Green Party Leader Elizabeth May began her journey west from Vancouver last night on board Via Rail. Campaign Manager Jim McDonald says the special Green party car cost about $40,000. That's a lot cheaper than a jet and this election it's also a lot more affordable for the Greens. Their campaign budget is about $4 million, roughly four times what it was in 2006 when the Greens spent about $900,000.

Like the big parties, a huge chunk of the budget will go towards a national advertising campaign, something the Greens have never had before. The TV ads won't begin until after the debate when the party hopes a strong performance by their leader will prime the electorate for their paid media message in the final 10 days of the campaign.

So far the Greens earned media has met their expectations thanks largely to the controversy about whether May should get into the debates. Getting into the debates was an important step but having the controversy was a big deal too.