As internal tensions continue within the Green Party of Canada (GPC), former leadership candidate Sarah Gabriel Baron from Ontario is challenging the party’s claims about its leadership structure, arguing that Elizabeth May’s justification for the recent co-leadership process is misleading and undemocratic.

Baron, who finished in last place with just 3.6% of the vote in the 2022 GPC leadership race, is now openly questioning the party’s latest leadership maneuvers. Despite her poor electoral showing, her criticisms reflect growing unease among Green members about the lack of transparency and democratic legitimacy in Jonathan Pedneault’s return to co-leadership.

May’s Misleading Comparison to the UK Green Party

Baron took issue with May’s assertion in a recent press conference that the party is following the UK Green Party’s co-leadership model. In a pointed statement, she outlined key differences, stating:

“In the press conference, Elizabeth said we chose the UK Greens model of leadership… Well, their model includes:

  • Leadership elections every two years.
  • A single salary that is shared in the case of two leaders.
  • TWO recall mechanisms with realistic thresholds.
  • Forbidding people from applying for leader unless they’ve been a member for three (3) years.

So, we have definitely NOT followed the UK model.”

Her remarks reinforce accusations that the Green Party’s leadership has been misleading members about how the co-leadership system is being implemented—a claim that has been further fueled by concerns over Pedneault’s backroom appointment without an election.

Concerns Over the Legitimacy of Pedneault’s Appointment

Baron is also raising alarm over the questionable process through which Jonathan Pedneault is being reinstated as co-leader without an election. While party members were sent a ballot to approve a constitutional change allowing co-leadership, Baron argues that:

“Members have been sent a ballot that asks us to approve an illegible constitutional change, and then appoint (not elect) a new leader in a way that isn’t allowable given the new constitutional change.”

This echoes concerns raised by a former Federal Council representative, who accused the party’s leadership of circumventing the democratic processby forcing through Pedneault’s return without a membership vote.

The situation has also drawn criticism from former candidate Vince Fiorito, who described the party under May as an “Elizabeth May autocracy,”and Saskatchewan Green leader Naomi Hunter, who urged the party to refocus on election readiness rather than internal power struggles.

A Growing Crisis in Green Party Democracy

This latest controversy adds to a widening crisis within the Green Party, which has faced a series of democratic breakdowns under May’s leadership, including:

May’s influence over candidate approvals, despite her claims that she does not control the nomination process.

The Federal Council’s decision to bypass a leadership race in favor of directly appointing Pedneault.

May’s shift toward NATO-aligned foreign policy, which has distanced the party from its traditional stance on peace and non-violence.

Her recent attempt to pressure U.S. Green Party candidate Jill Stein to withdraw from the presidential race over her foreign policy views.

With membership growing increasingly frustratedand former leadership candidates speaking out, the Green Party faces serious credibility challengesas it heads into a likely 2025 federal election.

The key question remains: Will party members tolerate these undemocratic maneuvers, or will they demand a leadership process that truly reflects the values of grassroots democracy?

Global Green News

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