Accorder une
note aux
plateformes
environne-
mentales des
partis
politiques

Durant l'élection
de 2004, le Club
Sierra du Canada
a demandé à
chaque parti de
répondre à un
questionnaire ayant
treize sujets. 

Tous les partis
ont été soumis au
même modèle de
classification. 

75 % de la note
était fondée sur
les plateformes 
des partis et 25 %
de la note provenait
du questionnaire.

De tels
questionnaires
sont utiles, car ils
permettent aux
électeurs de
prendre une
décision mieux
éclairée.

Grading Political Party Environment Platforms

 

he Sierra Club of Canada (SCC) undertook a review of the environmental portions of the party platforms of the major national parties during the 2004 election campaign: Liberal, Conservative, New Democrat, Bloc Quebecois and Green.

Augmenting the platforms, the Sierra Club of Canada requested that each party respond to a thirteen point questionnaire.

The questionnaires were sent to the parties soon after the election call with a request to return them by June 10th for release publicly by June 14th, 2004. All parties received identical treatment. In every case, SCC contacted the Party Headquarters and asked the headquarters staff to handle completion of the questionnaire. Only the Conservative Party failed to respond.

Following the news release of the grades for party platforms, for which the Conservatives earned an "F," SCC was contacted by the Environment Critic for the Conservative Party, Bob Mills. Mr. Mills, M.P. for Red Deer, was understandably upset that the party headquarters had not directed the questionnaire to him. SCC agreed to make the unusual offer of allowing Mr. Mills to reply on behalf of the Party and that, should the Conservative Party answers to the questionnaire substantially affect the party's grade, a second news conference and public change of the Conservative grade would take place.

Background on Grading:

All parties were subjected to the same grading scheme. Seventy-five per cent of the grade was based on the party platforms. Twenty-five per cent was based on the questionnaire.

The grades were as follows:

• New Democratic Party A+
  
• Bloc Quebecois A
  
• Green Party A
  
• Liberal Party B
  
• Conservative Party: D-
  

The Liberals, New Democrats, Green and Bloc Quebecois all support the Kyoto Protocol. The party positions put the NDP and the Bloc at the head of the class with the NDP earning an A+ and the Bloc getting an A, tying with the Green Party. Paul Martin and the Liberal Party platform earned a B.

The questions and each parties response can be viewed on our website at our election page.

During this election we also held the Eco-Olympics and participated in the first ever all candidates debate on the environment. Results and photos from the debate can also be viewed on our election site.