Elizabeth May, the longtime figurehead of the Green Party of Canada, has confirmed she will remain party leader until a new federal election is imminent — despite growing calls for generational renewal and a critical leadership review vote looming.
In an email to members earlier this week, May asked for support in the upcoming leadership review, a constitutionally mandated vote held after each general election. She told members that she does not plan to lead the party into the next election — but she also made clear that she intends to stay in control of the party’s direction, including the choice of her successor. “My intention is to step down once the new Leader, or Co-Leaders, are elected,” she wrote, noting that the timing of the next leadership race will be decided by Federal Council, a body where she holds considerable influence.
CTV News reported that May said: “I’m not going anywhere, for now.” Adding that she plans to remain leader until “it looks like we’re on the verge of an election,” a flexible timeline that could stretch until 2029 — by which time May would be 75 years old.
May’s decision to stay on has drawn widespread criticism from within the party. Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, called the move a sign of May’s “unwillingness to let go.”
“She’s asking members to endorse her leadership now, only to maybe step down later — on her terms. That’s not a transition, that’s clinging to control when so many of us are urging her to leave now” Tyrrell said in a public statement. “It’s time for Elizabeth May to step aside. She should resign as leader and sit as an independent MP. It’s the only way Greens can move forward and grow beyond her shadow.”
Lawyer and activist Dimitri Lascaris added
The current government is a minority one and could fall unexpectedly. The new Green Party leader will need time to prepare for the next election. In these circumstances, it is irresponsible for May to delay her departure from the leadership. She should resign now and trigger an immediate leadership contest. Canadians have seen enough and have had enough of Elizabeth May. She has accomplished all that she can in politics, and what she has accomplished is precious little. For the good of @CanadianGreens, she should resign from the leadership now and she should not run again for a seat in Parliament.
Dimitri Lascaris
David Merner, a former Green Party of Canada leadership candidate from the party’s center-right faction said last week. “I completely agree that it’s time for Elizabeth May to retire,” he wrote in a public post. “She has served the GPC for 19 years. It’s time to celebrate her service and encourage her to open up space for the next generation of leaders.” Merner added that he will vote No in the leadership review and suggested Emily Lowan, a 24-year-old anti-capitalist climate activist currently running for BC Green leader, would be an excellent choice to lead the federal party forward.
May’s also confirmed that she is preparing to run again in her riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands — a decision that further complicates the transition process. Critics argue that her continued candidacy, combined with her influence over the Federal Council and leadership race timeline, will make it harder for the party to present a fresh face and a clear break from the past.
The 2025 election was a major setback for the federal Greens. The party posted its lowest vote share in 25 years, failed to run a full slate of candidates, and was excluded from the leaders’ debates. They now face $750,000 in debt and are down to just one MP — Elizabeth May herself. She used this debt as a reason to stay on promising to fundraise to “close the books”.
Despite the party’s poor financial statements and electoral losses, May has not taken responsibility. Instead, she is asking members to endorse her leadership in order to help stabilize the party’s finances and prepare for an eventual transition.
The vote on whether May should continue as leader is expected to be announced soon. For many Green members, it will serve as a referendum not just on May’s leadership, but on whether the party is ready to finally move forward with a new generation at the helm.
Ignoring the Will of the Members?
The leadership review — expected to take place in the coming weeks — offers members a rare opportunity to weigh in on the party’s direction. However, May’s email asks members to vote “Yes” to her continued leadership until a new leader is selected — with no firm date or timeline in sight.
Some see this as a way to influence the next leadership race and retain control over the party apparatus.
This is not the first time May has used her influence to steer the party’s direction, even after formally stepping down as leader. In 2019, she handed over the leadership reins but quickly became entangled in the race to select her successor. She publicly backed Annamie Paul — a candidate widely seen as a member of the party establishment — and played a central role in creating the factional dynamics that followed.
In the 2022 leadership race, Alex Tyrrell — who had publicly criticized May’s steadfast support for the war in Ukraine — was expelled from the leadership contest. In the 2020 leadership race May told the media she was pushing to have Dimitri Lascaris, who ended up finishing second in that race expelled for his pro-Palestinian positions.
“From Biggest Asset to Biggest Anchor”
As May rallies members for a “Yes” vote, critics argue that a true renewal will only be possible once she fully steps aside — not just from the title, but from the power.
May is a deeply religious person. She recently used her seat in parliament to promote a bizarre event in which her church held a ceremony to “bless” solar panels. Earlier this year on her birthday she posted an image to Facebook and claimed she was “born to make a difference”. With her latest commitment to running for a four year mandate in the 2029 election many are wondering if she intends to continue leading the party until her death.
“People should not assume she will step aside, May could literally lead the party into her 90s from a nursing home thanks to digital tools and the fact that MPs no longer have to physically attend Parliament in Ottawa. She used to be the party’s biggest asset in the 2000s and early 2010s but now she has become our biggest anchor. She appears to be incapable or unwilling to let the next generation take over and will drive this entire party into the ground. The only way for the party to survive May is for people to speak up, demand renewal and vote NO in the upcoming vote.”.
