Seven Oaks Magazine.

Shawn Hunsdale identifies with the Green Party’s “neither right nor left” blend of fiscal conservatism and environmental sustainability. That’s why the 24-year-old is running as the Green candidate in Burnaby-Douglas, Svend Robinson’s former stronghold. Hunsdale is a student union executive at Simon Fraser University, where he is majoring in political science and women’s studies.

Seven Oaks editor Stephen Hui sat down with Hunsdale after an all-candidates debate at the university.

I’m running with the Green Party because of a commitment to sustainability, as well as a social progressive agenda, and because issues such as electoral reform and a progressive stance on foreign policy interest me.

I suppose that the reason I chose not to run, in fact, under the NDP — despite the fact that I was raised in a very pro-labour, NDP environment — is that when it comes down to it, I would say that the interests of certain constituent unions, particularly working within resource extraction, do not have a vision of sustainability, and that my position would be compromised by supporting ultimately free market labour. . . .

While the NDP goes rather far in addressing issues around labour . . . it does not address ultimately species which are outside of an immediate human interest. Consequently, ecosystems can come at the cost of jobs, and that is a pattern which has consistently repeated itself throughout the course of history.

3. You consider yourself left wing. Aren’t you concerned about vote splitting among the left?

While I recognise that this is a concern, I think that people who will be voting for any given agenda will be able to do so, that parties in fact do not own voters. Ultimately, the Green Party can be seen as an option for people who are perhaps more fiscally conservative to be able to vote for a party with a socially progressive agenda.

4. Where are the Greens on critical social issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage?

The Greens have taken a stance of respecting a women’s right to choice and in fact not touching any type of legislation around that, and adamantly supporting that in any type of legislation which will arise.

For same-sex marriage: the same. We support fully the right of same-sex couples to enjoy an equal marriage, if a marriage is what is sought. So, I suppose that we have a harmonised social policy in line with the NDP on that issue.

5. Do you think post-secondary education has received enough attention during the campaign?

Absolutely not. While education has certainly found its way into the triumvirate of health care, social policy, and education, I feel that it has not taken a high enough priority, and that health care has thus far dominated the agenda — an agenda set by the current government.

6. While lawn signs are definitely not the best indicator of an active campaign, I haven’t seen any signs bearing your name around the riding. Are you a serious candidate?

Absolutely, I’m a serious candidate. We have to recognise the fact that the Green Party itself has not got the same resources as have the NDP, Liberal, or Conservative parties, and that we will find after this election, because of the change in federal funding laws, that the Green Party will actually become a dominant presence within communities, as we have made our way, I suppose, into the big four in Anglophone Canada.

I, in fact, do plan to have some election signs. Thus far, the chloroplast signs, the larger ones that you see — I have an order of that coming. Ultimately, my campaign is not focused on signs and visibility in that capacity. I have been able to field several interviews — radio, print, and television. As well, I have been answering, of course, the Internet surveys which have been around. As it stands, I’m getting into the fundraising portion of the campaign. I’ve taken out an ad in Simon Fraser University’s student newspaper, the Peak.

I ultimately recognise that people who are voting in good conscience will be voting for, most often, the party. In this case, I stand by a great many of the party’s principles.

Within the whole picture, I see a slight Conservative advantage, although of course within a minority government structure. The most likely pairing of the three parties which could come together to form government, as I see it, would be a Liberal-Bloc Québécois government, with a Conservative opposition. This is mostly because we can look at Liberal and Conservative, and while their economic policies are largely the same, there is a certain division, at least a perceived division, among their social policy stances.

Within this riding, I see [NDP candidate Bill] Siksay as being ahead by several per cent. I see that the NDP tradition will likely be strong within the riding. However, I also see that the Green Party is going to be making significant steps forward.