Yukon Green Party candidate John Streicker believes his message in the 2008 election was so successful, he's not deviating for his second federal campaign in the lead-up to the May 2 vote.

"Last time it worked – we tripled our support,” Streicker said of his party's "strong, professional and respectful campaign.

"We started that one at three per cent in the polls and finished with 13 per cent.”

As he pledged three years ago, Streicker is running to win, aims to increase voter turnout, encourage civil political discourse – both inside and outside the House of Commons – and still believes the Green Party presents a realistic alternative.

"Everybody else believes it's about strategic voting, but we believe it's about connecting with Yukoners,” Streicker told the Star.

Popular support for the Greens in 2008 helped Streicker edge out Ken Bolton, the New Democratic Party candidate, for third, but the fledgling candidate finished nearly 3,000 votes behind the runner-up Conservatives and trailed the winner, Liberal-incumbent Larry Bagnell, by more than 4,800 votes.

For the upcoming election, Streicker and his Yukon Greens have $32,000 to pour into the campaign – more than triple the amount the local association spent in 2008.

While Streicker said he would be announcing his party's platform next week, he gave a sneak-preview, and in the process criticized what the Liberals have on offer.

"The Liberals want to enhance home retrofits but the Greens say, ‘Let's do a national retrofit,'” Streicker said of renovations aimed at saving energy and money.

Asked if that would be for all public buildings in Canada, Streicker said, "Every building.”

In terms of initial cost, it sounds very expensive, Streicker acknowledged, but retrofitting each and every home, apartment, office and public building in the country would not require billions and billions of dollars, but a small "seed money” investment.

"Of course, we'd roll it out over time and the savings would be clawed back over time based on energy and heating savings,” he said.

For example, Streicker explained, if a monthly heating bill averages $800 and a retrofit would reduce it to $200, a repayment scheme might cost the recipient $400 a month – $200 for heat and $200 for the retrofit loan – until it's eventually paid off.

On the issue of increasing voter participation, Streicker wants to form a pact with the competition to target younger voters.

In the 2008 election, only 37 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds cast a ballot, compared to 54 per cent for 25-54-year-olds and 67 per cent for those 55 and older.

Streicker said the Whitehorse-based group Bringing Youth Towards Equality is planning a youth forum for candidates.

"That's the type of politics I'm trying to promote,” said Streicker.

He wants candidates in the Yukon riding to be the first in history to issue a joint press release on combining efforts to encourage voting amongst the young. "OK, here's the problem; let's work together to try and solve it.”

Streicker also spoke out about Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's exclusion from April's televised debates between federal party leaders.

This week, "the broadcast consortium”, which includes the CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, Global and TVA, decided not to invite May to participate in a pair of debates – one in English and the other in French.

"I thought Elizabeth May made the debates better last year and that makes for a better democracy,” said Streicker, who called the consortium's decision arbitrary.

In 2008, a similar decision was reversed, and May was allowed to partake after significant outcry amongst Canadians nationwide.

"The obvious thing is to have her in the debate,” Streicker added.