When a tree falls in an old-growth forest, does anyone in Ottawa hear it?

Rebecca Helps, the Green Party candidate in the New Westminster-Coquitlam federal byelection thinks so.

And the noise from poor environmental practices gets louder and louder in government corridors because Greens make sure those issues are being heard, said Helps, a Port Moody resident.

Despite not having a seat in federal Parliament or the provincial legislature, the Greens are influencing government policies, Helps says.

Instituting the carbon tax and banning junk food in schools are two ideas the provincial Liberals borrowed while the federal Conservatives are reconsidering a variety of environmental issues because of Green pressure,” she said.

“In our press releases, we basically say, ‘Steal our ideas,’” said Helps. “If it’s a good idea, it doesn’t matter who implements it as long as it gets implemented.

“It’s great that they’re stealing ideas. It certainly gives us credibility.”

A business analyst consultant, Helps first got involved in politics as a volunteer during the 2008 federal election.

“I became frustrated because we keep electing minority governments which won’t co-operate with other parties,” she said.

After that, true to her name, Helps volunteered for the provincial Green Party, which told her what it really needed was a candidate to run in last May’s election.

Not fully knowing what she was up against, Helps ran for the Greens in Port Moody-Coquitlam, eventually finishing third.

Not discouraged, she was quick to step in as the New Westminster-Coquitlam candidate when the byelection campaign got underway.

She believes a Green will be elected someday and wants to be the first.

A Green in Parliament would get the

government working for Canadians, acting as a facilitator, she says.

“All members of Parliament need to co-operate on the behalf of Canadians,” she said. “It’s not about partisanship. The Green Party is the only party with a policy about working with the other parties — that’s why I joined them.”

After several weeks of door-to-door canvassing, Helps said she believes the Greens have a lot of support but admits it may not translate into a win because Canadians often vote strategically.

“Someone said to me, ‘I like the Green Party, the policies make a lot of sense and in an ideal world, I’ll vote Green.’

“The thing is, we won’t get to an ideal world until we start voting Green. Because we really need a party that embraces finding that balance between the economy, the environment and social.”

• Green Party candidate Rebecca Helps’ campaign website is www.nwcgreens.ca.

mmcquillan@newwestnewsleader.com