The Green Party of Canada has launched an ad campaign using the image of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, falsely attributing him a quote encouraging people to run as Green Party candidates. The ad, which appears to be a paid promotion on social media, features the well-known meme of Sanders in a winter coat with the text:
“I am once again asking for you to be your community’s champion by running as a Green Party candidate for the 2025 election.”
The problem? Bernie Sanders never said this—nor has he ever endorsed the Canadian Green Party, or even the U.S. Green Party.
Misleading Voter Outreach
The Green Party’s caption for the post urges people to “Run with the only woman-led party in Canada,” despite having officially ratified co-leadership with Jonathan Pedneault just last week. The ad raises serious ethical questions about the party’s outreach strategies and whether they are willing to misrepresent public figures to boost recruitment efforts.
This is not the first time Sanders’ image has been used in misleading ways by Greens in Canada. The Green Party of Ontario has also appropriated his persona in past fundraising campaigns, despite Sanders being an independent senator from Vermont loosely affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party which he nearly represented in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
A Pattern of Questionable Messaging
The Green Party’s decision to misattribute a quote to Sanders follows a series of controversies surrounding their leadership and communication strategies. Just last week, the party faced criticism for omitting co-leader Jonathan Pedneault from their own promotional materials—despite heavily emphasizing shared leadership in public statements. Read more on Pedneault’s erasure from Green Party promotions here.
This latest blunder comes after the Green Party faced backlash for initially refusing to disclose voter turnout numbers for the co-leadership ratification vote, eventually releasing them only after public scrutiny. Full story on low voter turnout here.
By using Sanders’ image without consent, the Green Party risks alienating voters who expect honesty and transparency in political messaging. The question remains—what were they thinking? And more importantly, will Sanders’ team take issue with this unauthorized use of his likeness?
**A previous version of this article erroneously referred to Bernie Sanders as being a lifelong Democrat
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