Green MPs threatened to leave party if leadership race paused, email to party council says
CBC
The Green Party's two MPs were both prepared to walk away from their party and sit as Independents if the federal council cancelled the party's leadership race, according to an email forwarded to CBC.
One of MP Mike Morrice's staff members sent three federal councillors a message on Friday evening urging them not to suspend the leadership race. In addition to warning that the MPs might quit the party, the email also warned against the federal council closing the party's Ottawa headquarters, a decision that CBC has reported the party may have to make because donations have plummeted.
"If [federal council] suspends the leadership race or decides to close the office (instead of moving to a smaller one), it will cause irreversible damage to the party. The [Green Party of Canada] can't come back from that," the message said.
"In that case, the MPs would be prepared to leave the party and sit as independents."
The message went on to say that the party is at a "crossroads."
"I hope [federal council] will make the right decision."
The Green Party's two MPs, Morrice and Elizabeth May, declined to comment. May is also running to be co-leader after previously serving in the role.
But a source within the party not authorized to speak publicly said the email was sent to federal councillors so they can understand what would happen if they took the drastic step of suspending the leadership race. The source also said there is no immediate threat of the MPs leaving the party.
The source also noted the email to councillors was necessary because Morrice, who usually represents caucus on federal council, was not allowed to attend Friday's council meeting.
But in a wide-ranging interview with CBC on Sunday, outgoing Green Party president Lorraine Rekmans confirmed several of her councillors received an email from Morrice's staff. Rekmans described the email as threatening.
"That's a pretty serious threat," Rekmans told CBC. "I really think it is a serious infraction of [party] rules."
WATCH | Outgoing Green Party president accuses MPs of interference:
More than just threatening, Rekmans said the MPs used their elected office to intimidate the party's membership-driven governing body — contravening the convention that members run the party, not staff or MPs.
"So that is influence on the vote of federal council," Rekmans said. "We're a membership-based, grassroots-driven party. That's who we are. I believe that I came in to represent the members' interests in federal council and protect their interests in their party."
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