The Green Party of Canada held a leadership election between September 26 and October 3, 2020. The election was held to replace Elizabeth May, who resigned on November 4, 2019, after leading the party for more than a decade and achieving a record three seats in Parliament in the 2019 federal election. Eight candidates ran to replace her. While these candidates offered different visions for the future of the party and made various policy proposals, they all agreed that climate change is a serious issue, opposed the construction of new pipelines, supported a guaranteed livable income, and supported adopting some form of proportional representation in federal elections.
No polling for the leadership race was released during the contest, and so frontrunner status was largely determined in the media on the basis of candidate fundraising. In that sense, the two frontrunners were Annamie Paul and Dimitri Lascaris. Paul, an activist and lawyer from Toronto, won the election on the eighth round of voting. Her win was described as a win for "the more centrist camp".
Election format The vote was held online between September 26 and October 3, as well as by mail-in ballot. All party members as of 11:59 p.m. PDT on September 3, 2020, who were 14 years of age or older were eligible to vote. The vote was conducted through a one member, one vote preferential ballot with a none of the above option. The candidate with a majority of votes after a minimum of one ballot would win the leadership.
The Greens originally planned to announce the election results at the party's biennial convention in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, however the convention was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the candidates gathered in Ottawa, Ontario for the results, which were announced online at 9:00 p.m. ADT on October 3.
Timeline
2019
October 24 – Elizabeth May announced that she would step down as leader within the next four years, but intended to continue for "the near term", as an early election could complicate the transition. November 3 – A group of party members launched a petition calling for an open leadership race to ensure the "long-term prosperity of the party"; among those members was Green Party of Quebec leader Alex Tyrrell, who later became a candidate for the leadership himself. November 4 – May announced she was stepping down as leader effective immediately. Jo-Ann Roberts was named interim leader. May stayed on as the parliamentary leader in the House. November 5 – David Merner announces his candidacy. December 2 – Julie Tremblay-Cloutier announces her candidacy.
2020
January 15 – Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, announces his candidacy. January 23 – Judy N. Green and Constantine Kritsonis announce their candidacies. January 30 – Annamie Paul announces her candidacy. February 3 – The rules for the leadership race were released, including the announcement of a $50,000 entrance fee requirement for candidates. Constantine Kritsonis withdraws his candidacy as a result of the rules. February 4 – Nomination period opens. February 14 – Julie Tremblay-Cloutier withdraws her candidacy. February 24 – Don Elzer announces his candidacy. March 9 – Amita Kuttner announces their candidacy. March 11 – Dimitri Lascaris announces his candidacy. March 17 – Dylan Perceval-Maxwell announces his candidacy. March 24 – The candidacy of Annamie Paul is approved. April 4 – The candidacy of David Merner is approved. April 22 – The candidacy of Amita Kuttner is approved. April 29 – Glen Murray, former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister, former MPP for Toronto Centre and former Mayor of Winnipeg, declares his candidacy. May 6 – The party reduced the entrance fee from $50,000 to $30,000, citing difficulty fundraising due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. May 11 – The candidacy of Glen Murray is approved. May 15 – Andrew West announces his candidacy. May 22 – Meryam Haddad announces her candidacy. May 26 – The candidacy of Dimitri Lascaris is rejected by the party, pending appeal. May 29 – The candidacy of Dylan Perceval-Maxwell is approved. June 2 – The candidacy of Dimitri Lascaris is reinstated and approved following the appeal of his disqualification. The candidacy of Judy N. Green is rejected by the party, pending appeal. June 3 – The candidacy of Meryam Haddad is approved. Alex Tyrrell withdraws his candidacy. Don Elzer withdraws his candidacy. 6 p.m. PDT – Nomination period closes. Initial entrance fee of $10,000 due. June 10 – The candidacy of Judy N. Green is reinstated and approved following the appeal of her disqualification. June 11 – The candidacy of Andrew West is approved. Courtney Howard announces her candidacy. June 12 – The candidacy of Courtney Howard is approved. June 21 – A debate hosted by Fair Vote Canada is held. June 23–24 – A two-part debate hosted by The Agenda with Steve Paikin is held, with both parts broadcast on TVO and online. July 8 – Dylan Perceval-Maxwell is removed from the leadership contest following inappropriate remarks during and following the June 23–24 debates. August 30 – Judy N. Green withdraws her candidacy and endorses David Merner. August 1 – September 1 – Leadership candidates must supply signatures of 150 party members, at least 20 of which must be from each of six regions. Signatures are in addition to 100 signatures provided with leadership application. September 1 – Deadline for receipt of secondary non-refundable fee of $20,000 (in addition to $1,000 at time of filing application to run and $9,000 ten days after application received). September 3 at 11:59 p.m. PDT – Deadline to become a member of the Green Party and be eligible to vote. September 22 – The party announces that Meryam Haddad has been removed from the contest, due to violations of the party's code of conduct. Haddad plans to appeal. September 24 – Haddad successfully appeals her disqualification and is restored to the ballot. September 25 – Deadline for receipt of mail-in ballots. September 26 – Online voting begins. October 3 – 3:30 p.m. PDT – Online voting ends. 5 p.m. PDT – Results announced.
Fundraising
Source
Full results + Results by round Candidate1st round2nd round3rd round4th round5th round6th round7th round8th roundVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast% Annamie Paul 6,242 26.14% 6,245 26.15% 6,305 26.41% 6,478 27.13% 6,952 29.12% 7,614 31.89% 8,862 37.12% 12,090 50.63% Dimitri Lascaris 5,768 24.15% 5,773 24.18% 5,813 24.35% 6,586 27.58% 7,050 29.53% 7,551 31.62% 8,340 34.93% 10,081 42.22% Courtney Howard 3,285 13.76% 3,286 13.76% 3,348 14.02% 3,404 14.26% 3,762 15.76% 4,523 18.94% 5,824 24.39% Eliminated Glen Murray 2,745 11.50% 2,746 11.50% 2,821 11.81% 2,846 11.92% 2,992 12.53% 3,725 15.60% Eliminated David Merner 2,636 11.04% 2,636 11.04% 2,697 11.30% 2,727 11.42% 2,856 11.96% Eliminated Amita Kuttner 1,468 6.15% 1,470 6.16% 1,486 6.22% 1,748 7.32% Eliminated Meryam Haddad 1,345 5.63% 1,346 5.64% 1,358 5.69% Eliminated Andrew West 352 1.47% 356 1.49% Eliminated None of the options 36 0.15% Eliminated Exhausted Votes 0 0.00% 19 0.08% 49 0.21% 88 0.37% 265 1.11% 464 1.94% 851 3.56% 1,706 7.14% Total 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100% 23,877 100%
Debates
+ Debates among candidates for the 2020 Green Party of Canada leadership election No. Date Place Host Topic Moderator Language Participants References Participant Absent invitee Non-invitee Out of race (exploring, withdrawn or disqualified)GreenHaddadHowardKuttnerLascarisMernerMurrayPaulPerceval-MaxwellWest 1 June 21, 2020 OnlineFair Vote Canada Democracy Elizabeth May,Jim Harris English 2 June 23, 2020 OnlineTVOntario (TVO) Various Steve Paikin English 3 June 29, 2020 OnlineGreen Party of Manitoba Various James Beddome Bilingual 4 July 20, 2020 Online (Quebec)Green Party of Canada VariousChad Walcott,Julie Tremblay-Cloutier French5 July 21, 2020 Online (Prairies)Green Party of Canada VariousNaomi Hunter, Sai RajagopalEnglish6 July 23, 2020 Online (Atlantic)Green Party of Canada VariousJenica Atwin,Peter Bevan-BakerBilingual 7 July 27, 2020 Online (North)Green Party of Canada VariousLenore Morris,Rylund JohnsonEnglish8 July 28, 2020 Online (BC)Green Party of Canada VariousPaul Manly,Jonina CampbellEnglish9 July 30, 2020 Online (Ontario)Green Party of Canada VariousMike Schreiner,Roberta HerodEnglish 10 August 5, 2020 Online (Quebec)Quebec wing Quebec Issues Ralph Shayne,Érica Poirier French 11 August 23, 2020 Online Young Greens of Canada Youth Issues Bryanne Lamoureux,Clément Badra Bilingual 12 September 3, 2020 Online (Québec) Green Party of Quebec Quebec Issues Halimatou Bah,Alain Joseph French 13 September 10, 2020 Onlinerabble.ca,Canadian Foreign Policy Institute Foreign Affairs Judy Rebick English 14 September 20, 2020 OnlineHeartwood Institute Electoral Strategy Jim Harris, Abhijeet Manay, Liz Lilly English 15September 22, 2020OnlineSouth Okanagan - West Kootenay EDAFood SecurityTara HowseEnglish
Candidates
Meryam Haddad
Background Meryam Haddad, 32, is an immigration lawyer residing in Montreal, Quebec. Haddad immigrated from Syria at the age of 5 and has been a resident of Montreal since. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa and was the candidate for Châteauguay—Lacolle in 2019. She is openly lesbian.
Candidacy announced: May 22, 2020 Candidacy approved: June 3, 2020 Disqualified: September 22, 2020 Reinstated: September 24, 2020 Date registered with Elections Canada: Campaign website: Notes: In the lead-up to the 2020 British Columbia general election, Haddad criticized the Green Party of British Columbia over leader Sonia Furstenau's positions on defunding the police and Indigenous land rights, saying she would endorse the BC Ecosocialists over the Greens' provincial wing. She was disqualified from the election by the Green Party on September 22 for "intentionally undertaking an action that would bring the Green Party of Canada into disrepute." Haddad appealed and was reinstated two days later.
Policies Running as an eco-socialist. Restructure the party to emphasize on inclusivity and diversity. Implement a Green New Deal. Calls for key positions within the party to be bilingual. Abolition of the police. De-colonizing Canada and promoting Canadian republicanism.
Courtney Howard
Background Courtney Howard, 41, is an emergency room physician residing in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She holds degrees from Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, and McGill University. She is the President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.Archived twitter message
Candidacy announced: June 11, 2020 Candidacy approved: June 12, 2020 Date registered with Elections Canada: Campaign website:
Policies Redefine the Green Party as the party of "a healthy planet for healthy people". Supports a stronger social safety net and guaranteed minimum income. Legislate a Community Care Act (universal childcare, pharmacare, psychological care, and dental care). Fund community-centered agriculture plans. Prioritize the construction of a national electrical grid relying on 100 per cent clean energy. Ensure a 1:1 lobbyist to NGO ratio for meetings with lawmakers. Establish compassionate crisis-response teams for RCMP units. Lower the voting age to 16 and prioritize electoral reform. Develop a national strategy on broadband and connectivity for rural and Indigenous communities.
Amita Kuttner
Background