The Green Party is consuming itself. Recent developments are not encouraging. Susan Delacourt writes:
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul is facing a vote of confidence in two weeks, on July 20.
The party is not holding its big, biennial convention until the end of August. If Paul does not pass the confidence vote, that convention will be all about how to get some kind of leadership in place for a looming federal campaign. That is, if the campaign hasn’t started already.
Several party staffers were informed Wednesday that they had been laid off, including two in Paul’s office, and it was revealed that the Greens will not hire a national campaign chair for the next election. This at a time when other parties ordinarily would be adding to their election-readiness team.
The turn of the wheel has been dramatic:
Two years ago, as another, previous federal election loomed, the Greens looked like they were on the verge of a breakthrough. Provincially, Greens were getting elected to legislatures in Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces where they had never been considered serious contenders before. Greens were thriving in British Columbia, helping NDP Premier John Horgan stay in power.
Pundits such as this writer were speculating (always dangerous) about a Green party caucus in the double digits in Ottawa; possibly official party status in the Commons.
Instead, Greens only managed to gain three seats in the Commons in October 2019 — now reduced to two after Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin’s defection to the Liberals last month. The Green party leader blamed this on a plot by Justin Trudeau to destabilize her party, but it’s looking like the Greens are more than capable of pulling that off all by themselves.
With another federal election looming, this not the time for this to happen.
Image: The Globe And Mail
