New Green party leader deserves seat in Parliament
Each of us has participated in the Canadian political arena in various ways. We have done so as partisans — committed to and working with our respective political parties. We believe strongly in the party structure of our political system and would never take steps that would undermine its operations. Nor would we do anything to betray our political allegiances.
That said, there are rare occasions that should supersede partisanship, where it’s appropriate to step out of the armour of our party loyalties to contribute to an important collective mission.
We believe that the upcoming byelection in Toronto Centre is such a moment. The seat became vacant with the resignation of Bill Morneau, until recently Canada’s minister of finance. Our respective national parties have nominated good candidates, each of whom, under normal circumstances, would deserve our respect and partisan support.
But the riding is also being contested by the newly elected leader of the Green Party of Canada, Annamie Paul. By any measure, this accomplished candidate is an outstanding new presence on the landscape of Canadian politics. Importantly, as the leader of an emerging and legitimate national political party, we believe she should hold a seat in the House of Commons as soon as possible. We believe that to be true despite our commitments to our respective parties.
There was a time when Canadian politics was somewhat more cordial — when other parties would stand aside to allow a new party leader to take a seat in the Parliament. They would simply not nominate a candidate to oppose a new party leader who was without a seat in the Commons.
Often, a sitting member of the new leader’s party would resign and the new leader would be elected “unopposed” in the riding. At other times, another party would simply not run a candidate.
The most recent example was in the 2019 Burnaby, B.C., byelection when the Green party decided not to run a candidate against Jagmeet Singh so it might be easier for the new NDP leader to enter the House of Commons. Singh won his seat and was able to apply his leadership talents in service of his values and priorities from the appropriate forum.
But that cannot be the case in Toronto Centre on Oct. 26. Liberal and Conservative candidates were already nominated when Paul won the Green party convention. We are also reminded that Paul was a Green party candidate in Toronto Centre in the last election, and though she was unsuccessful, this talented choice is not a parachute landing on assured safe ground.
To be clear, this is not about advocating for Green party policies. Each of our parties might find agreement with some of their aims and strong disagreement with others. But independent of our respective party platforms, the national dialogue will only improve by adding the voice of a new national leader to the debates in our national legislature.
And what a voice. Paul is a multilingual first-generation Canadian born of parents who had emigrated from the Caribbean. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and Princeton University with notable international experience as a human rights lawyer; and she is the Jewish mother of two sons, 20 and 16. Importantly, she is the first Black woman to lead a national party in Canada. Her stunning campaign won the support of her party and has caught the attention of the Canadian public.
Our hope is that Liberal, Conservative and NDP voters consider joining in with unaffiliated voters in Toronto Centre to elect Paul on Oct. 26. It would be a notable moment in our political life, an opportunity to go beyond what comes “natural.” And with no disrespect or disloyalty to each of our own parties, we hope that Toronto Centre voters seriously consider Paul as both good for their riding and good for political discourse in Canada.
Independent of our respective party platforms, the national dialogue will only improve by adding the voice of a new national leader