.

David Coon may be known to more senior readers as the Manager of Pollution Probe Foundation’s Ecology House, an energy efficient and ecological living demonstration home in downtown Toronto in the 1980’s, when GallonDaily’s editor was Executive Director of the same organization. Subsequently he moved to New Brunswick and became Executive Director and a staff member of the conservation Council of New Brunswick.

This article is a GallonDaily original.