The BC Green Party was born out of early movements of social justice and civil rights, environmental advocacy and sustainable economics. Inspired by these movements, People around the world began forming political parties that became known as "Green" parties. The BC Green Party started in much the same way.
Discouraged by the disappointing priorities of the other main parties, our founders set out to create a new party that would truly reflect their values. They had heard about Green parties taking shape around the world, especially in Germany, where the German Greens would eventually go on to form coalition governments in 1998, 2002 and 2021. The BC Green Party was officially launched registered in 1983, becoming the first Green party in North America.
In the 1990s, Green parties from around the world got together to formalize the philosophy and values that had inspired their creation. They identified six core principles, which all Green parties around the world share:
- Sustainability
- Participatory democracy
- Social justice
- Ecological wisdom
- Non-violence
- Respect for diversity
Much of the BC Green Party's work was focused on advocacy in its first two decades. In the 2000s, it began running full slates of candidates in provincial elections. 2013 was the party's breakthrough year with the election of world-renowned climate scientist Andrew Weaver in the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head. Andrew became leader in 2015 and led the party into the 2017 election.
The 2017 election was significant because the party elected two more members (Sonia Furstenau and Adam Olsen), and the new caucus held the balance of power in the legislature. After several weeks of negotiations, they agreed to support the NDP in forming government. For our support, the NDP agreed to incorporate many Green priorities into their work, including a Fair Wages Commission, a climate action plan that eventually became CleanBC, early childhood education, and many more.
Our agreement with the NDP came to an end in 2020 when the NDP called a snap election, just one week after Sonia Furstenau became the party's new leader.
Today, we’re working on building a sustainable and equitable province by holding the government accountable on issues such as affordable housing, accessible health care, forestry reform, and small and medium business supports.