(Ottawa) Elizabeth May says she never threatened to quit the Green Party and claims an email leading her to believe was just a misinterpretation by a well-meaning staffer.
Posted at 6:59 p.m.
An internal email from an employee in MP Mike Morrice’s office, which was obtained by The Canadian Press, claimed that Mr. Morrice and Mr.me May were prepared to leave the ranks of the party and sit as independents in the event of a suspension of the leadership race.
The party’s federal council considered a pause in the leadership race and the closure of an office in Ottawa as it faced high-profile resignations and internal unrest.
The email sent last Friday to senior officials claimed that either decision would cause “irreversible damage”.
Mme May, the former party leader and only other sitting MP, said in an interview that she remains very dedicated to the party.
“I have never threatened to quit the Green Party of Canada. Never,” she said.
Mme May admitted it was clear the transition since stepping down in November 2019 had not been smooth. She is running for the current leadership race as a duo with Jonathan Pedneault.
She described the email as a “misinterpretation of a well-meaning attempt by a staff member working with Mike [Morrice] “.
“I would never threaten to quit the party, ever, and I think the staffer in question made it clear that was not what she was saying either,” she said.
Mr Morrice also said in a statement earlier this week that he had no plans to leave the Greens.
Anna Keenan and Chad Walcott, who are also running jointly for the leadership of the party, said they were satisfied with the decision of the federal council to let the race continue.
“We want to be able to focus our energy on the external issues that matter to Canadians,” they said in a statement posted on their website. To do this, and to end the cycle of endless controversy, our party must get its house in order. »
A party spokesperson said discussions were ongoing and officials were trying to resolve the situation internally. An official statement is expected in the coming days.
This latest public controversy comes after Mr Morrice and four of the six leadership candidates issued a joint statement condemning the use of wrong first names to refer to interim leader Amita Kuttner – who is transgender and non-binary – during a Party Zoom event.
Party leader Lorraine Rekmans apologized on behalf of the Greens. Amita Kuttner said in a statement that Ms.me Rekmans herself had not misinterpreted them and said she welcomed her apologies presented without delay.
At the end of last week, party leader Lorraine Rekmans resigned from her post. In her resignation letter, she explained to the members that “there was no vision for a better future”. She said she was resigning on principle, having lost confidence in the party’s federal council and leadership candidates.
Mme Rekmans said she was kicked out and charged with causing harm.
She wrote that she had been marginalized, insulted and belittled by leadership candidates and saw no way to continue as president.
The Greens launched the leadership race this summer to find someone to succeed Annamie Paul, who stepped down after a disappointing performance in the 2021 election.