BKACPP - Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada

Elizabeth May is quite concerned that the Green Party will not be included in the televised debates. And while I like the Green Party and believe that their contribution to the general political discourse is valuable, I believe that it is important to have a reasonable and consistent principle on which to judge the parties that will take place in the debates. I understand that the test being used is whether a party held seats in the last parliament. The fact is the line has to be drawn somewhere, as there are 19 registered political parties in Canada and all of them cannot be included in a single meaningful debate.

This of course got me thinking, what are the other parties that exist in Canada?

With that in mind, I am pleased to present part 1 of my 19 part series, Better Know A Canadian Political Party. This edition, the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada... the fighting Barkers!

Party Name:

• Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada

Tag Line:

• North America's first environmental and animal protection political party

Leader (Location):

• Liz White (Toronto)

Date of Founding:

• 2005

2008 election:

• 4 candidates
• 527 total votes
• 16th of 19 parties

Notable History:

• Predecessor group challenged 2000 law limiting the role of third parties in electoral politics.

Biggest Issues:

• Animal rights and prevention of cruelty to animals.

Intriguing statement on website:

• "For politicians working in a democracy, re-election often becomes the biggest concern when deciding public policy; it can overwhelm all other considerations."

Extraordinary statement on website:

• "Contact your MP and ask where he / she stands on topics including ending Canada's commercial seal hunt - the largest, cruellest marine mammal slaughter in the world, curtailing or shutting down the Alberta Tar Sands - the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, and banning the importation of horses from the United States - where it is illegal to slaughter them for human consumption"

Stay tuned for more episodes in this series!