Lost byelections, Annamie Paul’s invisible leadership, porous polling and parliamentary defections have sent the Greens crashing into crisis and rapid decline.
Replacing May was never going to be easy but Paul is not even close to taking the former leader’s place in the national consciousness.
As of June 10, May’s profile still features a photo of former Green MP Jenica Atwin who made recent headlines, dramatically crossing the virtual floor of Zoom to the reigning Liberal Party.
If pro-Israel stances were what drove Atwin to leave the Green party, it definitely wasn’t an impediment to joining the Grits as her new party’s leadership remains staunchly pro-Israel.
In the election itself, the party expanded its geographic distribution with Atwin’s victory in New Brunswick, briefly making it a party from sea to sea.
Atwin’s 2019 victory in her Fredericton riding was close and did not indicate the Green party made a permanent impression in New Brunswick.
By comparison, Singh passed his first test with flying colours in Burnaby South’s 2019 byelection, comfortably winning a riding that had been competitive in previous elections.
The Green party started being treated as a serious political entity in 2019 by the Canadian media, being given a place in televised national leaders’ debates, giving it a veneer of credibility despite its tiny parliamentary presence.
For now however, with one of their few MPs joining the Liberals, decline in the polls and a seatless leader with no real following, the future looks grim for the Green Party of Canada.