Elizabeth May has announced she is no longer the leader of the federal Green Party.
May told a news conference today that she’s stepping down as leader, effective immediately. Deputy leader Jo-Ann Roberts is taking over as party leader for now.
May says a leadership convention will be held Oct. 2, 3 and 4 in Charlottetown next year.
And she does not seem to be considering a move to joining the BC Green Party which will soon be looking for a new leader.
She was asked last month while speaking with NL’s Brett Mineer NL Newsday after Andrew Weaver announced he will not seek re-election as MLA of Oak Bay-Gordon Head in the next provincial election.
“I plan to stay as the federal member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands as long as my riding will have me. And I’m certainly committed to working for the federal level. It’s funny, you’re the first person to ask me that so I hadn’t really thought it through. But I don’t see myself leaving the federal level of working in Parliament for Canadians, from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”
She says the provincial Green Party has a bright future, which has three seats and holds the balance of power in the B.C. Legislature.
May has been leader of the federal party since 2006 and has served as MP for the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands since 2011.
– with files from The Canadian Press