Jane Sterk is leaving politics, but she can step down knowing she pushed sa国际传媒鈥檚 Green party past a significant milestone 鈥� electing its first MLA.
Building a successful political party is usually a long and difficult process, even when the party has a well-known name. Just ask John Cummins and the sa国际传媒 Conservatives.
Although they appeal to Canadians鈥� increasing concern with environmental issues, the Greens had been unable to do more than elect Elizabeth May to the House of Commons. With the election of Andrew Weaver to the sa国际传媒 legislature in May, the provincial Greens have inched closer to their goal of supplanting the New Democrats as the official Opposition.
While that goal might seem unlikely now, stranger ones have been achieved in politics, and the Greens can thank Sterk for keeping them on track to get this far.
She has championed the Green cause for years, running in a federal election in 2004 and a provincial one in 2005. She took those priorities into her term on Esquimalt council, from 2005 to 2008.
Picking Sterk鈥檚 replacement will be an important decision for the party. Weaver will attract all the attention because of his position in the legislature and his stature as a climate scientist, but he said Wednesday he won鈥檛 run for the leadership before 2017 because he wants to concentrate on his MLA duties.
The new leader will have to focus on behind-the-scenes work such as building constituency associations and developing the party platform.
Sterk鈥檚 legacy is a party strong enough to defeat a cabinet minister. It will be up to Weaver and a new leader to build on her work.
