RESOURCES

GreenPAC was created before the 2015 federal election. Since then we have gone on to run successful endorsement campaigns in the Manitoba (2016), B.C. (2017), Ontario (2018), and Federal (2019, 2021) elections. We have also expanded the scope of our work and piloted innovative programs like our Parliamentary Internship for the Environment,100 Debates on the Environment, and Every Day Advocates.

During elections, GreenPAC screens political candidates and identifies proven environmental leaders in all major parties. Then we drive donations of time and money to our endorsed candidates to help them win.

Any similarities to an American PAC are in name only. GreenPAC seeks only to endorse political candidates who have demonstrated environmental leadership. We ask Canadians to pledge their financial and volunteer support directly to the candidates’ campaigns. GreenPAC will not pool funds from political donors, nor donate to or fund any campaigns as an organization. Canada has strict laws on political donations that limit an American-style Political Action Committee from forming in Canada, and GreenPAC adheres to the letter and spirit of these rules.

The GreenPAC endorsement process is done by an independent Expert Panel, made up of credible, independent members who have no ties to political parties and are not on the payroll of any environmental NGOs. Panel members reflect a diversity of views from various parts of the electoral region (province, country)and areas of expertise. In selecting endorsees, the Panel considers the information about the candidate’s track record of environmental leadership that we asked about in our nomination form (available during elections). Candidates are able to nominate themselves or they may be nominated by a third party.

Our Panel is looking for political leaders who know how to get things done when it comes to the environment. They are not looking at campaign promises or platforms. Rather, candidates are assessed on what they have accomplished on environmental issues. Environmental leaders are those who work to identify environmental problems through the lens of their own experience and moral values, are committed to leveraging their area of expertise and/or lived experience to achieve positive environmental outcomes, and act as a catalyst towards a more just, sustainable society. In addition, to receive an endorsement, the candidate must also have a reasonable shot at winning.

In order to ensure that GreenPAC can have the most impact for the candidates we endorse, endorsements will be focused on a small number of candidates. We will not be endorsing in all or even most ridings.

GreenPAC’s Expert Panel will endorse at least one candidate from each party that has official party status. Consideration will be made for candidates from other represented parties or independent candidates provided that they meet environmental leadership and winnability criteria.

Our general rule is that a candidate is considered winnable if their party has lost by less than 10 to 15% of the votes in the past three elections. We also consider current polling. That being said, candidates can make the case for their winnability if they don't meet this criteria when they fill out a nomination form (available during elections).

The GreenPAC Parliamentary Internship for the Environment is a leadership development program that places young environmental stars with MPs from across the political spectrum. For ten months our interns immerse themselves and learn the inner workings of the federal government, as well as attend workshops, committee meetings, leadership development training, and sit-downs with environmental champions. For more information, check out our Parliamentary Internship for the Environment page.

No, GreenPAC is a political organization that believes that Canada needs elected officials in office who will champion the health of our planet. As an organization, we generally do not take stances on specific environmental policies.

None. GreenPAC is a non-partisan organization that believes that environmental concerns are not a one-party issue.

GreenPAC is funded by individual donors who want to see the environment become a primary driver in Canadian politics. We raise funds through events and accept corporate donations (these donors do not direct our programming and are listed on our home page). Our Parliamentary Internship for the Environment, Every Day Advocates and 100 Debates on the Environment initiatives are charitable programs, delivered in partnership with the Sustainability Network of Canada, a registered Canadian charity. The family foundations that fund these charitable programs are acknowledged on each program page of this website. We do not solicit funding from political parties or candidates. We adhere to all relevant electoral law that governs third parties during elections.

Though party discipline is hardly new in Canada, there has been a troubling long-term trend of elected leaders choosing to relinquish the power and authority that they already have under our system of government to party leaders' offices. In reality, individual MPs and MPPs do have the power to be more independent — they can speak out in caucus, be more assertive in committee, lobby their Ministers, and advance motions, petitions and private member’s bills. Instead, as many groups like Samara Canada have noted, they’re often self-censoring and choosing to toe the party line. In contrast, many of the instances where we have seen leadership on the environment and other issues in the last couple of decades, have been due to the actions of individual MPs who have played a determinative role, brought forward new environmental solutions, and facilitated cross-party cooperation. GreenPAC is addressing this challenge head on by directly supporting individual leaders who are willing to make use of the power they already have, to stand up for the environment. That’s one of the reasons why we focus our criteria for candidate endorsement on a candidate’s track record of leadership, as opposed to their campaign promises and ability to spout off the right words on an issue. One of the best ways to depoliticize environmental action in our houses of government is to harness the broad support that exists across the country for environmental leadership and focus it on electing a critical mass of MPs and MPPs from all parties. When party leaders know that they will lose their seats over this issue, they will be a lot more likely to take action.

We do not lobby and and are not, nor ever have been, on political lobbying registries. We do not take a stand on policy issues.

Our impact is seen in the actions of our endorsees. We've elected over 65 environmental leaders to legislatures across the country and they've been working to move the needle forward. The 20 young environmental champions we've placed in the offices of MPs through our Parliamentary Internship for the Environment program are building the capacity of MPs to drive environmental change and alumni are leading in a range of important ways, from running for office, supporting environmental leaders in office as political staffers, and within the private sector. The every day folks and community groups that have gotten engaged in our Every Day Advocates and debates initiatives are making sure those who want to and who do represent our communities in office know that the environment matters to Canadians of all political stripes and that we expect progress and accountability between elections. Check out our Annual Report to see more of our impact!