Andrew Basham

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.

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. [Michael Marshall, "U of W goes greener as it looks to the future", "Winnipeg Free Press", 1 December 2004, N4.] He planned to run in Elmwood—Transcona for the 2006 federal election, but withdrew in favour of another candidate. [Martin Cash, "First-time flush, Green will run in all 14 ridings", "Winnipeg Free Press", 8 December 2005, A5.] He served on the university's Sustainability Taskforce for the 2005-06 year. [ [http://www.ams.ubc.ca/tuition/syc/success.html Andrew Basham, "The SunSet project"] , Alma Mater Society of UBC, accessed 21 November 2006.]

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. [Andrew Basham, "Manitoba's Electoral System: An Overview with Options for Change", "Greenprint", August 2006, p. 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. [Kevin Rollason, "U of W student to lead Green Party", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 November 2006, B3.]

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. [David Kuxhaus, "Greens promise ban on cosmetic pesticides", "Winnipeg Free Press", 10 May 2007, A6.] 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.

Table of offices held

Electoral record

All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada.

See also

*List of Green party leaders in Canada

Footnotes