P.E.I. Green Party 'really, really encouraged' by byelection results

The Green Party of Prince Edward Island is thrilled with what it calls the "strong showing" of Deputy Leader Lynne Lund in Monday'sbyelectioninSummerside-Wilmot she came in third with 21.9 per cent of the vote, the best result the party has seen other than the election of party leader PeterBevan-Baker.

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Liberal Chris Palmer won the district with 42 per cent and second place finisher PC Brian Ramsay took 31.2 per cent.

This strong result was built one conversation at a time and we look forward to many more conversations to come. Peter Bevan-Baker, P.E.I. GreenParty leader

"We were remarkably encouraged by last night's results," Lund told CBC.

"It's incredibly uncommon for a Green candidate to have such a strong showing in a campaign," she added. "So we were thrilled."

The Green Party won 9.9 per cent of the vote in the district in the 2015 general election.

Lund won two of the twelve polls in the vote, and said she spent about $7,000 on her campaign.

'Not just a 2-party system'

"I think it tells Islanders, it certainly tells us, that we are not just a two-party system any more," she said.

The result shows that people are looking for more diverse ideas, Lund said.

"Our message of doing politics differently and collaborating is definitely resonating with people," she said.

Lund plans to put her name forward to run as a candidate again in future provincial elections.

'Really, really encouraged'

"We are really, really encouraged by what we're seeing here," Lund added, noting the party's goal is long-term growth.

Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker attributes Lund's strong showing to the fact that Lund canvassed the entire riding twice and performed well in an all-candidates debate, as well as in an interview on CBC's Compass.

"Lynne is an incredibly articulate, intelligent and compassionate person and candidate, and I always knew that as more people got to know her, they would vote for her," said Bevan-Baker.

"This strong result was built one conversation at a time and we look forward to many more conversations to come."

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