Annamie Paul wins Green Party leadership

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Green party bleeding cash amid legal battles with Annamie Paul
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Jul 28, 2021 • 8 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Green Party leader Annamie Paul speaks as she unveils her new Toronto Centre campaign office in Toronto, July 22, 2021.
Green Party leader Annamie Paul speaks as she unveils her new Toronto Centre campaign office in Toronto, July 22, 2021. PHOTO BY CARLOS OSORIO /REUTERS
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OTTAWA — The Green party is poised to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal battles with leader Annamie Paul, worsening an already rough financial situation as a federal election nears.

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At a meeting of the Greens’ federal council Tuesday night, executives of the party said it spent about $100,000 on legal fees in July, with another $100,000 earmarked for legal expenditures in August, according to two party sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.


The past month saw Paul start an arbitration related to her employment contract and moves by party brass to oust her through a non-confidence vote and a membership suspension — both were halted by the independent arbitrator.

In response, several senior officials launched a legal challenge on behalf of the party against Paul that questioned the arbitrator’s decision, racking up further costs.

The pricey legal proceedings are tilting an already steep cash imbalance, with Douglas Tingey, president of the Green Party of Canada Fund, stating in a report earlier this month that the “current financial situation is not sustainable.”

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“Most of our legal expenditures relate to the legal proceeding initiated by the leader,” he said in an email Wednesday, referring to the arbitration and the court case. A small chunk of it also went toward negotiating Green employees’ first collective agreement, Tingey said.

The money woes prompted staff layoffs as well as cancelled funding for Paul’s Toronto Centre riding campaign, and come amid ongoing power struggles in a divided party.

Tingey told council members Tuesday the Greens would have about $300,000 in the bank if an election were called next month, compared to $1.9 million at the outset of the 2019 election and $3 million when the writ dropped in 2015, two sources said.


The relatively small sum does not account for $150,000 in wage subsidies that came into party coffers this week, nor does it take into account a potential campaign loan, he added.

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The cash crush comes despite a fundraising bump during Paul’s nearly 10-month tenure.

The party raised about $1.36 million in the first two quarters of 2021 compared to about $1.2 million in the same period a year earlier, according to Elections Canada filings.

Spending exceeded revenues since the fund’s board of directors was elected in February, according to Tingey’s report. Costs outpaced gross income by $105,000 in May and $103,000 in June, for example.

“This is due to financial decisions taken in 2019 and 2020, particularly the decision to retain staffing levels after the 2019 election,” he wrote.

MP Elizabeth May stepped down as party leader in November 2019 and named Jo-Ann Roberts as her interim successor. Paul won the leadership in October 2020.

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Staffing costs make up 70 per cent of the Greens’ budget, Tingey has said, with Paul’s compensation part of the costs. As a party employee with no seat in the House of Commons, she does not earn a publicly funded salary.

A motion was tabled at a federal council meeting on June 29 to hold back $250,000 previously earmarked for Paul’s campaign in Toronto Centre, as first reported by The Canadian Press based on four party sources.

The move to halt cash flow followed layoffs of about half of the Greens’ employees, including all of Paul’s office staff.

In February, Lloyd’s of London opted not to renew the Green Party of Canada Fund’s insurance policy. Tingey said the decision owed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the firm’s underwriting business rather than the party’s dire financial straits.

The fund continues to seek a new policy but has yet to find a provider, he said.
 

bob the dog

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“Most of our legal expenditures relate to the legal proceeding initiated by the leader,” he said in an email Wednesday, referring to the arbitration and the court case. A small chunk of it also went toward negotiating Green employees’ first collective agreement, Tingey said."

Green employees first collective agreement? Now that is a national priority.
 

taxslave

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“Most of our legal expenditures relate to the legal proceeding initiated by the leader,” he said in an email Wednesday, referring to the arbitration and the court case. A small chunk of it also went toward negotiating Green employees’ first collective agreement, Tingey said."

Green employees first collective agreement? Now that is a national priority.
It is good for socialist parties to have unionized staff. The BC NDPee have had their office staff go on strike before.
 

spaminator

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Two more key officials depart Green party amid staffing upheaval as election looms
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Christopher Reynolds
Publishing date:Aug 09, 2021 • 8 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Green Party leader Annamie Paul attends a vigil organized after four members of a Muslim family were killed in what police describe as a hate-motivated attack at a mosque in London, Ont., June 8, 2021.
Green Party leader Annamie Paul attends a vigil organized after four members of a Muslim family were killed in what police describe as a hate-motivated attack at a mosque in London, Ont., June 8, 2021. PHOTO BY CARLOS OSORIO /REUTERS
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OTTAWA — A pair of top officials are departing the Greens as financial strain and internal strife continue to take a toll on the party ahead of a likely election this year.

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Leader Annamie Paul’s interim chief of staff Phil Spidle was laid off by party brass last week, the latest casualty in cuts that have halved the Green staff, according to two senior sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about payroll matters.


Spidle, who headed Paul’s leadership campaign last year and worked with the Greens for the past two decades, was on paid leave throughout the summer while he engaged in drawn-out negotiations for a contract to become national campaign director.

The talks were with Doug Tingey, who oversaw the party purse strings until the last couple days, when he abruptly stepped down — the second major departure in less than a week.

Tingey, who was re-elected to a two-year term last month as president of the Green Party of Canada Fund, said in an interview Monday it was “an appropriate time” to resign, but declined to offer a reason.

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“I’d like them to get through what they’re going through at this point.”


He has said the Greens’ financial situation is not sustainable, with party executives opting to withhold $250,000 in funding earmarked for Paul’s riding campaign in Toronto Centre, according to four party sources.

The party is poised to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal battles with Paul, heightening acrimony and worsening an already weak cash balance in spite of increased year-over-year fundraising under her 10-month tenure.

At a meeting of the Greens’ federal council last month, executives of the party said it spent about $100,000 on legal fees in July, with another $100,000 earmarked for legal expenditures in August, according to two party sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

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The past weeks also saw Paul start an arbitration related to her employment contract and moves by party brass to oust her through a non-confidence vote and a membership suspension — both were halted by the independent arbitrator.

In response, several senior officials launched a legal challenge on behalf of the party against Paul that questioned the arbitrator’s decision, racking up further costs.

The party has not been able to confirm whether the leader will speak at its first general meeting in three years, which kicks off on Aug. 19, as power struggles and turmoil threaten to overshadow Green campaign efforts in an election expected in the next couple months.
 

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MANDEL: Green leader's loss calls her leadership into question
Author of the article:Michele Mandel
Publishing date:Sep 21, 2021 • 45 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul arrives for the last of three two-hour debates ahead of the Monday, Sept. 20 election.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul arrives for the last of three two-hour debates ahead of the Monday, Sept. 20 election. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /REUTERS
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When Annamie Paul failed in a disastrous loss to Liberal incumbent Marci Ien in Toronto Centre, she did more than lose yet another chance for her first seat in Parliament.

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She likely sealed her end as leader of the Green Party.


Unlike their last meeting in the October 2020 byelection where Paul mounted a strong challenge in the Liberal stronghold, Ien won by a large margin this time and the Green leader came in a shocking fourth.

It didn’t help that Paul had to fight on two fronts: many in her own party turned against her this spring, trying to oust her as leader and starve her of funds — all over a tweet that called for de-escalation on both sides in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

When Jenica Atwin crossed to the Liberals, leaving the Green Party with just two MPs, Paul was tarred and feathered in the ensuing firestorm of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism.

Her party’s revolt definitely had an impact on her campaign, she admitted

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“There’s no question that it has,” Paul said earlier in the day.


“Politics, as we conduct it now in Canada, is a very unwelcoming place. I think we have to create a better environment for people to consider entering politics if we’re hoping to have access to the best ideas, the best public policy, the best minds.

“Because it has really become a gladiator arena blood sport.”

She’s thought of stepping down “multiple times” since becoming leader. “It has been very difficult. But sometimes you take on a role, and you just become something larger than yourself.”

There isn’t a day where she doesn’t hear from someone telling her how much it’s meant to see someone like themselves reflected on the national political stage. That’s kept her going.

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“I’m still standing today,” Paul said with a weary laugh.

But for how long?

Princeton-educated, a lawyer by training, the daughter of immigrants, Paul is the first black and first Jewish woman to lead a political party. Her skilful performance at the English leaders’ debate put the others to shame.

And yet she’s fighting for her political life. This was Paul’s third electoral loss, and she knows the knives have been sharpened for her party’s automatic leadership review following the election.

Unless she steps away first.

“That’s something, once the day is over, I’ll be discussing with my family,” Paul said.

And if she leaves, the loss is ours.

mmandel@postmedia.com
 

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'DON'T HAVE THE HEART FOR IT': Annamie Paul stepping down as federal Green Party leader
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Sep 27, 2021 • 7 hours ago • 4 minute read • 31 Comments
Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin PHOTO BY TIJANA MARTIN /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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TORONTO — Annamie Paul is stepping down as leader of the Green Party of Canada following months of strife within its ranks, saying she doesn’t “have the heart” to keep fighting to hold onto the reins.

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Paul announced her resignation in Toronto on Monday, a week after the federal election that saw the party fail to grow its foothold in the House of Commons as its share of the popular vote plummeted.


Paul said she started thinking about whether she wanted to stay at the party helm in recent days after learning that a leadership review had been launched.

“I just asked myself whether this is something that I wanted to continue, whether I was willing to continue to put up with the attacks I knew would be coming, whether to continue to have to fight and struggle just to fulfil my democratically elected role as leader of this party,” she said.

“And I just don’t have the heart for it.”

Paul said she knows some will be disappointed and that her supporters would like her to stay on, and stressed the decision wasn’t an easy one.

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“It has been the worst period in my life in many respects, but I am not alone and you are not alone,” she said.

Paul overcame a bid to oust her as leader just weeks before the election, and faced an automatic leadership review following the ballot. She said Monday that she had contacted the party’s federal council to start the process of her resignation and the search for a new leader.

The announcement comes less than a year after Paul took the reins of the Greens, becoming the first Black and Jewish woman to lead a major federal party in Canada.

She said Monday that part of her motivation during the campaign came from wanting to pave the way for others like her and show them it could be done.


“What people need to realize is that when I was elected, I was breaking a glass ceiling,” she said.

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“What I didn’t realize at the time is that I was breaking a glass ceiling that was going to fall on my head and leave a lot of shards of glass that I was going to have to crawl over throughout my time as a leader, and when I arrived at (the leaders’ debate during the campaign), I had crawled over that glass, I was spitting up blood but I was determined to be there.”

Last week’s election saw Paul come in fourth in Toronto Centre, her third failed attempt to win the riding. The party elected two candidates, including its first in Ontario — the same number of seats it held before the election.

The Greens also drew 2.3 per cent of the popular vote, less than half the 6.55 per cent they received in the previous election.

The election was “very difficult,” Paul said Monday, pointing to a lack of funding, campaign staff, and a national campaign manager. Ongoing internal strife also undermined the party’s chances at the ballots, she said.

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“When you head into an election being, again, under the threat of a court process from your party, it’s going to be very hard to convince people to vote for your party,” she said.

It was a “tremendous struggle” to decide to go through with the election under those circumstances, she said, adding she knew the outcome would likely not be good.

“I knew that we were likely not going to do well, and I knew that as the leader — even without those tools that I needed — the first person that the public would look at would be me,” she said.

Paul said that while she doesn’t regret her decision, it is “quite clear” she wasn’t given the opportunity to lead the party and wasn’t going to be given that chance in the future.

The head of the Green Party of Ontario thanked Paul for her “bold and daring leadership.”

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Mike Schreiner, who campaigned with Paul, called her party leadership victory last year “a historic milestone” but lamented systemic barriers that remain in society, politics included.

“As leader of the Ontario Greens, I cannot speak for the federal party, but I do recognize that the party I lead has more work to do to combat systemic racism,” he said in a statement. “I am committed to doing the hard work to build a party that is diverse, inclusive and welcoming.”

Dimitri Lascaris, the runner-up to Paul in last year’s party leadership race, said her resignation “is the right decision” for the Greens.

“Now is the time for Canadian Greens to focus on unity and strengthening the Party,” he wrote on his website.

Other party leaders thanked Paul for her service.

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“Thank you, Annamie Paul, for stepping forward and for serving Canadians with determination,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “Wishing you nothing but the best in your next chapter.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh thanked Paul for her leadership, resilience and perseverance.

“You made it possible for an entire generation of Canadians to see themselves reflected in politics,” he tweeted.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also tweeted his admiration and support.

“Thank you Annamie Paul for your perseverance & for being a trailblazer for Canadians from all backgrounds interested in public service,” he wrote.

Mike Morrice, who was elected for the Greens in Kitchener Centre, ruled himself out of the race to replace Paul.

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Morrice has been urged by many within the party to throw his hat into the ring, but the rookie MP said he wanted to concentrate on representing his constituents in Parliament.

“While I’m open-minded about my future, my immediate focus remains on the job my neighbours across Kitchener Centre have sent me to Ottawa to do: to respectfully advocate on their priorities, from the unaffordability of housing to the climate crisis,” he told The Canadian Press.

“Having just completed my first day of orientation as a rookie MP, I intend on staying focused on working across party lines to make progress on these concerns.”
 

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'DON'T HAVE THE HEART FOR IT': Annamie Paul stepping down as federal Green Party leader
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Sep 27, 2021 • 7 hours ago • 4 minute read • 31 Comments
Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin PHOTO BY TIJANA MARTIN /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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TORONTO — Annamie Paul is stepping down as leader of the Green Party of Canada following months of strife within its ranks, saying she doesn’t “have the heart” to keep fighting to hold onto the reins.

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Paul announced her resignation in Toronto on Monday, a week after the federal election that saw the party fail to grow its foothold in the House of Commons as its share of the popular vote plummeted.


Paul said she started thinking about whether she wanted to stay at the party helm in recent days after learning that a leadership review had been launched.

“I just asked myself whether this is something that I wanted to continue, whether I was willing to continue to put up with the attacks I knew would be coming, whether to continue to have to fight and struggle just to fulfil my democratically elected role as leader of this party,” she said.

“And I just don’t have the heart for it.”

Paul said she knows some will be disappointed and that her supporters would like her to stay on, and stressed the decision wasn’t an easy one.

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“It has been the worst period in my life in many respects, but I am not alone and you are not alone,” she said.

Paul overcame a bid to oust her as leader just weeks before the election, and faced an automatic leadership review following the ballot. She said Monday that she had contacted the party’s federal council to start the process of her resignation and the search for a new leader.

The announcement comes less than a year after Paul took the reins of the Greens, becoming the first Black and Jewish woman to lead a major federal party in Canada.

She said Monday that part of her motivation during the campaign came from wanting to pave the way for others like her and show them it could be done.


“What people need to realize is that when I was elected, I was breaking a glass ceiling,” she said.

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“What I didn’t realize at the time is that I was breaking a glass ceiling that was going to fall on my head and leave a lot of shards of glass that I was going to have to crawl over throughout my time as a leader, and when I arrived at (the leaders’ debate during the campaign), I had crawled over that glass, I was spitting up blood but I was determined to be there.”

Last week’s election saw Paul come in fourth in Toronto Centre, her third failed attempt to win the riding. The party elected two candidates, including its first in Ontario — the same number of seats it held before the election.

The Greens also drew 2.3 per cent of the popular vote, less than half the 6.55 per cent they received in the previous election.

The election was “very difficult,” Paul said Monday, pointing to a lack of funding, campaign staff, and a national campaign manager. Ongoing internal strife also undermined the party’s chances at the ballots, she said.

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“When you head into an election being, again, under the threat of a court process from your party, it’s going to be very hard to convince people to vote for your party,” she said.

It was a “tremendous struggle” to decide to go through with the election under those circumstances, she said, adding she knew the outcome would likely not be good.

“I knew that we were likely not going to do well, and I knew that as the leader — even without those tools that I needed — the first person that the public would look at would be me,” she said.

Paul said that while she doesn’t regret her decision, it is “quite clear” she wasn’t given the opportunity to lead the party and wasn’t going to be given that chance in the future.

The head of the Green Party of Ontario thanked Paul for her “bold and daring leadership.”

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Mike Schreiner, who campaigned with Paul, called her party leadership victory last year “a historic milestone” but lamented systemic barriers that remain in society, politics included.

“As leader of the Ontario Greens, I cannot speak for the federal party, but I do recognize that the party I lead has more work to do to combat systemic racism,” he said in a statement. “I am committed to doing the hard work to build a party that is diverse, inclusive and welcoming.”

Dimitri Lascaris, the runner-up to Paul in last year’s party leadership race, said her resignation “is the right decision” for the Greens.

“Now is the time for Canadian Greens to focus on unity and strengthening the Party,” he wrote on his website.

Other party leaders thanked Paul for her service.

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“Thank you, Annamie Paul, for stepping forward and for serving Canadians with determination,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “Wishing you nothing but the best in your next chapter.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh thanked Paul for her leadership, resilience and perseverance.

“You made it possible for an entire generation of Canadians to see themselves reflected in politics,” he tweeted.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also tweeted his admiration and support.

“Thank you Annamie Paul for your perseverance & for being a trailblazer for Canadians from all backgrounds interested in public service,” he wrote.

Mike Morrice, who was elected for the Greens in Kitchener Centre, ruled himself out of the race to replace Paul.

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Morrice has been urged by many within the party to throw his hat into the ring, but the rookie MP said he wanted to concentrate on representing his constituents in Parliament.

“While I’m open-minded about my future, my immediate focus remains on the job my neighbours across Kitchener Centre have sent me to Ottawa to do: to respectfully advocate on their priorities, from the unaffordability of housing to the climate crisis,” he told The Canadian Press.

“Having just completed my first day of orientation as a rookie MP, I intend on staying focused on working across party lines to make progress on these concerns.”
Can’t say I blame her . Who wants to put up with that crap ?
 

spaminator

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Elizabeth May won't rule out serving as Green Party interim leader
May is now one of the two Green MPs in the House of Commons, alongside Mike Morrice who won Kitchener Centre.

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Marie Woolf
Publishing date:Sep 29, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 3 minute read • 9 Comments
Elizabeth May, centre, Green candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands, watches federal election results roll in during a gathering in Victoria, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.
Elizabeth May, centre, Green candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands, watches federal election results roll in during a gathering in Victoria, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY DIRK MEISSNER /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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OTTAWA — Elizabeth May could return to the Greens as interim leader to stabilize the embattled party.

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Her chief of staff said that, if asked to take the helm until a permanent leader is found, she would “consider it” to help the party.


May, who was Green leader from 2006 to 2019, has previously said she would not return to the role.

But the resignation of Annamie Paul after a disastrous election result has prompted a hunt for a caretaker to keep the Greens afloat.

May’s spokeswoman said she would not rule out doing “the honourable thing” and consider taking the helm temporarily.

“Elizabeth remains deeply committed to ensuring the viability of the Green Party of Canada. If the party were to ask her to be the interim leader she would do the honourable thing and at least consider it,” said Debra Eindiguer, May’s chief of staff.

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The Greens were beset by infighting and slumped in the polls, sending just two MPs to Parliament on Sept. 20.

May has said an election post-mortem — which is automatically triggered following elections where the Greens do not form the government — would have to look at why Green candidates were not fielded in all ridings and why the party was so poorly prepared.

May is now one of the two Green MPs in the House of Commons, alongside Mike Morrice who won Kitchener Centre.

Paul, who announced her intention to resign as leader on Monday, was sharply criticized for failing to visit target ridings during the election, concentrating instead on fighting to gain a Toronto seat where she came in fourth place.

She has said the election was “very difficult,” pointing to a lack of funding, campaign staff and a national campaign manager. Originally $250,000 was earmarked for her local campaign but that money was nixed by party executives.

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Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
Annamie Paul is photographed during a press conference announcing she is officially stepping down as Green Party leader, at Suydam Park in Toronto on Monday, September 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin PHOTO BY TIJANA MARTIN /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Although impressive in the leaders’ debates, she faced a stream of vitriol for decisions she took as leader, and calls to stand down from within her own party.

While announcing her resignation Monday, Paul said leading the Greens had been the worst period of her life.

Paul will step down formally as leader within “the coming weeks,” the Green party confirmed. A leadership race kicks off six months after an interim leader is selected.

Jo-Ann Roberts, a former broadcast journalist who served as interim leader after May stood down, is another figure the Greens’ ruling council is likely to consider as an interim leader.

An expert who researches the Greens said May would be the “obvious option” to take the helm during the party’s “existential” crisis.

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Mark Winfield, a professor at York University, said May has the “moral authority” to keep the party, which has been beset by internal strife, from imploding. He said appointing her in the interim would “be the most logical thing to do.”


Winfield said, as well as facing a financial crisis, the Greens had to find a way of regrouping after a “shocking political fall.”

“They had the worst vote (in) more than 20 years,” he said, referring to the party’s share of the popular vote.

“The more serious question is: Does the party even survive? It is not clear how you would put the party back together with an empty bank account.”

The interim leader is not allowed to stay on as permanent leader, under the rules.

Already, key figures in the party are being urged to throw their hat into the ring to lead it.

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Morrice on Monday ruled himself out of the leadership race to concentrate on representing his constituents.

Dimitri Lascaris, a Montreal-based lawyer and activist who came second to Annamie Paul in the last leadership race, has not ruled himself out of the fight to be the next leader. He said in a statement that Paul’s resignation was “the right decision for the Green Party of Canada.”

Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency doctor in Yellowknife who came third in the 2020 Green leadership election, said on Twitter after Paul’s resignation that her focus was on combating COVID-19 and climate change.
 

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Green Party lays off core staff members amid financial drought, internal strife
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Christopher Reynolds
Publishing date:Oct 19, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 3 minute read • 5 Comments
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul hosts a press conference in Ottawa, Sept. 10, 2021.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul hosts a press conference in Ottawa, Sept. 10, 2021. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia
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OTTAWA — Layoffs are once again hitting the Green Party as party brass look to shave costs amid persistent financial and political woes.

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The Greens are temporarily laying off half of their staff, or about 10 employees, effective Tuesday, according to three senior party officials who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal matters.


The sources say Green interim executive director Dana Taylor is meeting one on one with affected workers throughout the day to inform them.

The culling will affect long-term staff in the office of Leader Annamie Paul as well as in communications, mobilization, fundraising, strategy, and governance — a now empty department—marking a partial repeat of temporary layoffs announced last June. Contracts for some other short-term staff expired on Sept. 20, the day of the federal election.

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Paul, who announced last month she would resign, remains in the top spot as she negotiates with Green executives about compensation for costs incurred during legal battles with the party, sources say.

“Ms. Paul has had no say in the layoffs and was unaware of the latest staff cuts until they started happening this morning,” party spokesman John Chenery said in an email Tuesday.

Paul’s office did not respond to a request for comment.


On top of financial troubles, Greens face a self-reckoning after last month’s federal election where the party maintained two seats in the House of Commons but saw its share of the popular vote tumble to about 2% from nearly 7%, capping off a year marked by power struggles, bitter feuds and a defection to the Liberals by New Brunswick MP Jenica Atwin.

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The fractious dynamics were on display over the weekend, when the party’s 16-member federal council as well as its five-member executive council — Paul sits on both — took part in several meetings to which the leader was not invited, sources say.

The virtual sit-downs, which included discussion of the impending layoffs, were opened to all Green members for one portion that saw accusations fly over the party’s treatment of Paul, resulting in an apology from new president Lorraine Rekmans over the lack of invitation.

Legal wrangling has further tilted the Greens’ cash imbalance.

Over the summer Paul launched an arbitration related to her employment contract and moves by party brass to oust her through a non-confidence vote and a membership suspension. Both were halted by the independent arbitrator.

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In response, several senior officials filed a legal challenge on behalf of the party against Paul that questioned the arbitrator’s decision as tensions between the two sides came to a boil.

Tuesday’s cuts brought on deja vu for Greens, who saw money woes prompt staff layoffs and nixed funding for Paul’s Toronto Centre riding campaign last summer.

Former Green Party of Canada Fund president Doug Tingey said in a July report that the “current financial situation is not sustainable.”

He told federal council members in July the Greens would have about $300,000 in the bank if an election were called the next month — the campaign wound up kicking off Aug. 15 — compared to $1.9 million at the outset of the 2019 election and $3 million when the writ dropped in 2015, two sources said at the time.

The relatively small sum did not account for a roughly $1.3-million election loan, or $150,000 in wage subsidies that came into party coffers in late July, sources say.

The cash crunch also comes despite a fundraising bump during at least part of Paul’s 12-month tenure, though party officials have also said fundraising flagged during the campaign following months of public turmoil.

Greens raised about $1.36 million in the first two quarters of 2021 compared to about $1.2 million in the same period a year earlier, according to Elections Canada filings.
 

spaminator

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Green Party to drop legal action against Annamie Paul as discussions drag on
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Oct 22, 2021 • 19 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul hosts a press conference in Ottawa, Sept. 10, 2021.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul hosts a press conference in Ottawa, Sept. 10, 2021. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia
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OTTAWA — Green Party executives have opted to drop a legal challenge against their leader that brought tensions between senior officials and Annamie Paul to a boil last summer.

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Two senior party members who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter say members of the federal council and the Green Party of Canada Fund met over the past week to call off their court action.


Paul launched an arbitration last summer related to her employment contract and moves by party brass to oust her through a non-confidence vote and a membership suspension — both were halted by the independent arbitrator.

In response, several senior officials filed a legal challenge on behalf of the party against Paul that questioned the arbitrator’s decision.

The disputes have added to the party’s financial woes, which Green executives cited afterthey laid off more than half their staff this week and continued to hold out on the compensation Paul is seeking for her legal fees.

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Paul still occupies the leader’s chair — a spot that gives her some leverage in ongoing legal wrangling — after announcing last month she would step down following an election that returned two Greens to the House of Commons but saw the party’s share of the popular vote tumble to two per cent following months of internal strife.The party ran only 252 candidates in the country’s 338 seats.


The Green Party and Paul’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In an email blast to membership obtained by The Canadian Press, Green Party president Lorraine Rekmans said its finances need to find a “sustainable footing.” That need prompted the layoff of 11 core staffers this week, she wrote Tuesday.

“The decision to lay off so many of our long-serving staff has been very difficult,” Rekmans said in the statement.

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Greens face a “financial crisis,” said John Willson and Corrina Serda, co-presidents of the party’s fund — treasurer for the federal council, which is the Greens’ main governing body. The party has been running large monthly deficits since February, they said in the email blast.

The party is now refocusing staff on fundraising as well as “member re-engagement” and finance and IT support, the fund heads said, while communications and mobilization take a back seat following the election on Sept. 20.

Greens raised about $1.36 million in the first two quarters of 2021 compared to about $1.2 million in the same period a year earlier — before Paul took the helm in October 2020 — according to Elections Canada filings.
 

Mowich

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I imagine many Green party supporters rue the day that Paul became leader. Controversy has dogged the woman since the beginning and now it appears that she is determined to make sure that the coffers are empty and the party in total shambles before she has the sense to leave.