I think that Elizabeth May screwed the pooch …
- First, she said that she could not, would not work with a government led by Andrew Scheer. She was, de facto, saying that she would support Justin Trudeau. She said, explicitly, that he should try to work with others (her Greens and the NDP) to form a government even if the Conservatives won the most seats. While, in their comments
a few hours ago, both Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould singled our Ms May as a friend and someone whosec cause and policies they support, Dr Philpott and Ms Wilson-Raybould declined to join the Greens; Jody Wilson-Raybould will run in Vancouver-Granville as an independent as will Dr Jane Philpott in Markham–Stouffville, in Ontario. I suspect that Ms May’s quite explicit support for Justin Trudeau contributed to those decisions. Dr Philpott said that she and Ms May have had several conversations in the past weeks, I’m sure that Ms May was trying hard to recruit both Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould … tried hard and failed. Of course, Ms May would not have fared well had either or both of Dr Philpott and Ms Wilson-Raybould joined the Green Party. Either would be much better choices for party leader than the somewhat flakey Elizabeth May; - Second, despite saying that Andrew Scheer doesn’t get climate change, she came out an explicitly supported one of Mr Scheer’s main platform planks: getting Canadian oil to all Canadians. It is something that Justin Trudeau, very clearly, does not want to do.
At the risk of being a bit crude, it seems to me that, as they might have said on Sesame Street, Ms May’s 
position is brought to us by the letters W, T and F. All I can say is: Really? You don’t think Scheer gets climate change but you endorse his energy policy? It looks to me like a misfire and a serious one, at that.
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I think, maybe I just hope, the fact that Dr Philpott and Ms Wilson-Raybould will run as independents will make other MPs think about doing the same. I agree with Dr Philpott 
that Canada’s democracy needs more independence. Perhaps a few good men and women who have decided to retire from politics will reconsider and run, again, as independents, too. That would be good for Canada. Perhaps a few Conservative, Liberal and NDP members will decide to leave their caucus and run as independents.
