Leading way for innovative, progressive policies
Green leader believes party can make significant leap in moment of social upheaval
Annamie Paul concedes that she’s an enigma to most Canadians, so let’s make the introductions: Paul is Canada’s newest federal party leader, the first Black and Jewish woman to be elected to such a position. A Princetoneducated, multilingual lawyer and political activist, she was selected to lead the Green party in October despite twice losing her bid for a Toronto seat (she hopes the third time will be the charm). But having to watch the past year’s political dramas from the sidelines has made her hungry for a voice.
What do you think of how the Liberals have been leading us through this crisis?
It’s important to remember that we have a minority government. The early response to the pandemic was the strongest part because it was a crossparty, full Parliament response and things got done quickly. As we’ve gone along, there has been less co-operation. I haven’t received a briefing from the prime minister, and neither have the Opposition leaders, for months now. We get our news from the media like everyone else.
The Liberals have staked their future on a green economy, one of your party’s core platforms. If you were in charge, what would you implement?
The government has announced the intent to spend $100 billion on stimulating the economy post pandemic. I think the final figure will need to be significantly higher given the economic numbers we’re seeing, but whatever the amount, that money should be spent on a green recovery because it holds the most promise for creating both short-term and long-term jobs. That includes deep retrofits of our buildings, green infrastructure such as coast-to-coast, zero-emission vehicle charging stations, a national electricity grid that runs on 100 per cent renewable energy, increased public transportation and deeper investments in renewable energies.
In other words, megaprojects. Given the debt the government has piled on, how do we pay for that?
Well, the government has already committed to spending to stimulate our economy. Every major economy has plans in place to spend unprecedented amounts on post-pandemic stimulus. That will require investing in large-scale projects.
People like Mark Carney have said that the transition to a green economy is the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes, and possibly since the
Industrial Revolution. There is no question whether we will spend the money. The question is how we can spend it responsibly so we can eventually pay it back.
Under Trudeau, the Liberals have tilted strongly to the left. Does that leave enough room for the NDP and the Greens to present real alternatives?
We’re certainly not seeking to differentiate ourselves from anyone. We’re doing what we’ve always done, which is proposing more innovative, progressive policies. When I ran in 2019, we spoke about a guaranteed livable income and we were alone.
When we spoke about drug decriminalization and a safe supply, we were alone in promoting both. When we talk about universal post-secondary education, we’re alone in that. This is a space the Green party has always occupied. Even if every single one of our policies is co-opted, politics will always need a party that proposes — a party of proposition rather than just opposition. Especially at this moment, when we face extraordinary challenges and opportunities, you need an ideas factory.
Your description makes it seem as if you believe the Green party is destined to be an outlier, offering ideas from outside.
Absolutely not. I’ve lived in countries where Green parties formed governments. There’s no reason the Green Party of Canada can’t do the same. I don’t think (the late NDP leader) Jack Layton imagined when he started at the federal level that within a short time he would end up as leader of the official opposition, and in the subsequent election would be seeking to form the government. Countries arrive at moments that are so transformative and disruptive that people are ready to choose something new.
Green parties have made significant leaps forward at times of shocks to social or political systems. I believe this is one of those moments. We saw that in the Toronto Centre byelection. We started from under seven per cent and within three weeks we captured 33 per cent of the vote. Many of these people had never voted Green before.
You have yet to develop much of a public profile. How and why did you get involved in public policy and politics?
It’s true, I’m an unknown entity. My mom was an elementary school teacher and a union member, and when she went out to strikes, she always took us kids along. Even in elementary school, I was very curious about politics. As a12-year-old, I worked as a page in the Ontario legislature and then as a student at the University of Ottawa I was accepted into the page program for the Senate. There’s nothing quite like seeing public policy done up close.
What inspired you to enter politics?
If there was one issue, it was climate. The work I did previously (with environmental non-profits and EU public-policy agencies) made me realize that if government did not lead, we could not tackle the climate emergency. When Elizabeth May said she was stepping down, I also thought it could be exciting to finally have a woman of colour in this role.
You aim to run in Toronto Centre again in the next election. It’s a very diverse riding that spans the financial core, cultural hubs, and some of the poorest and richest neighbourhoods. How do you speak to such wide-ranging interests?
It is a very civic-minded riding. If there is a way for neighbours to help each other, they have figured it out, whether through food banks or foodsharing programs, helping housebound seniors. It’s also the centre of the opioid epidemic. Over a third of the people live below the poverty level. This community needs someone who will represent it as their first priority as opposed to representing their party. I was born there, it’s where my mom and my grandma started, so it’s a community I’m very committed to.
February is Black History Month. Do you think the attention on the Black Lives Matter movement last year will produce lasting change?
It’s too bad the Black History Month is the shortest month of the year! But it’s an excellent
question. Every time there is a resurgence of awareness around anti-Black racism, I feel hopeful. But we’ve been here before. Ottawa’s Bill C-22 reforms do not go nearly far enough. The bill does not solve the issue of the extreme overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous peoples in our criminal justice system. It doesn’t do anything to address the fact that our communities are profoundly over-policed and far more likely to be arrested and charged for the same crimes than white or other racialized
groups. We have to implement the mountain of recommendations that exists for truly dismantling systemic racism, and that means expanding access to employment, education, housing and senior roles. Why do we not have more Black students in our professional programs?
Why are there not more Black people in senior civil service and politics roles? Unless we craft solutions for those things, it’s half measures and we will end up back where we started.