Thank you Elizabeth: A “giant” of a Parliamentarian

Today, Elizabeth May leaves an incredible legacy as leader of the Green Party of Canada.

Over her tenure, Canadians elected our first 19 Green representatives federally and provincially - including her own election as Canada’s first Green Member of Parliament in 2011. In the most recent election, 90% more people voted Green than in 2015, and two more Green MPs - in Nanaimo and Fredericton - won their seats as well.

Along the way, Elizabeth has been a champion for her community, for fiscal transparency, and of course, for science-based action on climate change.

To me though, Elizabeth’s legacy is as much about what she did, as how she did it: with a focus on serving first of all as a Parliamentarian, in service to her community - rather than as a partisan, in service to her party. 

This is why I think she’s been able to earn the trust of so many Canadians, and it’s a big part of why I chose to run as a Green Candidate in the most recent election.

So, Elizabeth, thank you: for raising the bar on the behaviour we should expect of all our elected officials: in place of heckling and mudslinging, treating others with respect (even when, and particularly so, in disagreement). For consistently putting what serves your community first, and always trying to find common ground. Because if we’re going to make progress on the most complex and significant challenges we face - from the affordability of housing to improved mental health care - we must have elected representatives truly focused on our shared priorities in place of divisive politics.

Now over the course of the day, many have asked about my own intentions to seek election as the next Green Party Leader. I’m of course flattered. My honest answer: for my part, while the 2019 election is over, the work of the campaign is still wrapping up. My immediate focus is finishing calls to the hundreds of people who donated to our campaign to say thank you. I’m still feeling inspired, and continue to be motivated by the energy we created by joining together, turning down the partisanship, and finding common ground on our community’s top priorities these past ten months. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be reflecting on how I can continue to contribute, and I’ll be sure to share more when the time comes.

For now, I’d like to return to reflecting on Elizabeth’s legacy in Ottawa, and sharing my thanks for the trail she blazed for so many others to follow.

In the words of a late Liberal MP, Arnold Chan, speaking of Elizabeth in his final speech in the House of Commons in 2017:

“This parliamentarian...I consider to be a giant... She is dedicated to her constituents. She practices, both here and in committee, the highest standard of practice that any parliamentarian could ask for.”

Here, here. Thank you, Elizabeth.