Montreal — In a sharply worded public statement, Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, has condemned the federal Green Party leadership for its failure to meet debate criteria and for what he describes as a broader collapse of the party’s founding mission. The comments come one day after the Leaders’ Debates Commission disqualified co-leader Jonathan Pedneault from participating in the federal leaders’ debates due to the party’s failure to run candidates in at least 90% of ridings.
Tyrrell, who leads the provincial Greens in Quebec and was himself previously barred from running for the federal party leadership, said he “can only imagine the emotional rollercoaster” Pedneault experienced waking up to the exclusion — but placed the blame squarely on the federal party leadership.
“The party leadership chose not to work with left-wing members and came up short on candidates as a result,” Tyrrell wrote. “I believe the party must be rebuilt from the ground up, with new leadership in place as soon as this election concludes.”
Tyrrell pointed out that the debate exclusion could have been avoided if the party had stayed true to its founding principles of environmentalism, peace, and public service. He accused current co-leaders Pedneault and Elizabeth May of dragging the party toward centrist positions — including supporting militarism, slashing taxes, and retreating from support for the carbon tax.
“The Green Party of Canada is struggling — arguably even worse than the last election under Annamie Paul,” he wrote, noting that even fewer Green candidates are running this year. “People are inspired when they feel that they can contribute to social change, not when they are pushing a centrist platform that includes calls for increased military spending, conflict and war.”
Tyrrell also called out Pedneault’s nine-month absence from leadership duties ahead of the campaign, describing it as a critical missed opportunity for candidate recruitment. “If he had stayed in the position, done the prep work and stayed true to the party’s founding principles, the party would not be short 100+ candidates in this election.”
Tyrrell took particular issue with the Green Party’s defense of its debate disqualification, arguing that the party’s attempt to claim it met the criteria “diminishes confidence in the party.”
“The spirit of the criteria is running 90% of a full slate of candidates, not simply giving a list of candidates a month before the election and then having a third of them drop out,” he wrote. “People see right through that argument.”
Despite his criticism, Tyrrell said he would still vote Green in the election, emphasizing that his faith lies in the grassroots movement rather than its current leaders.
“I believe in the movement — not in the current leadership,” he concluded. “Despite its current challenges, I still believe the Green Party remains the most viable vehicle for the Canadian Left. I believe in the party’s founding principles and there are some excellent candidates running who I enthusiastically support.”
