Andrew Basham

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Andrew Basham (born August 18, 1983 in Winnipeg) is an activist and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was chosen as leader of the Green Party of Manitoba in 2006, and ran against premier Gary Doer in the 2007 provincial election. He has also campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons as a member of the Green Party of Canada.

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[edit] First campaign and university career

Basham ran for the Green Party in the 2004 federal election, and finished fourth in the riding of Charleswood—St. James. He enrolled as an Environmental Studies student at the University of Winnipeg following the election, and became a coordinator for the group SUNSET (Sustainable University Now, Sustainable Earth Tomorrow). In the latter position, he conducted a campus-wide survey on criteria such as land, energy, air and health.[1] He planned to run in Elmwood—Transcona for the 2006 federal election, but withdrew in favour of another candidate.[2] He served on the university's Sustainability Taskforce for the 2005-06 year.[3]

[edit] Green Party leader

Basham was a member of the Green Party of Manitoba executive before his election as party leader, and wrote an essay in support of proportional representation for the party's August 2006 newsletter.[4] He was chosen as GPM leader in November 2006, defeating rival candidate David Carey. He has identified Lake Winnipeg, urban sprawl and climate change as his party's key priorities. His mother, Ardythe Basham, was party president prior to the 2006 convention.[5]

Basham led his party into the 2007 provincial election. He called for a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticides, and the introduction of a four-day work week. He also promised 1,500 subsidized housing units, and tax incentives for companies that sell organic foods.[6] The Greens fielded fifteen candidates, none of whom were elected. Basham himself ran against New Democratic Party leader and Premier of Manitoba Gary Doer, and finished fourth.

[edit] Table of offices held

Preceded by
Holly Nelson		 Leader of the Green Party of Manitoba
2006-		 Succeeded by
Incumbent


[edit] Electoral record

2007 Manitoba provincial election : Concordia edit
Party Candidate Votes % +/- Expenditures
     New Democratic Party (x)Gary Doer 3,862 69.05 -7.62 $14,144.95
     Progressive Conservative Ken Waddell 1,209 21.62 +5.51 $15,745.09
     Liberal Leslie Worthington 336 6.01 -1.21 $340.30
     Green Andrew Basham 186 3.33 $216.88
Total valid votes 5,593 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 28
Turnout 5,621 47.42 +0.92
Electors on the lists 11,853


2004 federal election : Charleswood—St. James edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Conservative Steven Fletcher 18,688 44.29 $70,305.19
     Liberal Glen Murray 17,954 42.55 $71,990.15
     New Democratic Party Peter Carney 4,283 10.15 $6,030.25
     Green Andrew Basham 880 2.09 $1,061.82
     Marijuana Dan Zupansky 337 0.80 $0.00
     Communist Beatriz Alas 49 0.12 $654.58
Total valid votes 42,191 100.00
Total rejected ballots 109
Turnout 42,300 65.45
Electors on the lists 64,627

All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Michael Marshall, "U of W goes greener as it looks to the future", Winnipeg Free Press, 1 December 2004, N4.
  2. ^ Martin Cash, "First-time flush, Green will run in all 14 ridings", Winnipeg Free Press, 8 December 2005, A5.
  3. ^ Andrew Basham, "The SunSet project", Alma Mater Society of UBC, accessed 21 November 2006.
  4. ^ Andrew Basham, "Manitoba's Electoral System: An Overview with Options for Change", Greenprint, August 2006, p. 4.
  5. ^ Kevin Rollason, "U of W student to lead Green Party", Winnipeg Free Press, 20 November 2006, B3.
  6. ^ David Kuxhaus, "Greens promise ban on cosmetic pesticides", Winnipeg Free Press, 10 May 2007, A6.