rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog

Angry Greens call for Elizabeth May’s resignation

By Murray Dobbin

Stephane Dion may not be the only leader under pressure to resign as a result of the election. The knives seem to be out for Elizabeth May over her toying with the idea of strategic voting. In the last weeks of the campaign May suggested three times that defeating Harper was more important than winning votes or seats - and then reversed herself each time. A new web site - www.emaygoaway.ca http://www.emaygoaway.ca/ has been set up calling on her to resign. The site includes a letter allegedly written by May’s daughter Victoria Cate, just days before the election, to candidates in ‘swing ridings’ encouraging strategic voting.

Under “Who we are” the site’s founders say:

“We are a group of Green party members, old and new, who believe that the Green Party of Canada needs new leadership. We hope that Elizabeth May will do the honourable thing and resign as the leader of a party. We are candidates and campaign managers, EDA members and executive who believe that the Elizabeth May has hurt the Green party, its candidates, members and supporters. The 2008 federal election results have harmed the Green party of Canada and this limits its ability to plan for future elections. We also believe that strategic voting is an affront to democracy and does nothing to advance a progressive agenda for Canada or the environment.”

The home page features this statement:

“The Green party of Canada needs new leadership

It has been reported that Elizabeth May endorsed the leader of the Liberal party of Canada for Prime Minister. In the dying days of the 2008 election campaign, it was repeatedly reported that she advocated that Canadians not vote for Green party candidates and instead, vote for New Democrat and Liberal candidates where they could defeat Conservatives.

The damage is done. In the last few days of the campaign, after her public musings about strategic voting, Green party national and regional poll numbers dropped dramatically. In fact, if all of the drop can be attributed to votes switching based on media reports of Elizabeth May advocating strategic voting, the national Green party lost nearly $1 million in annual funding.

Elizabeth May’s comments seem to have caused great harm to Green party campaigns across the country. Candidates, their family, friends and supporters say they were hurt, personally and politically, by her reported advocacy of candidates from other political parties.

Not only did this campaign to elect Liberals and New Democrats cost the Green Party votes, it seems to have cost local campaigns enough of the vote to get the federal rebate so that they could plan for the future.

The Green party needs a leader who supports the Green party over other political parties. Reports clearly indicate that Elizabeth May used her leadership of the Green party to support other parties. Elizabeth May must resign. If she does not, it is incumbent on every Green party member across Canada to ask for new leadership.

This is our political party. We must demand leadership that supports our party. We must act now to ensure that our party has new leadership before the next federal election.”