Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she will run again in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova, despite her decisive defeat in the last election and Michael Ignatieff's pledge to run a Liberal candidate against her.
The riding has been held by Conservative Defence Minister Peter MacKay since 1997. In the last election, he beat May by more than 5,600 votes.
"I'm standing a couple blocks from my home in New Glasgow," May told CTV's Question Period on Sunday. "In this riding, I accomplished the high-water mark for Green parties anywhere in the world, with 32 per cent of the popular vote and coming in second. The effort to win takes more than one try -- I can see that now."
The Green Party failed to win a single seat in the last election, putting the short-term future of the party into question.
It was expected the party's best chance was in the Ontario riding of Guelph. After Canadians cast their ballots, the Guelph candidate won 21.1 per cent of the vote, finishing in third place.
May said it's important that she win a seat in the House of Commons, and while she intends to run again in Central Nova, she would also be willing to enter a byelection before the election.
"I have said to my party, and I said it on election night, that I'd be prepared to run in any byelection that made sense because it's important for me to be in the House of Commons," she said.
"I'm much more cognizant after the election than I was before as to how many Canadians want me to be in the House of Commons as the Green Party leader."
On Saturday, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said he would run Liberal candidates in all ridings across Canada. That would break a deal May made with his predecessor, Stephane Dion, who agreed not to run a candidate against her.
"I have respect for Elizabeth May but I'm running a national party and in a national party we have candidates in 308 ridings across the country," Ignatieff said in Halifax.
Although both Ignatieff and May are in Nova Scotia this weekend, they had not yet spoken about the riding by the time Question Period aired.
She said Ignatieff's decision did not surprise her.
"Frankly, I don't think Mr. Dion would have extended it to another election either," she said.
"But that's not the only way in which Mr. Ignatieff has differed from previous Dion-Liberal policies. I'm concerned the Liberals seem to be backing off commitments on climate and I'm very concerned Mr. Ignatieff is defending the tarsands."
Last month, Ignatieff toured Western Canada and said Liberals should take a new approach to the energy sector, hinting that he may modify or move away from the Green Shift plan.
Meanwhile, the Greens issued a show of support for their leader at the party's policy convention, which wrapped up in Nova Scotia on Sunday.
Though some delegates expressed disappointment about the party's election performance, May said that her party is fully united.
"I can honestly tell you I didn't expect that strong and unanimous sense of support and appreciation and even forgiveness for mistakes," May told about 200 supporters in Pictou, N.S.
"That's something that I will carry forward and which makes me feel so much stronger to carry forward your message and win the next election."
With files from The Canadian Press
