Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner says the three political parties at Queen’s Park are making sure he’s the odd man out.

The affable Schreiner told the Star that even though his party has fielded candidates in all 107 Ontario ridings for the past two elections, he has been deliberately frozen out of special events at the Pink Palace such as the throne speech and budget day.

While business and labour leaders and assorted special interest groups are allowed by invitation only to mill around on the second floor outside the chambers in order to speak with reporters, Schreiner is forced to go to the various individual media outlet offices to provide reaction.

“In communities across Ontario it’s clear that people recognize that there are four parties in the province but unfortunately political insiders at Queen’s Park haven’t woken up to that fact,” he said.

“I think it is anti-democratic. I think they are excluding certain ideas and voices being a part of what should be a full democratic conversation.”

For a third time Schreiner has appealed to the Speaker’s office to extend him special privileges so he can participate in the democratic process at the Ontario legislature, even if it’s in a tangential way. Schreiner says he has been told before it would take all three parties to agree to his inclusion.

Tory House leader Jim Wilson, who is a friend of Schreiner, said the fact is “it is a long-standing practice of this assembly — it’s above politics — that strangers just can’t come wandering around unless they are members of a party or sponsored by members of the parliament.”

But Wilson and NDP House leader Gilles Bisson both said they were not above having all three parties pursue whether anything can be done for Schreiner.

“I would welcome the discussion,” Wilson said. He noted, however, the fact remains the Green Party of Ontario got only 3 per cent of the vote in 2011, down from 8 per cent in 2007.

The Liberals declined to comment, saying only access to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is at the discretion of sergeant-at-arms Dennis Clark.

Schreiner’s efforts to be recognized are reminiscent of federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May’s pleas to be heard on Parliament Hill before she actually won a seat. Many of the same arguments were raised about her not being an elected member and having only marginal voter support. Even so, in 2008 she successfully lobbied to be included in the 2008 federal leaders election debate.

“It’s really a respect for democracy,” May, now MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands, told the Star.

“Queen’s Park doesn’t belong to the parties inside . . . it belongs to the people of Ontario.”

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Clark, the legislature’s veteran sergeant-at-arms, says what Schreiner wants “is what we can’t give him.”

“Our policy is very clear that, especially on a throne speech, it’s invited guests (only) and unless he gets invited he’s not a guest. An MPP can invite him but do you think that’s going to happen?” he told the Star.