No green light for May's court challenge

Elizabeth May, the as yet unelected leader of the Green Party, has been turned down in her latest bid to be part of the so-called “leaders debate”, the perennial shout-fest between the leaders of Canada's three national political parties and the separatist BQ from Quebec. May's latest attempt was via an application to the Federal Court of Canada, but the judge declined to hear the application for a judicial review of a CRTC policy that says broadcasters do not have to include all political parties in debates.

After the decision was handed down, May told the Globe & Mail newspaper that, “The more likely route to a democratic debate lies in public outrage and the overwhelming levels of public support for me being in the debates.”

One has to wonder about those “ overwhelming levels of public support” because they certainly haven't been evident in the last couple of elections when May has tried to win a seat in the House of Commons. Apparently, she cares more about getting into the House of Commons than she does about the voters in any one particular area.

In 2006, May offered as a candidate in a by-election in the Ontario riding of London North Centre and received about a quarter of the votes. In 2008, she made a big deal of moving to Central Nova in Nova Scotia but lost again. Now this time she's offering in the British Columbia riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. Political expediency seems to be her credo rather than commitment to any particular group of electors. If she can't make up her mind on where she wants to represent, how could a voter expect her to do any better as an MP?

We have to remember too that there was criticism from prominent Green Party members of May's failing to support all Green candidates unequivocally during the 2008 election, as she made favorable comments about Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and said that supporters in close ridings might consider voting strategically to attempt to defeat the Conservatives. So much for her commitment to Green Party candidates. It would appear her primary commitment is to Elizabeth May.

That's not someone I want sitting in the House of Commons. The Quebec separatists are enough of a special interest group, thank you.