Green Party Member Downplays Turnout Concerns, Urges Focus on Election

As questions persist over the Green Party of Canada’s refusal to disclose voter turnout in its recent co-leadership ratification vote, longtime party member Ian Thomas Shaw has reiterated that turnout is irrelevant, arguing that members should instead direct their energy toward the next federal election.

Despite the high approval percentages, the absence of turnout figures has fueled speculation that participation was extremely low. Critics argue that the vote, conducted without competition, was merely a formality to confirm an arrangement already decided behind closed doors.

Shaw remains unfazed by these concerns.

He also suggested that internal reform within the party should take a backseat for now. “There will be time enough after the election to return to the effort to repair democracy within the GPC and address all the concerns of its members,” he argued, maintaining that the party must first focus on attracting disillusioned Liberal and NDP voters before dealing with its internal divisions.

Still, skepticism remains. In the 2020 Green leadership race, 24,000 members cast votes. By 2022, as party membership plummeted, only around 8,000 participated. With Pedneault confirmed through a one-man ratification vote, many are left wondering just how few members actually took part this time.

For a party that prides itself on grassroots democracy, refusing to disclose turnout only adds to concerns about declining engagement. While party insiders push to move past internal debate, unanswered questions about legitimacy could make election messaging even harder to sell to voters.