(North Rustico) Peter Bevan-Baker announced Saturday that he is stepping down as leader of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island.
During the party’s annual convention in North Rustico, Mr. Bevan-Baker indicated that he would retain his position as Member of Parliament for New Haven-Rocky Point in the provincial legislature. He added that he remained leader of the party until a successor was elected.
Mr. Bevan-Baker was re-elected in the April 3 provincial election, but his party lost six of the eight seats it held. The Greens no longer form the official opposition in favor of the Liberals. The Progressive Conservatives won hands down.
The 61-year-old dentist found himself in the national spotlight in 2019 when the Greens formed the Official Opposition on Prince Edward Island and achieved the best election result of a green party in Canada.
“This is not Peter Bevan-Baker’s party,” he said in his resignation speech to party delegates. According to him, if the greens want to succeed, it must be worn by more than one person.
Despite its decline in the last election, the Greens obtained nearly 22% of the votes cast, far behind the Progressive Conservatives (nearly 56%), but ahead of the Liberals (17.2%).