Green Party needs leader in Parliament to rebuild reputation, May says in debate

Wednesday's leadership debate saw candidates offer their visions for the party's future, but questions about its disarray and viability hung over the proceedings.

Candidates vying to helm the federal Green party offered their visions for its future and their explanations for its disarray during a leadership debate Wednesday night.

Outside perceptions of the party’s internal conflicts and dire fundraising situation hung heavy over the event, which was held on Zoom and attracted an audience of fewer than 500 people.

All six candidates pledged to repair the party’s structures and its image, and each spoke to an urgent need for serious environmental policy that “walks the walk.”

But they were at odds about how to go about it.

Elizabeth May, the longtime member of Parliament who is running on a joint ticket with human rights researcher Jonathan Pedneault, argued that she left the party in excellent shape when she resigned the leadership in 2019.

May said she can hit the ground running if they are elected.

“The longer we go on without a leader who’s in Parliament, we do become less relevant,” she said. “And we need to be relevant immediately.”

Another pair who intend to become co-leaders should one of them win, Anna Keenan and Chad Walcott, hail from the non-profit sector and argue that the party desperately needs new leadership.