Canada's Green Party Suicide Mission

Elizabeth May, Green Party leader for 13 years and member of federal council.

The Green Party of Canada should be re-named Personal Property Party, because it is now clear why it harassed Annamie Paul, the last leader. She made changes that were good for the Party, but were going to be detrimental to men and women who feel they own it.

The Party recently announced in July ‘22 that the new leader will be under continual review by the federal council. The review is important to the council because it regards the Green Party of Canada as personal property, which should be run in accordance with the wishes of founding fathers. It has both founding fathers and mothers.

Annamie Paul was aware of that when she was leader, so she compromised. She understood how privilege worked, but that was not enough. Like any new manager, Annamie Paul faced entrenched traditions, allegiances and other currents that are not enshrined in any policy document.

Three Options

New managers have three choices. Do nothing. Don’t rock the boat and enjoy the rewards of being a good sport. Second choice, re-arrange the furniture a bit and get half-applause because the furniture belongs to someone or a group.

Third choice is, throw out cumbersome furniture and buy folding chairs and tables that can be used in many locations including in the garden. The coffeemaker, which sits on a large table can also go because everybody buys the brew from the coffee shop down the road.

Very few new managers opt for the third choice because like new kids in a new school, they want to be liked. That’s why they opt for the second choice. We therefore assume Annamie Paul went for the second choice, rearrange the furniture.

We assume that she did not do this willy-nilly, but consulted something tangible like the Green Party Constitution and other policy documents. That was not enough. She must have stumbled upon something that made the founding fathers and mothers not to fund her federal election in 2021. It was a shame to the Party, but a victory for the founding council. They showed her who was in charge.

She was lucky. Stakes are very high in politics. Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan died this week after being shot in public. Drug warlords also murder each other in gruesome ways, because of those high stakes, usually money.

What is it that the federal council wants to preserve to the extent of making leaders yes-men or yes-women? Whatever it is, Canadians will never know, but they can form a new party to fight the Personal Property Green Party of Canada.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.