Green Candidate Not Ruling Out Another Run

The Vernon-Monashee Green candidate hopes the current political situation in BC will produce a fairer voting system.

Keli Westgate says party leader Andrew Weaver may by able to use his three seats to push for proportional representation, and to get big money out of politics.

“And if those two things can happen, the landscape in BC will change dramatically, and the next election, we’ll really see what the people want,” Westgate tells Kiss FM.

Westgate calls the situation facing Weaver “a landmine issue.”

“There’s no right answer there. It’s a bit of a lose-lose unfortunately.”

Westgate isn’t ruling out another run for the party in the future after getting 21 percent of the votes, the best ever for the local Greens.

“This has buoyed my confidence, and I know people are passionate for change, so I think I will certainly stay involved in the movement. We’ll have to see what the situation is like in the future with my family. It certainly does take a toll on a family when you’re a mother of a younger child.”

Westgate says they ran a low-budget, but effective campaign.

“All told, I think we spent in the neighborhood of six thousand dollars. That was for signs, buttons, and rack cards. We did a total of 25 radio spots.”

Westgate, an employee of Spa Hills Compost, says they also were very active on social media.