Election Q&A: Federal Green Party

Candidate Lauren Greenlaw shares her views

This year's federal election day arrives in less than three weeks on April 28.

Lions Bay may be a small community, but it is made up of an educated and politically engaged electorate.

The Watershed has approached candidates running in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding with a set of questions and asked them to share their thoughts with our readers.

We begin with Federal Green Party candidate Lauren Greenlaw. Greenlaw is the parent of two young children, has a background in geology and currently holds a position as a Squamish city councillor.

Q: Living in a coastal village in British Columbia, local voters often feel sidelined by federal politics. What policies or plans do you have to engage the voters of Lions Bay?

A: I intend to have a community building approach to the role of MP. One of the initiatives my team is working on is building a riding-wide network of businesses and services to amplify awareness, improve accessibility and facilitate supporting local businesses in order to strengthen our local economy. We also hope to facilitate bringing makers to market and farm to table through this system. Through empowering our local economy, we are building resilience to increasing political and environmental instability in the coming years, while cultivating community. 

I am also listening to the concerns of Lions Bay residents. What I have heard so far are concerns about water shortages, fires, noise complaints from industrial projects, concerns about LNG, emergency preparedness, habitat restoration, protecting the sound, and public transit. These are all issues for which I have advocated in the past and I am prepared to bring these concerns to Ottawa. I am always open to hearing from and collaborating with the residents of Lions Bay. For those who are feeling sidelined by our political system: consider that if this riding had me as their Green MP in a Liberal minority government, it could give our seat in parliament a lot more power and serve to amplify the voices of the people of Lions Bay.

Q: With our village located on the Átl’ka7tsem / Howe Sound Biosphere, many Lions Bay residents are deeply concerned about environmental issues. What are your priorities to address changing climate realities and to improve the protection and resiliency of this region against wildfires and drought?

A: As an earth scientist, environmental reparations is a top priority for me. Climate change is already impacting our environment, economy and quality of life. According to recent reports, extreme weather has cost over $2 trillion globally over the past decade alone.

As an MP I will be supportive of climate change initiatives, ending fossil fuel subsidies and facilitating community emergency preparedness measures. Liberal and Conservative platforms are encouraging and facilitating the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, with decreased environmental regulations: this is in direct opposition to scientific consensus.

The Green party is the only viable party for taking concrete steps toward mitigating the impacts of climate change. All other parties have virtually abandoned climate change mitigation and are focusing on adaptation to climate change. As an MP, in parliament I will use my voice pull environmental initiatives closer to being inline with scientific recommendations and a sustainable economic system.

Q: During this time of uncertainty because of the levying of international tariffs by the Trump administration, what commitment have you made personally to buying local and/or Canadian?

A: I have been buying local for years, it is an incredibly important initiative. According to BCBuyLocal, 63 cents of every dollar spent locally stays within your community, versus 14 cents when you support big companies. Throughout this campaign I have supported local businesses by getting signs and promotional materials made locally. I support slow fashion, local farms, shop at local businesses as much as possible, I make some of my own clothing and I love thrift shops. 

Though buying local/Canadian can be more expensive, the products tend to be higher quality and longer lasting, which means you need to buy less. As a nation we need to support our small businesses so that buying local becomes more accessible to everyone. I see these tariffs as an opportunity to focus on bolstering our local and national economy. This is how we build a resilient, sustainable economy: through facilitating sustainable local industry and helping local makers/producers/growers get their products to market.

Q: Federal leaders have all been talking about housing shortages, but very little has been put forward about transportation. For those of us who use the Sea to Sky every day, we see what increased density without other transportation options means for commuters. What would you do to address the transportation problems faced in our region?

A: The lack of regional transit in the Sea to Sky is somewhere between incredibly frustrating and embarrassing. Our municipal governments are literally designing our communities on the promise that the province will provide long-awaited transit. We absolutely need better regional transit! Transit predominantly lies with the provincial government, of course the seat for the sea to sky is held by Green MLA Jeremy Valeriote, who I would support in every way I could on transit. Recently, it was announced that we would receive $189 million for the riding over the next 10 years, but really, this is less than $80,000 per year for each community in the riding, and is not intended for service expansion. I would definitely push for more funding for a transit system to connect the entire Sea to Sky corridor- this would do wonders to improve access in our riding. I have heard that getting the train back is a non-starter, as the cost would be prohibitive and the train would be too slow, but I understand there's been a bit of a renaissance of this conversation, and would encourage any advocates of this idea to reach out to me. Another piece that I would like to see is having reflective paint used on the highway. This is a cost effective way of making the highway much safer for everyone. 

Q: What else would you like to share with voters in Lions Bay?

A: I'd like the residents of Lions Bay to know that I'm an earth scientist, a municipal councilor and a mother. I'm running for federal office because our political system is currently failing too many of us. Many in our riding are without housing and food security; we are living through healthcare and mental health shortages; and in a time of climate change and plastic waste crises, the parties in power would rather finance and facilitate fossil fuel expansion than address the basic needs of the people. We also need significant democratic reform in order to bring people back to our government, and our government back to the people. No other party is advocating for these systemic changes, because they don't suit the parties that hold power. In this time of overlapping crises, I want to serve as a voice for the people in this riding so that we can evolve our democracy in order to survive these turbulent times. 

This is the first in a series of articles addressing the 2025 federal election.

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