After the party’s longtime leader announced on Tuesday that she will not lead the Greens into the next election, the Green Party of Canada will once more be looking for someone to take her place. May stated in an email to members that she intends to continue serving as party leader and MP until a new leader is elected. In her email, May stated, “We have big plans for the fall session of Parliament in 2025.” “As leader, my voice is stronger as the sole Green MP in the House of Commons.” Before leaving office, May stated that she would like to expand the party’s parliamentary caucus while concentrating on issues such as affordability, the climate crisis, justice, and peace in conflict-ridden regions. Additionally, May stated that fundraising has always been a major leadership responsibility and that she intends to “meet the challenge of closing the books on 2025 in a strong position.” She stated that members will soon receive information regarding a leadership review and voting procedures. May stated that she would resign when the new leader or co-leaders were elected. May stated, “Succession planning is difficult for any political party, but our Federal Council is determined to learn from past mistakes and make the transition to new leadership a positive experience that builds the party.” They will, “as a team, develop the strongest possible plan for the leadership transition and determine the best time for a leadership race,” according to consensus. After the party won only one seat in the federal election, May became the leader of the Green Party in 2006. She is the only Green MP in the House of Commons. In 2019, she resigned, and Annamie Paul was elected to lead the party. However, May continued to serve as the parliamentary leader despite Paul’s absence from the House of Commons. After May finished fourth in a Toronto riding in the 2021 election, Paul resigned. In 2022, May and Jonathan Pedneault were reelected as co-leaders. After Pedneault resigned in April after acknowledging the party’s “disappointing” outcome in the federal election, May regained her position as sole leader. May was the only Green candidate to win in April, and the Greens received just 1.3% of national support. Three MPs were elected by the Greens with almost seven percent of the vote in 2021. In the April campaign, the party backed 342 candidates, but less than 240 Green candidates ended up on the ballot. The party claimed that the requirement that each nominee obtain 100 signatures from electors in their riding made it difficult to confirm all of its nominees. Following that, the federal commission in charge of the two televised election debates withdrew Pedneault’s invitation to participate in those debates. The reason given was the decision to reduce the number of Green candidates “for strategic reasons.” May said in April that decision hurt her party’s chances of winning the election.
Elizabeth May says she won’t lead Green Party into next federal election
