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Alex Tyrrell, the feisty and clever head of the Green Party of Quebec has publicly lambasted recent musings from May, such as how a Green government would decide where Canadian refineries would be allowed to source their oil, imposing Canadian sources and banning others.

That would, in his view, enhance production in the oil sands. If Canadians are looking at the Green Party more than ever, nobody is watching more than other Greens, ever vigilant for signs of a sellout. Tyrrell’s attacks resonated with the green left. May has to learn to look both ways as she seeks new votes and in the ramp-up to the campaign, is going to have to develop thought-out messages and stick to them.

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May will need to up her game if she wants to make it to the next level. Many Canadians, who care about the environment, hope she will. Her recent catch of journeyman NDP MP Pierre Nantel as a candidate shows she can.

Paul Manley’s election as the second Green MP and the consistent double digit polling for the Party show that May might just be poised for a breakthrough. Whether or not that comes to pass will depend on her convincing more Canadians that she and her party are ready for prime time.

In recent days, May has been excoriated for an ill-conceived proposal to let SNC-Lavalin off the hook by having them build water systems for First Nations as a kind of community service. First Nations have been through enough. Delivering what should be a human right in Canada – clean drinking water – shouldn’t be a punishment for corporate scofflaws.