Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told supporters Tuesday that she won’t be leading the party into the next election.
May — who is currently the only Green MP — made the announcement in an email to party members which was shared with CBC news. She said she intends to stay on as an MP and leader pending the results of an upcoming leadership review.
“My voice, as the sole Green MP in the House of Commons, is stronger as leader. I intend to grow our parliamentary caucus before stepping down,” May said in her email.
May has led the party through five federal elections dating back to 2008. She stepped down as leader following the 2019 vote and the party selected Anamie Paul to lead the party in the following election.
After Paul’s departure in the wake of the 2021 election, May returned to co-lead the party alongside Jonathan Pedneault.
Pedneault took the lead as the face of the Green’s national campaign this past spring, but failed to secure a seat. He resigned days after the election, leaving May as the sole party leader.
In her email on Tuesday, May said the party’s governing council will decide the best timing for a leadership vote, and that the party is determined to make it a “positive experience” — likely referring to Paul’s exit following months of party infighting.
“Succession planning in any political party is tricky, 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,” she wrote.
