Former New Democrat Nick Ternette established a "Green Party" in Winnipeg in 1989, and fielded candidates under its banner in that year's municipal elections.

Billows, Eymond Toupin, and future provincial leader Markus Buchart hosted the Green Party of Canada's national convention in Winnipeg in August 1998.

It has expressed concern about "urban sprawl" in Winnipeg's suburbs, has called for reform in Manitoba's commercial hog sector, and generally supports the rights of small farming interests over corporations.

The GPM also favours liberal positions on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, and promotes accessible public health care with emphasis on healthy lifestyles and illness prevention.

[6] The party supports the extension of labour protection laws to farm-workers and a reduction of Manitoba's standard work week from 40 to 32 hours.

The document included promises to introduce Guaranteed Annual Income to Manitoba, a $50/tonne carbon tax, fare-free transit, and oppose the Energy East pipeline, among other items.

[7] The GPM ran six candidates in the provincial election of 1999, and scored its best result in the Winnipeg riding of Wolseley, where Phyllis Abbé, also a prominent former New Democrat, received 386 votes.

In the December 13, 2005, by-election held in the strongly conservative Fort Whyte constituency, GPM candidate Shelagh Pizey-Allen garnered 1.77% of the vote.

Beddome, still the party's leader, would take 18.77% of the vote in Fort Garry-Riverview, an increase of 14 percentage points for the Greens over the previous election in that riding.

The Greens also came in second in La Verendrye with Janine Gibson, Morden-Winkler with Mike Urichuk and Midland with Stacy O'Neill finishing ahead of NDP and Liberal candidates in ridings easily won by the Progressive Conservatives.

[citation needed] The party's first leadership contest under the rules of Elections Manitoba began on July 1, 2005, and a new leader was chosen on November 20, 2005.

[citation needed] She was Holly Nelson, a retired electrical technologist and professional writer who owned a Winnipeg New Age book store, the Philosopher's Stone, during the 1990s.