OTTAWA – Candidates vying to lead the federal Green Party of Canada presented their visions for the party’s future — and their explanations for its disarray — during a leadership debate tonight.
Elizabeth May, who is running on a joint ticket with Jonathan Pedneault, argued she left the party in excellent shape when she resigned from the leadership in 2019.
The BC MP has warned that the party is becoming less relevant the longer it goes leaderless in parliament, and she can step up to help rebuild its reputation.
Chad Walcott, who is running on a joint ticket with Anna Keenan, said the party should elect a new leadership and prove to Canadians it can stand up and not back down.
Sarah Gabrielle Baron said a battle of two egos at the top does not make a grassroots organization, and Simon Gnocchini-Messier argued that the media narrative of a party in disarray did not match her experience.
But questions about the party’s viability weighed heavily on the debate, which drew a Zoom audience of less than 500, with all six candidates pledging to mend internal divisions.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on November 9, 2022.
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