In a lengthy press conference this week, Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade threats against Canada and his disregard for international law—but her silence on other major issues was deafening.
Speaking from her riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands, May criticized Trump’s push for retaliatory tariffs, called for the implementation of Canada’s digital services tax, and floated a Green Party policy to establish a national potash reserve. But despite referencing Trump over two dozen times, she made no mention of the U.S. role in arming Israel or Trump’s call for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on the military—a massive militarization demand that threatens both global peace and Canada’s public finances.
“She made an entire speech about Trump without once mentioning Gaza, Palestine, or NATO,” said Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec. “It’s a revealing glimpse into May’s priorities—and her comfort with the pro-war status quo.”
A Deafening Silence on Gaza
While May’s co-leader Jonathan Pedneault has at times used the word genocide to describe Israel’s war in Gaza, May has largely avoided condemning Israel in strong terms. That pattern continued in this press conference: no mention of Palestine, no call for sanctions, no acknowledgment of the humanitarian crisis that has shocked millions of Canadians.
This omission comes despite Trump’s well-documented role in accelerating Israeli apartheid policies:
- Calling for the ethnic clensing of the Gaza strip and enabeling genocide
- Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in 2018,
- Recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights,
- Cutting U.S. aid to Palestinian refugees,
- And backing Israeli settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank.
For a party that claims to champion human rights and international justice, such silence is difficult to justify.
No Rebuttal to Trump’s NATO Spending Demand
May also failed to condemn Trump’s infamous call for NATO countries to increase military spending to 5% of GDP—a reckless demand that would:
- Multiply Canada’s military budget nearly fourfold to reach over 25% of federal spending
- Drain funds from health care, housing, and climate programs,
- And further entrench Canada in U.S.-led global conflicts.
This is not a fringe concern. Trump made the 5% demand explicit during his presidency and has reiterated it as part of his 2024 campaign platform. Yet May offered no opposition. Nor did she challenge Canada’s existing 2% target under NATO pressure, something that peace advocates, including many Greens, view as incompatible with climate justice and disarmament.
A Sharp Contrast with Grassroots Greens
This rhetorical gap places May increasingly at odds with the party’s activist base. Across Canada, many Green Party members have called for:
- Economic sanctions on Israel,
- Withdrawing from NATO,
- And defunding militarism in favour of climate action and social equity.
Even co-leader Jonathan Pedneault—despite his own contradictions—has acknowledged the crisis in Gaza, supported a bilateral arms embargo on Israel, and condemned NATO’s arbitrary spending targets. Yet May’s speech offered no such positions.
“We’re in a moment where being silent is being complicit,” said Tyrrell. “Elizabeth May has a national platform to call out U.S. militarism and Israel’s genocide. Instead, she stuck to safe talking points and avoided the issues that matter most to peace activists and oppressed people around the world.”
Conclusion: What Kind of Opposition?
As Canada’s political landscape shifts rightward, the Green Party has a unique opportunity to be the loudest voice for peace, justice, and global solidarity. But Elizabeth May’s continued reluctance to challenge U.S. imperialism, support for Israel, or NATO’s military demands raises the question:
Is she prepared to lead that fight—or is she standing in the way?
