The Green Party is unlikely to win any seat on June 28th but they have been encouraging potential voters with their excitement over the new proportional funding formula . The formula provides public financing for any party that gets at least 2% of the total national vote and at least 5% of the votes in constituencies for which a payment of $1.75 per year per vote will be made to the national party. However, Stephen Harper may dash those hopes.

According to the Conservative platform, a Harper government would "End corporate and union political donations, and end forced taxpayer subsidies of political parties." That could mean both the elimination of tax deductions for donations and the elimination of the new public financing formula.

The Greens are in an awkward position. Two of their most cherished policies, proportional representation and public financing of political parties, are more likely to succeed if they vote NDP. Jack Layton has made it clear that he would demand a national referendum within a year on the implementation of proportional representation. Green supporters would be wise to vote NDP if they want to see those policies implemented, and environmentalists would certainly be wise to vote NDP since it earned the highest marks on the Sierra Club of Canada's federal party report card.