The 1990s - Making Progress

In 1990, Greens had their first electoral success in BC.  BC Green Phil Millerd was elected Councillor on the Lions Bay Village Council - winning by one vote! Susan Belford missed election to View Royal Council by 12 votes. Elizabeth Anderson received over 33,000 votes, missing a seat on the Vancouver Parks Board by 5,000 votes. Suzanne Klaussen also came close to winning a Victoria City Council seat. In 1993, Rhonda Smith was elected Trustee to the Golden School Board.

In 1991, the provincial party fielded 42 candidates in the provincial election receiving between 1 and 5% of the vote in the ridings they contested. The Party campaigned with spokespeople rather than a leader.

BC Greens continued to support the federal party. In the 1993 federal election, Greens improved the federal performance by running in 24 of 32 ridings.

At its AGM in 1992, after tumultuous period characterized by internal dissension and the loss of members, the Green Party of BC decided to re-instate the position of leader and a leadership conference was called. By June of 1993, over 50% of the party's then members had been signed up by Stuart Parker's leadership campaign. As a result, 21-year old Stuart Parker was elected leader with 64% of the vote in 1993.  

Parker began touring the province almost immediately, prioritizing rural and unorganized areas. At the 1994 convention, the Green Party of BC passed a new constitution becoming an electorally-focused party.

Under Parker's leadership, BC Greens had 71 candidates (out of a possible 75) in the 1996 provincial election demonstrating that his strategy of working at the grass roots level had paid off. The party jumped to two percent of the popular vote with individual candidates earning between one and 11%.

As required under the new constitution, Stuart Parker's term expired after the 1996 election. Parker was reelected by acclamation in 1997. 

In the November 1996 civic elections, Greens Jack Thornburgh was elected in Port Alberni and Sharon Jackson in Duncan. Green candidates ran unsuccessfully in both Vancouver and Victoria. 

In 1999, BC Green Party Leader Stuart Parker and others negotiated "Red-Green" alliances in Victoria and Vancouver. Greens had been blamed for vote splitting and there was a desire on the part of Greens, the NDP and Labour Councils to explore coalitions. In Victoria, the Victoria Civic Electors (VCE), the NDP municipal civic organization agreed to run no more than five (5) councillor candidates; and, the Green Party would run no more than three (3) councillor candidates. They would support one joint candidate for mayor. Art Vander Berg became the first Green elected to Victoria Council and Roslyn Cassells was elected to the Vancouver Parks Board.