Sask. Green Party candidate holds faith in door-knocking after leader absent from federal debate

The federal Green Party candidate for Saskatoon West is disappointed by the party's inability to participate in the federal leaders' debate, but not discouraged. She's sticking to a process she believes in: door-knocking.

The Leaders' Debates Commission, which is tasked with organizing both the French and English debates, uninvited the Green Party of Canada from the debates in a last-minute change last week.

"It is not going to make or break whether or not we win Green seats; I'm still going to get out there and knock on as many doors as I can and have people get to know me as an individual," Naomi Hunter, the Green Party candidate for Saskatoon West, said in an interview with CBC in between door-knocking in Saskatoon.

"There is something to be said for good, old-fashioned, making that connection."

Hunter is up against the Liberal Party's Chad Eggerman; the Conservative Party's Brad Redekopp; and the NDP's Rachel Loewen Walker.

The commission invited the Green Party to the debate earlier in April, but changed their decision because of the party's apparent decision to remove candidates for strategic reasons. The party has disputed that it strategically removed candidates.

While Hunter does believe that the leaders' debates can sway public opinion, she considers door-knocking the most effective way to reach voters.

"Elections are won at doors," she said. 

Hunter pointed to Green Party of Canada co-Leader Elizabeth May's first riding win in 2011. She was the sole leader at the time but was not invited to the leaders' debates. May then went on to win her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

However, Hunter said she didn't hear much about issues like voting reform and women's rights during the federal debate and believed the climate crisis was not discussed enough.

"There were so many things that I felt without having that Green perspective on the stage, Canadians were not given a choice in their voting," Hunter said.

Polling shows Green Party falling

When asked about their position in the polls, which have shown them below other major parties, Hunter said she's focused on the most important poll — the one where ballots are cast.

Daniel Westlake, an assistant professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan, said presence at the leaders' debate is important for the party's national image over the long-term, and can provide space to make important statements, but winning local ridings can depend on local campaigning.

"The party, realistically, is competitive in two ridings," he said fo the federal Green Party, referencing Elizabeth May's riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands and Mike Morrice's riding of Kitchener Centre.

"The reality is those candidates are going to win based on their reputation in their ridings and their ability to connect with their voters in their riding."

A poll of Saskatchewan voters found the Green Party held more strength in rural ridings than in urban communities.

The poll, exclusive to CBC News, was commissioned by the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and conducted by Rubicon Strategy via an online survey of 747 Saskatchewan residents from April 5 to April 10.

If a federal election had been held at the time, less than five per cent of voters would have voted for the Green Party.

In the 2019 election, Westlake said, the Green Party had grown to be able challenge the federal NDP as the leading progressive party. 

Since then, the Green Party has been slipping.

For Saskatoon West, Westlake said the Green Party is not competitive in the riding.

For closely-contested ridings, however, he believes door-knocking is an important aspect of local campaigning.