Back in February, Charlottetown was told it was going to play host to its first-ever leadership convention for a national political party.
The successor to federal Green Leader Elizabeth May was to be announced at the Delta Prince Edward in the fall. Then the global coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic hit and the in-person convention had to be cancelled.
"We had expected to host all of these candidates here in person along with 800 of my closest friends,” Darcie Lanthier, a former federal candidate for the party, told the Guardian on Friday.
"That part is really disappointing. You plan a great big party and then you can't have it."
Despite this setback, the federal Green leadership contest has been ongoing, although it has received comparatively less attention than the current leadership contest of the federal Conservative Party.
In all, nine candidates, representing the west and east coasts, Quebec, Ontario and the Northwest Territories, are looking to succeed May, who has held the position since 2006 and was the party's first member of Parliament.
Lanthier is hoping to give Island party members a chance to meet almost all leadership candidates up close and virtually.
In August and September, she is hosting a series of physically distanced gatherings, with a hard cap limit of up to 50 as per public health guidelines, to let local party members have a chance to meet the leadership hopefuls in an informal setting.
"Greens want to get together, even in a distanced, safe way. It's been so long since we had a Green Drinks or any kind of social activity," Lanthier said.
The first gathering will take place Tuesday at 5 p.m. on the second floor of Founders Hall. Famous Peppers Fiamma will be available on the first floor for attendees to order food and drink.
The gathering will feature two leadership candidates, David Merner, a former Liberal candidate with a background working with B.C.’s Ministry of Attorney General, and Amita Kuttner, an astrophysicist who has served as the party’s critic for science and innovation. Both will be appearing via video link.
On the ballot
The following people are vying to be the Green Party of Canada's next leader:
- Annamie Paul
- David Merner
- Amita Kuttner
- Glen Murray
- Dimitri Lascaris
- Meryam Haddad
- Judy N Green
- Andrew West
- Courtney Howard
Another event on Aug. 18 will feature Toronto-based lawyer and entrepreneur Annamie Paul and Montreal-based class action lawyer and journalist Dimitri Lascaris.
A Sept. 1 event will feature Glen Murray, a former Winnipeg mayor and Ontario Liberal MLA, and Northwest Territory emergency room doctor Courtney Howard. The final event on Sept. 15 will feature Montreal-based refugee lawyer Meryam Haddad and Nova Scotia-based veteran Judy N. Green.
Ottawa-based lawyer Andrew West will not be appearing due to scheduling conflicts.
Lanthier said live-streamed debates have limited each candidate’s ability to present their experience and ideas.
“The cast of characters is so large," Lanthier said.
"I think this might be the only time for them that they're getting a bit of audience feedback because, really, they've been just on-screen in boxes."
A recent Atlantic debate, moderated by Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin and P.E.I. Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, saw more agreement than disagreements amongst the nine candidates.
When asked how to best transition the Atlantic region away from fossil fuels to a more environmentally friendly economy, six of nine candidates suggested adopting a basic income guarantee to help workers who will suffer job losses due to such a transition.
Other ideas included allowing municipalities to produce their own energy, reinvesting more into green technology research and development and investing in a national energy grid.
There has been ongoing debate about how best to make the party more inclusive and whether the party should move closer to the centre or the left.
The deadline to sign up as a party member is Sept. 3 with online voting taking place Sept. 26-Oct. 3. The new leader will be announced Oct. 3.
