Alex Reid

The Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May is choo-chooing across Canada with their Green Train.

No doubt, the Greens learned their lesson from David Suzuki who was criticized when he made a similar tour across Canada in a diesel bus last year. Of course those same conservative-extremist pundits will still attack those concerned about pollution for doing anything else than living in trees, and they’ll rightly point out that a train creates just the same amount of pollution a bus creates. But the Greens are smart to point out it uses less than a plane uses, subtlety hinting at the Liberal Party’s gaffe last month.

Using the train is quite brilliant. Not only is it cheaper than flying, it’s symbolic and historically relevant. Journalists and photographers on board not only have unfettered access to May (you can’t wander freely on a plane) but the trip lends May great visuals and backdrops as the train makes it way across Canada’s beautiful vistas and stopping in small towns to greet the people whom most politicians fly over.

Furthermore the Greens are using the train tour to highlight their call for $1 billion upgrades to Canada’s rail system which ties into their urban transportation strategy.

The first federal politician to use the whistle-stop train tour as a campaign strategy was former prime minister Wilfrid Laurier in the 1900 election. Since then Diefenbaker and Trudeau used this strategy much to their favour.

May arrives in Winnipeg on Tuesday and should arrive in her Central Nova riding on Friday. Polls have the Greens sitting at 10%, more than twice their draw last election.