With 1 candidate on the ballot, federal Green Party chooses its next leader
In any other party, Mike Morrice would be acclaimed as leader. But the Green Party of Canada prides itself on doing things differently than the political mainstream.
Mike Morrice almost certain to be next Green leader
David Thurton · CBC News
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In any other party, Mike Morrice would be acclaimed. End of story.
But the Green Party of Canada prides itself on doing things differently than the political mainstream.
So it should come as no surprise that even though Morrice is the only leadership candidate on the ballot, Green Party members still get to have their say.
On Saturday evening, the federal Greens will announce their next leader. Party members vote using a ranked ballot, including the option none of the above.
"As someone running, it is important to me that I do have a mandate for members. And we'll see what that mandate looks like," Morrice said.
Former MP Mike Morrice only Green Party of Canada leadership candidate after Nira Dookeran withdraws
Noting participatory democracy is one of the founding values of the party, he suggested it would be difficult for the party not to proceed with the vote.
"I think it reflects on a political party that does lead with its values, which is what attracted me to the Greens in the first place," Morrice said.
2nd candidate dropped out
Outgoing leader Elizabeth May announced after the 2025 federal election that she would be stepping down, while staying on as the party's sole member of Parliament.
The search to find a new leader began officially in June. The second candidate in the race, Nira Dookeran of Ottawa, dropped out in September.
In a statement, Dookeran said she made the decision "for personal and family reasons" and "after much soul-searching."
Morrice was elected to Parliament in 2021. The one-term MP for the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre lost his seat last year to a Conservative by a narrow margin of 358 votes.
Soon after the defeat, Morrice was named deputy leader of the party and declared the next Green candidate for Kitchener Centre.
Notably spending more time in places where the Greens are the strongest, Morrice said he has travelled to meet members across the country from Nanaimo, B.C., to Charlottetown.
"I've enjoyed having the chance to connect with Greens, to talk about both the challenges we faced as a party, but also get their ideas on the path forward," Morrice said.
WATCH | Mike Morrice launches his leadership bid:
Mike Morrice joins the race for party leadership
August 5|
Duration
3:23
Former Green MP, Mike Morrice announced Wednesday he's one of two candidates running for the Green Party of Canada's leadership role. Morrice will run against Ottawa's Nira Dookeran. Morrice spoke with CBC K-W's John Dalusong about why he's making the move now.Éric Grenier, a polling analyst and publisher of The Writ, said if an election was called today Morrice would be a competitive candidate, along with May, the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands for the last 15 years.
"But apart from that, the Greens aren't really in a strong position anywhere," Grenier said.
He called it a missed opportunity for Greens not to have a leadership race with other candidates.
"Certainly a contested race with some a number of quality candidates would have been a better outcome for everybody involved," Grenier said. "It's helpful for engaging members. It's helpful for raising money. It's helpful for getting media attention."
The Greens endured one of their worst defeats in the April 2025 election.
For the first time in 25 years, the party's national vote share dropped below two per cent. The party's co-leader, Jonathan Pedneault, failed to secure a seat and resigned.
May was first elected Green Party leader in 2006 and stepped down in 2019. May returned to lead the party in 2022, following the resignation Annamie Paul.
She said on Thursday that she plans to hand over leadership of the party this month.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Thurton is a senior reporter in CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. He covers daily politics in the nation’s capital and specializes in environment and energy policy. Born in Canada but raised in Trinidad and Tobago, he’s moved around more times than he can count. He’s worked for CBC in several provinces and territories, including Alberta and the Northwest Territories. He can be reached at david.thurton@cbc.ca
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