Green Party co-Leader Elizabeth May thanks all who supported her and her campaign after being re-elected while at the Church and State Winery in Brentwood Bay, B.C., on April 28, 2025.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
The Green Party, which has long struggled to become a serious player in the House of Commons, entered Monday’s vote at a serious disadvantage.
In a campaign dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war and threats of annexation, the party was excluded from two leaders’ debates, while its hallmark issue of the environment faded into the background.
Co-Leader Elizabeth May was projected to retain the B.C. seat of Saanich-Gulf Islands that she has held since 2011. Her co-leader, Jonathan Pedneault, was projected to lose his seat in the Montreal riding of Outremont. In Kitchener Centre, where incumbent Mike Morrice is running, the result was too close to call.
In a speech to supporters on Monday evening, Ms. May said she is thankful to be healthy at 70 years old to continue her political career.
She said she owes it to her granddaughter, Lily, to “deal with fascists like Trump.” She also pledged to stop the fossil fuel industry and stand up for human rights. “We can stand up for what’s right,” she said. “And Greens always will.”
Ms. May also took at shot at political pundits who commented on the viability of the Green Party.
“We are here,” she said. “We’re not going away.”
Political observers did not have high expectations for the Greens in this election. Public opinion polls showed minimal levels of support for the party during a campaign that saw a resurgence in support for the Liberal Party, which had lagged behind the Conservatives coming into the race.
In its election platform, the Greens pledged to upgrade infrastructure and use clean technology while protecting workers’ rights and small businesses.
The party also promised to do so while “standing up for Canada’s independence” and said it cannot rely on other countries, particularly ones that do not share Canada’s values, for “our energy, our food or our future.”
Ms. May, an environmental advocate and lawyer, has led the party on-and-off since 2006. On Monday evening, she was at a viewing party on Vancouver Island on Monday while Co-Leader Mr. Pedneault was in Montreal.
In recent years, there have been questions about the leadership of the Greens and the future direction of the party.
From 2006 to 2019, Ms. May served as Green Party Leader. In 2011, she made history, becoming Canada’s first Green Party MP.
For a brief period, between October, 2020, and November, 2021, the Greens were led by lawyer Annamie Paul, while Ms. may remained parliamentary leader in the Commons.
In 2021, Jenica Atwin, who represented the riding of Fredericton for the Greens, crossed the floor to join the Liberals in a move that came less than two years after her breakthrough election in New Brunswick.
In 2022, Ms. May once again won the party’s leadership. This year, Ms. May started to jointly lead the party with Mr. Pedneault, a former journalist.
The party was dealt a significant blow earlier this month when it was barred from participating in two televised leadership debates.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission revoked the Green Party’s invitation to participate because it said the party intentionally reduced the number of candidates it had running in the election for strategic reasons.
While Ms. May said the party did not do so, party spokesperson Rod Leggett told The Globe and Mail in a statement the Greens “chose not to run candidates in select ridings” and asked fellow progressive parties to work together to ensure there was not a Conservative government.
On the commission’s decision to exclude the party, Mr. Pedneault said it was not only “unjust and baseless” because the party met the criteria. Last week, the party announced it was challenging the decision in court.
- With files from Emily Haws