Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says her party will only support an NDP or Liberal minority if the parties ban tankers loaded with bitumen on the B.C. coast.
Speaking to CTV’s Question Period, May said if the NDP and Liberals are banking on Green support in a minority situation, they better be prepared to take real action on a number of issues, including the opposition to bitumen tankers on British Columbia's coast.
“I think with Green MPs, we’ll be able to get Mr. Mulcair or Mr. Trudeau to accept that, with our support, they can govern,” said May. “Our support means saying no to tankers, yes to real climate action, and, of course, repealing Bill C-51 and getting rid of first past the post.”
Both the NDP and the Liberals intend to ban supertankers along B.C.’s north coast. The Greens would like to see those bans imposed along the entire coastline.
NDP MP Nathan Cullen tabled a private members’ bill last year calling for the ban of supertankers off the north coast of B.C., including the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. And last week, Trudeau promised a moratorium on oil-tanker traffic along the same area if elected.
Friendlier relations with Trudeau
May also spoke about her relationships with the other federal leaders, saying she has a friendlier and more cooperative relationship with Trudeau than Mulcair.
“I work well with Tom Mulcair when he gives me a chance. There’s no question that Justin Trudeau’s been more available to me,” said May. “I haven’t been successful in getting Tom Mulcair to meet with me about how we might cooperate in this election.”
May said that while she can work with any of the three major party leaders, she does not imagine the Green Party supporting a Conservative minority government, citing the party’s environmental performance.
“It’s clear that as long as Stephen Harper is prime minister of Canada, Canada will be the worst country in the room,” said May of Canada’s upcoming presence at the United Nations climate change summit in Paris.
But despite her difference of opinion with Harper, May said she has grown to respect the Conservative leader over the years.
May recognizes that her personal relationships may be helpful, but her party’s role in giving “Canadians a productive, cooperate, respectful government” all depends on what the seat count looks like after the election.
The Green Party leader has said that she would ask the governor general for more “time to consult” with the NDP and Liberals, should the Harper government win a minority government in the upcoming election.
“If we were able to come back to the governor general quickly and say, ‘Look we can provide stable, four-year productive Parliament, versus two years of fractious partisan squabbling,’ I think we would have a strong case to take to the governor general as opposition party leaders.”
With files from the Canadian Press
