The 2011 federal election was truly the most interesting vote of which I've ever been a part.
From the rise of the NDP, to the majority power gained by the Conservatives, to the fall of both the Liberal and Bloc Quebecois parties - history truly was made.
Another noteworthy moment occurred when Elizabeth May captured the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding, winning the first-ever Green Party seat in the House of Commons. Green Party representatives were elated with the victory but didn't seem to want to address the reality that nationally, the party took a huge beating.
In 2008, the Greens picked up 941,097 votes, good for 6.8 per cent of the national share. In comparison, this year the Greens dropped to a meager 574,922 votes, down to 3.9 per cent nationally.
While May had a good day, only the Yukon Territory saw an overall increase in Green support, with every other province featuring drastic drops. Adriane Carr, the deputy leader and founding member of the party, was thought of as one of the party's star candidates and she was blown out of the water in Vancouver Centre, finishing a distant fourth. Other than May, no Green member finished higher than third in B.C. and the party suffered some embarrassment when Alan Saldanha, who was running in the riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, quit after making a lewd comment on Facebook.
It seems as though the party focused all its efforts on getting May into the House of Commons but now with a Conservative majority, it's almost a complete waste of time.
The fact that May chose to stay focused on her riding and not attack Harper and the Conservatives was a poor choice. This election was all about the economy and the Conservatives' questionable record on the environment was basically never even brought up. May should have spoken up more nationally about green issues and forced the other leaders to actually talk about the elephant in the room.
Just look at the disasters plaguing the world; from the meltdown in Japan, to the mess in the Gulf Coast and our issues with climate change - none of which were discussed much by those vying for power.
As it stands, May will have no more power, opportunities or benefits than any other independent sitting in the house. She will be shuffled off to the side and take up a seat at the kids' table with the Bloc and the Liberals.
Don't get me wrong. It's great to see the Green Party break through, but all May's win has really done is give her a cushy job for the next four years. She may have won her seat but in doing so, lost the vision of the potential for a more national and effective Green Party.
