Sandra O’Connor says she will continue fighting against the climate crisis even though the Green party didn’t win a seat for the Niagara Falls riding in the federal election.

She’s proud of three seats the Green party garnered across Canada, though, and said the result only strengthens the Greens’ voice in Parliament.

“I’m thrilled. I think that the more we have the more we can do in Parliament. We’re a collaborative party so we want to work with the government, with Parliament moving forward with their agenda,” O’Connor said in the aftermath of her fifth-place finish, earning almost 5 per cent of the vote.

She held a small election party at her home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where about 15 volunteers eagerly watched the results roll in, she said.

And though the numbers were lower than other parties, like Tony Baldinelli of the Conservatives who won the seat for Niagara Falls with about 35 per cent of the vote, O’Connor said the room was positive and the volunteers were in good spirits all night.

“It’s really quite interesting because when we started to see the numbers, if we saw one or two or three, we’d all be ecstatic about it – as opposed to the big numbers of the other parties,” she said.

“We were very glad to see what we accomplished. We had hoped there would be more, yes, but we were happy going forward having more than before,” O’Connor added.

And although she said she was disappointed in the loss, she isn’t going to quit fighting for the causes that matter to her and many of the people of this riding.

“I think that the people who did vote Green are dedicated people … I think there is a distinct following that’s not going to erode, that’s only going to grow.”

O’Connor said she’s always been involved in the community and that’s not something she plans to change.

“I will be working toward making sure that the politicians on every level, whether municipal, regional, provincial or federal, take into consideration how things impact our climate.”