Former Green Party leader Elizabeth May made a stop in Kamloops on Oct. 15, six days before the federal election (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

ELIZABETH MAY RESIGNATION

Recent local Green candidate says race for new leader may bring more support to party

Nov 4, 2019 | 5:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — Elizabeth May’s resignation on Monday doesn’t come as a surprise to the recent Green Party candidate in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, who says it may help attract more positive attention to the party.

Iain Currie finished fourth in the riding in last month’s federal election but says the party has some momentum after increasing its seat count in Ottawa on election night. With the search for a new leader, it’s an opportunity to expand the party’s base.

“I think expanding out, having some interest in what’s happening, and also I think we’re going to generate a lot of excitement because people see that the Green Party, not new, but we certainly are newer to this level of attention on the national front, so attracting some fresh ideas and some new faces is going to be just a good thing for the party,” said Currie, who has just returned to work as a lawyer.

Currie met May during her visit to Kamloops in the final week of the campaign. He says May helped to elevate the profile of the party, starting with her first win in 2011 to the point where the Greens were part of the national leaders’ debates.

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“She has been the face, she’s been the only MP for a long time, and the Green Party is much more than Elizabeth May. But in the public’s eyes, she has been it for us. She’s been an excellent leader, and when she won her seat in 2011, it did put us on the map,” noted Currie.

With the Greens’ principles of participatory democracy, Currie anticipates there will be unexpected candidates running for the leadership race.