Charlottetown, PEI – Longtime Green Party of Canada candidate and former ally of Elizabeth May, Darcie Lanthier, is calling for a clean and democratic leadership race in the wake of the party’s devastating 2025 election results.
In a Facebook comment in the “Green Party of Canada Supporters” group, Lanthier wrote:
“We need a leadership race where the current leader is not putting her thumb on the scales because that hasn’t worked for us at all.”
Darcie Lanthier
The remark was made in response to growing internal criticism of May’s continued dominance over the party’s internal processes. Though she claims to support grassroots democracy, May has been accused of rigging leadership processes and hand-picking successors—including the now-resigned Jonathan Pedneault, whose short and chaotic tenure ended two days after the party’s worst result in over two decades.
The comment reflects a wider reckoning within the party as members begin to speak openly about May’s influence. Lanthier, who has run multiple times for the Greens in PEI and was previously aligned with May, now joins a growing chorus of members and candidates calling for a new democratic process—one not dominated by May’s political preferences.
Lanthier’s comment is especially significant given her long-standing involvement in the party. For years, she worked closely with the national leadership and was viewed as a reliable voice from Atlantic Canada. Her public break from May’s leadership approach marks a critical shift.
The demand for a fair race comes amid renewed scrutiny over the party’s failure to meet the minimum 90% candidate threshold required for debate participation, a collapse in national support to just 1.2%, and May’s apparent return to sole leadership without a formal vote.
Many now see an open leadership contest as the only way forward to restore credibility, rebuild grassroots engagement, and define the next generation of Green leadership—one not bound by the legacy of Elizabeth May.
