In the wake of Jonathan Pedneault’s resignation and the Green Party of Canada’s electoral collapse, longtime eco-socialist and former Green leadership contender Dimitri Lascaris has issued a scathing rebuke of Elizabeth May’s continued grip over the party.
In a statement shared on X, Lascaris wrote:
“Every time Green Party leader-for-life @ElizabethMay tries to anoint a successor, it results in disaster.
Maybe the leader-for-life should stop interfering in decisions about who will succeed her when her interminable leadership mercifully comes to an end.”
Lascaris, who placed second in the 2020 leadership race, has long warned of May’s outsized influence over the party. His remarks highlight a growing frustration among grassroots Greens who believe May’s repeated return to the helm — despite promises to step aside — has alienated progressive members, stifled internal democracy, and ultimately led to the party’s political irrelevance.
From Queenmaker to Party Breaker?
May played a direct role in appointing Jonathan Pedneault as her co-leader in 2022, a move many saw as undemocratic. Pedneault had never run for office, had little connection to party members, and advanced a hawkish foreign policy platform that broke from the party’s long-standing anti-war tradition.
The 2025 election results speak for themselves:
• A record low 1.2% of the national vote
• The loss of Mike Morrice’s seat in Kitchener Centre
• No breakthrough in any new ridings
• A half-empty slate of candidates
• Zero growth among youth or activist bases
Despite this, May held a celebratory-style press conference on election night and claimed Liberal leader Mark Carney personally called to congratulate her — a moment widely mocked as delusional by party critics.
A Pattern of Controlled Succession
Lascaris’ critique points to a recurring pattern: May’s handpicked successors crash and burn. From Annamie Paul, whose leadership ended in turmoil and division, to Pedneault, who resigned after less than two years and a disastrous election, the outcomes are consistent. Yet May remains — unchallenged, unelected by members since 2006, and still speaking as the party’s unquestioned authority.
Is It Time for the Greens to Move On?
Lascaris’ comments echo growing calls from within the Green movement for a full reset — one that includes May stepping aside entirely, relinquishing control over communications, leadership succession, and policy direction.
With Pedneault gone, Paul Manly defeated, and grassroots organizers demoralized, the question remains:
Can the Greens become a democratic, progressive force again — or will they remain a one-woman show until it’s too late?
