What is the future of the Green Party of Canada?

As the Green Party of Canada begins its search for a new leader, uncertainty around the Party’s future is growing. Will the Party be able to learn from the past two years and move forward united?

Elizabeth Fraser is a graduate student at the Max Bell School of Public Policy and serves as Vice President Operations on the Public Policy Association of Graduate Students. Her policy interests include housing, poverty reduction, and addressing systemic discrimination through public policy. Her views are her own.  

Annamie Paul is no longer leader of the Green Party of Canada. The Party formally accepted her resignation early last week, ending her tumultuous tenure as Party leader. Following an abysmal turnout in the recent federal election and Party infighting that garnered widespread public attention, many are eager to blame Paul. While there were most definitely missteps by Paul, assigning her all the blame is far too easy an answer. There are systemic aspects of the Party that not only set Paul up for failure, but likely would have created a similar outcome for any new leader. While Paul was a welcome change that many felt represented their idea of the Green Party, her experience raises serious concerns about who the Green Party is for and whether the systemic issues within it will be addressed.  

Since its inception in 1984, the Green Party has maintained a strong, yet small, presence in Canadian politics. It wasn’t until 2004, however, that the Party started to take off. Its share of the votes in 2004 was just over 4%, a substantial increase on previous records as it had been unable to crack 1%. When Elizabeth May took over the reins in 2006, it earned 6.8% of the vote in the 2008 federal election. This increased momentum for the Party and the confirmation of May as the leader of the Greens. 

May has been the longest-serving Party leader, from 2006 to 2019. Over her 13 years at the helm, she has become synonymous with the Green Party and, given that she is also the longest-serving Green Member of Parliament, is largely responsible for much of the Party’s notoriety and growth. When I first started thinking about politics, like many others, May was someone who I looked up to and was influential in forming my political alignment. It should come as no surprise that her departure as leader was a turning point for the Party.  

A number of candidates emerged in the 2020 leadership race, despite criticism of the high entry fee and multiple rejection appeals. The candidates who were successful highlighted an aspect that many outside the Party were largely unaware of under May’s leadership: the divisive internal politics within the Party. Green Party Facebook groups and community conversations were deeply divided and no one candidate seemed to be the favourite within the membership. May appeared to support Paul during the leadership race by sending a fundraising letter to the membership, and it seemed to many that Paul would have a smooth transition following her election. This, unfortunately, was not the case, as Paul faced barriers almost immediately. Paul faced racism, anti-Semitism and sexism from both the Party leadership and membership. Even with this discrimination, Paul had to also face challenges that any new leader would have struggled with, namely the Party’s inability to transition to a new leader. 

We all know that change is hard. And it might be even harder for a Party such as the Greens. Among the Party’s core values is participatory democracy, which is the foundation for the Green’s grassroots nature. However, this is a double-edged sword. This very structure can open doors for people with divisive, if not problematic, perspectives. The Green Party’s biggest draw has long been its strong environmental position. While no political ideology is completely homogenous, environmentally-minded individuals can come from all sides of the spectrum. This, along with the participatory element, means that for some individuals, the Green Party could be a place where they feel empowered and affirmed in their non-environmental political perspectives. This can also contribute largely to the systemic racism and discrimination that many have felt within the Party. Many senior officials and those who have been involved with the Party for years have recently been accused of fostering this culture of discrimination. These tensions between political views and the harmful, systemic discrimination have been felt by those in the Party; the leadership race seems to have brought it to the surface. It is important to remember that the modern environmentalist movement was largely championed by white, upper and middle-class individuals and perhaps there was little room for the type of tangible progressivity that allows for diversity from the get-go. 

May was successful in growing the Party, especially in the 2019 federal election, and championing strong environmental action. She is largely well-respected by the membership and this has perhaps provided the stability the Party needed, as it was able to rally around her as an individual. But these problems are huge issues to tackle for anyone, especially for someone who is largely the glue holding the Party together. It is unlikely that any new leader would have been able to take all those problems on successfully, especially in the middle of a global pandemic while having to lead an election campaign less than two years in for a Party in an identity crisis. 

So where does the Party go from here? Many outside the GPC have started to question whether the Green Party still has relevance, as climate policy has largely become a central pillar of many other party’s platforms. Some feel as though the existence of both the Green Party and the NDP further splits votes on the left of the Canadian political spectrum, and that the shared goals between the parties could be better met if there were only one. However, there are several elements of the Party that are uniquely attractive. Its participatory foundation is unique among political parties that gives members a real connection to the GPC and its policies. This form of structure also gives many important opportunities to young people like me, which can be harder to find in other parties. And while there are factions within the Party, the loudest voices are not representative of all the membership. The Green Pillars – ecological wisdom, non-violence, social justice, sustainability, participatory democracy and respect for diversity – are strong political principles that guide many members, politically and otherwise.  

In order to continue as a Party with a strong political voice, the current leadership must acknowledge that the problems that plagued the Party quite publicly for the past two years cannot be solely attributed to Paul. While May’s leadership was impressive both in the work she did in Parliament and within the Party, the leadership also must grapple with what it meant to have had such a prominent individual as their leader for 13 years. The Party also must take authentic and concrete steps to address the harmful racism, anti-Semitism and division within its membership and leadership if there is any chance of a strong Party emerging in the future.