by on Andrew Basham currently leads the Green Party of Manitoba. He does not hold a seat in the provincial legislature.
Andrew Basham currently leads the Green Party of Manitoba. He does not hold a seat in the provincial legislature.
Basham became leader of the provincial Green Party in 2006, after former leader Holly Nelson resigned. He was a member of the Party’s executive prior to becoming leader. Basham campaigned against Premier Gary Doer in the provincial election, held on May 22, 2007. He finished fourth in the riding. During that election, the Green Party fielded 15 candidates.
The Green Party of Manitoba was created in 1998. Since its inception, the Party has focused on several priorities, including electoral reform, expanding its profile, plus a range of social, environmental and community issues. As Green Party Leader, Basham has identified Lake Winnipeg, urban sprawl and climate change as top priorities. During the 2007 election, he called for a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticides, and the introduction of a four-day workweek. He also promised 1,500 subsidized housing units, and tax incentives for companies that sell organic foods.
In the 2004 federal election, Basham campaigned as a Green Party of Canada candidate in the riding of Charleswood—St. James. He had planned to run in the riding of Elmwood—Transcona in the 2006 federal election, but withdrew so another candidate could run.
Basham was born on August 18, 1983 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He enrolled in Environmental Studies at the University of Winnipeg following the 2004 federal election. At university, he became a coordinator for the group SUNSET (Sustainable University Now, Sustainable Earth Tomorrow). He conducted a campus-wide survey on criteria such as land, energy, air, and health. He served on the University’s Sustainability Taskforce for the 2005-06 year.