The Green Party of Canada co-leaders Elizabeth May, centre, and Jonathan Pedneault, left, introduce their candidates as they launch their election campaign in Montreal, March 23.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Whatever you think of the decision to disinvite the Green Party from this week’s Leaders’ debates, there is a more critical issue here – one that really does not require debate.
As the climate catastrophe announces itself in the form of climbing temperatures, wildfires, floods and unprecedented storms – at the same time we have entered a new “drill, baby, drill” age – the need for a strong Green Party has never been more important. The party is not going to form government or the official opposition in this election. But the Green voice is essential. Especially now.
South of the border, the Trump administration is gutting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and deregulating with abandon. Consider the White House proclamation of April 8, giving some coal plants two years to comply with “a less stringent” Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule instead of the Biden administration’s “more onerous version” which it said is not commercially viable. (Talk about onerous.)
Even as Canada fiercely defends its sovereignty, the atmosphere knows no border. And even the most rah-rah oil-and-gas Canadians must harbour some concern for the future of the planet.
Elizabeth May, who has led the Greens for much of the past two decades, deserves all the kudos for bringing the party out from the fringes and into the conversation (if not this year’s debate stage) and for shining a light on environmental issues before they were a mainstream concern. The ninth leader of the party, she was the first to win a seat (in 2011). She has been a force. But where is her successor? Where is the person whose name you know without Googling it (yes, that includes the party’s co-leader)? Who is the contemporary face and voice of the Green Party?
Even with the climate emergency upon us, why are the Greens not making more of a dent in, if not the polls, then the imagination of Canadians who should be (and in large part are) concerned about the environment?
Of course, this election is very much about who can shepherd the country through the Trump 2.0 years – with its threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty. Canadians are looking for the best leader to stand up to the bully and defend the country.
It’s not going to be Ms. May and Jonathan Pedneault (right, that’s his name). But Canada needs the Green Party – or a stronger, revamped version of it – to bring ideas forward, to keep rattling the eco-cages of Parliament, to be Canada’s environmental conscience.
There is a lot of discussion – and concern, depending on which circles you travel in – about what this election will mean for the NDP, with the focus on a Liberal versus Conservative approach to leading the country through this perilous time. But the Greens are also in a precarious position.
The party saw its greatest electoral success in 2019, winning three seats and 6.5 per cent of the popular vote – nearly doubling its share from 2015 (although not quite hitting the 6.8 per cent it reached in 2008). Even with that result, Ms. May was disappointed – in particular, by the party’s lack of a better showing on Vancouver Island. She had previously called it “the campaign of our lives” and predicted the party would “win a lot of seats.”
She stood down shortly afterward as party leader.
But 2019, as it turns out, was a high point for the Greens, who have been on the decline since. They lost one of their seats in 2021 when New Brunswick MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals in the midst of an ugly spat with roots in the Israel-Palestine conflict that also led to the exit of Ms. May’s successor, Annamie Paul. Ms. May stepped back in, and in 2022 ran to replace her replacement. Instead of new blood, the party got Ms. May back (with, ultimately, Mr. Pedneault).
But will the Greens win even a single seat – including Ms. May’s? As my colleague Justine Hunter recently reported, there are Saanich-Gulf Islands constituents who worry that a vote for the incumbent could be wasted, with the overall Liberal-versus-Conservative race so key.
While we were robbed this week of knowing if Mr. Pedneault does his own grocery shopping and whether he buys Canadian strawberries (I strongly suspect the answer, for both him and Ms. May, is yes and yes), Canada needs a strong Green voice.
All major parties now address environmental issues, but the Greens have a special role to play in the increasingly urgent conversation. So they need to get their act together. That must start with some new, recognizable blood. The debate ruling was a serious hurdle, but they have to figure out how to stay in the race – not just in this election, but beyond it.