The BC Green Party was founded in February 1983 and is the oldest Green Party in North America. Our first leader was co-founder Adriane Carr, who now serves as a Green Party of Vancouver city councillor. Our other co-founder is Order of BC recipient Paul George.
The BC Greens elected our first MLA, Andrew Weaver, in the 2013 general provincial election. Weaver was also the first Green MLA to be elected in North America. In the provincial election in 2017, three Green MLAs were elected: Adam Olsen, Sonia Furstenau and Andrew Weaver. Adam Olsen (SȾHENEP) serves as the Member for Saanich North and the Islands. Sonia Furstenau serves as the Member for Cowichan Valley. Andrew Weaver served as a Green member for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. Weaver was leader of the party from 2016–2019. Sonia Furstenau was elected leader on September 14, 2020.
After the 2017 election, the BC NDP and BC Green MLAs signed a Confidence and Supply Agreement and formed a minority government. Some of the key factors in the agreement were to ban big money in politics, create a strong climate plan for BC, and make the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a law. This power-sharing agreement has hinted at what a Green-led government could look like: one that represents the people and works for a sustainable and just society.
The work of BC Greens in government stems from early movements of environmental advocacy, social justice and sustainable economics. The party is a member of the Global Greens, a network of municipal, regional and national parties based on six core principles:
- Sustainability
- Participatory democracy
- Social justice
- Ecological wisdom
- Non-violence
- Respect for diversity
These six core principles inspire and inform our platform and our membership. As a member of the party, you send a message to government and British Columbians that you're committed to the values of the party and want to create change in our province in a way that reflects these values.
Since our founding in 1983 as the first Green Party in North America, we have developed a range of thoughtful policies that cover the spectrum of public issues. We care deeply about the environment, the economy and social justice.
We believe it is wise to take our short and long term effects on the environment into account in every action we take as communities, governments, corporations and as individuals. We also believe in a government that respects the foundations of democracy and relies on evidence-based decision-making.
The BC Green Party is part of the Global Green movement. Green Parties around the world, while independent of each other, share common values as expressed in the Charter of the Global Greens.