Yesterday's big news about the shakeup within the Green Party of Saskatchewan is very interesting, and merits further analysis. After all, it is not every day that the leader of a political party quits and joins another party.
So what are we to make of Larissa Shasko's departure from Leader of the Green Party? The irony is that Shasko has generated more media attention with her move to Yens Pedersen's NDP campaign in Regina South than she did as Leader of the Greens. One cannot help but wonder what motivated Shasko to make this defection. The timing is very deliberate, obviously timed to sting the Greens as we are now just over 2 months away from voting day. Regardless of whether one sees Shasko's defection as a betrayal or a smart move, the perception that this move was intended to hurt the Greens is self-evident. It can also be argued that some in the Saskatchewan NDP have come to see the seatless Greens as a threat to their own electoral fortunes this fall. It may very well be that Shasko has now burned her Green bridges behind her. But it may also be that this move sparks a rapid political rise within the NDP with for Shasko, who knows?
The departure of Shasko from the Green Party leadership and the subsequent rise of Victor Lau to that same post places the Greens at an electoral crossroads. While Lau has not achieved an electoral success yet, he is a seasoned political figure in our political culture. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with Lau's political beliefs, it can likely be agreed that Lau is well spoken as a would-be politician and handles himself well. But only time will tell whether the Greens have been handed a setback or an opportunity. We will soon find out one way or another.
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