Latest news with #Pedneault
Global News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault resigns after Canada election loss
Jonathan Pedneault has resigned as co-leader of the Green Party after acknowledging the 'disappointing' outcome for the party in Monday's election. In a statement posted online Wednesday morning, Pedneault wrote that while he was proud of the party's platform and the values it brought to the campaign, he took responsibility for the result — which saw him finish fifth in his own riding as the party lost incumbent MP Mike Morrice and decreased its share of the popular vote. 'Twice now, I have failed to convince my fellow citizens to send me to Ottawa,' Pedneault posted to X. 'I failed to secure the re-election of my colleague Mike Morrice, along with many other competent and good-hearted individuals who placed their trust in us.' 1:50 Not easy being Green: political party still fighting for relevance decades after founding Pedneault returned to co-lead the Green Party with Elizabeth May in January after stepping down six months earlier, citing personal reasons. Story continues below advertisement He ran in the Liberal stronghold of Outremont in Montreal and lost to Liberal Rachel Bendayan, who secured 55 per cent of the vote. In his first run as the Green Party's co-leader, Pedneault finished fourth in a 2023 byelection in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount riding. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The party fell to just 1.3 per cent national support in Monday's election and didn't run a full slate of candidates, despite endorsing 342 nominees to Elections Canada. The party said it had trouble confirming all its nominees, in part due to the requirement that each nominee have 100 signatures from electors in their riding. Pedneault told CBC News the party also strategically held back 15 candidates in ridings where they thought Conservative candidates might win. The federal commission running the two televised election debates subsequently withdrew Pedneault's invitation to participate in those debates, citing the decision to reduce the number of Green candidates 'for strategic reasons.' 3:48 Green Party removed from federal leaders' debate May said that decision undermined her party's chances in the election. Story continues below advertisement 'It was so devastating when he was pulled from the leaders debate the morning of,' May told The Canadian Press, adding she couldn't talk Pedneault out of quitting. 'I do believe it was very closely related to him not being in the debates, that we didn't achieve the electoral results we've been hoping for.' May said Morrice's loss in Kitchener Centre to Conservative candidate Kelly DeRidder by just 358 votes is something Pedneault took 'really hard.' 'We never thought Mike Morrice would lose. Nobody thought a Conservative could win there. Ironically, it was the number of people who thought voting Liberal would somehow help Mark Carney, and they left their favourite MP to lose to a Conservative,' May said. 'We didn't see it coming at all.' May said she'll stay on as leader and will undergo a mandatory leadership review after the election cycle is complete. She said the party now needs to turn its attention to its finances. 2:16 Green Party platform calls for economic reforms, fossil fuel phase-out As the lone Green MP in the House of Commons, and with the Liberals three seats short of a majority, May said she's confident she can get things done. Story continues below advertisement Asked if she'd consider formalizing an arrangement to support the Liberals, May said she'd act in the best interests of the country in dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump. 'I've talked to Mark Carney about how important it is to be 'Team Canada' but I'm always willing to work with others to make sure that we're united as a country,' May said. 'It's going to be always for me … country above party. So yeah, of course I'd work with the other leaders and the other parties in Parliament to make sure that there aren't cracks that Trump can exploit in a divide-and-conquer effort.'
Montreal Gazette
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault resigns
Canadian Politics Green Party of Canada co-leader Jonathan Pedneault, who was defeated Monday in the Montreal riding of Outremont, announced his resignation Wednesday morning. In a letter shared on social media, Pedneault said he is stepping down immediately and that he takes 'full responsibility for this failure' in the federal election. In Outremont, Liberal incumbent Rachel Bendayan, recently named minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship by Carney, won with 55 per cent support, ahead of Conservative Ronan Reich (12.6), the Bloc's Rémi Lebeuf (12.2) and the NDP's Ève Péclet (10.6). Pedneault came fifth with 9.7 per cent support. He cited his own defeat and that of former Ontario MP Mike Morrice, who was not re-elected in Kitchener Centre. The other co-leader of the Green Party is Elizabeth May, who was re-elected in her B.C. riding, Saanich-Gulf Islands. This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 10:29 AM.
CBC
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Jonathan Pedneault resigns as Greens co-leader after failing to secure seat for 2nd time
Jonathan Pedneault has announced that he is stepping down as co-leader of the Green Party after failing to secure a seat in the House of Commons on his second attempt. "While I remain proud of the program the party built and the values we brought forward during this campaign, I recognize that we were not able to break through in a way that could shift the course of our country — and that is a responsibility I must carry," he said in a letter posted online. "Twice now, I have failed to convince my fellow citizens to send me to Ottawa," he said. "I therefore hereby submit my resignation as co-Leader of the Green Party of Canada, effective immediately." Pedneault previously worked as a journalist and an activist, including with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, in conflict zones around the world before entering politics. Pedneault first won the leadership of the party in the fall of 2022 on a co-leadership ticket with May, who had previously served as party leader from 2006 to 2019. Pedneault first ran for a seat in the House in a federal byelection in the Montreal riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount in June 2023, but lost to Liberal Anna Gainey who won with almost 51 per cent of the vote. In June, 2024 Pedneault announced he was stepping down from his co-leadership position for "personal reasons." He returned to the Greens in January 2025. After being removed from the debates for failing to meet participation requirements, Pedneault, who would have represented his party on the debate stage, failed to secure a seat in the federal election. Pedneault came fifth in the Montreal riding of Outremont, securing just 9.6 per cent of the vote. Liberal Rachel Bendayan won the riding with 55.2 per cent of the vote.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Green co-leader Elizabeth May holds B.C. seat for 5th term
Social Sharing The Green Party of Canada's flagship federal seat, occupied by B.C. parliamentarian Elizabeth May since 2011, will remain in the control of the party's co-leader after a decisive victory on Monday night. "The reason we were successful here … was from the devotion and commitment of volunteers," said the 70-year-old on election night about the 250 volunteers on her campaign. "We are here … we are not going away," she said later about the Greens, who otherwise appeared to be having a disappointing night, looking set to lose its only other seat in the House of Commons. The party's other co-leader, Jonathan Pedneault, finished third in the Quebec riding of Outremont. On Monday, May was declared the winner in Saanich-Gulf Islands with 40 per cent of the vote. The Conservatives' Cathie Ounsted won 28 per cent of the vote and the Liberals' David Beckham got 27 per cent. Over the course of the campaign, polling aggregators showed the riding was a toss-up between the Greens and the Conservatives. May maintained all along that it was her ground game, including relentless door-knocking, that would carry her to another victory, shunning aggregators as being out of touch with what was happening in neighbourhoods. In her victory speech she drew attention to her ability as an opposition party leader to get re-elected, citing the failure of both the NDP's Jagmeet Singh and the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre to do so. Singh conceded his Burnaby Central riding and resigned as NDP party leader, while Poilievre was trailing Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy by 2,500 votes in his Carleton riding with polls yet to report. The risk of being viewed as a one-issue party — the environment — did not seem to catch up with her campaign as it did across the country for other Green candidates in what turned out to be a two-party race between the Liberals and Conservatives over the U.S. threat of Canada's economy and sovereignty. Along with Pedneault's third-place finish in Quebec, Mike Morrice, the Green incumbent for Kitchener Centre in Ontario, was trailing the Conservatives' Kelly DeRidder by around 700 votes as of 10:30 p.m. PT. May said to supporters in her victory speech that Pedneault's chances were hurt after he wasn't able to perform during the televised leaders debate in Quebec, which the Greens are challenging in Federal Court. She criticized the mainstream media for promoting a two-party race, which she said took on a life of its own in her riding. "It developed a momentum based on a rumour and it became a very hard thing to fight," she said. The Greens' overall vote share in the election roughly halved to around 1.2 per cent, down from 2.33 per cent in 2021. Mark Carney call May said she had spoken to Liberal Leader Mark Carney, who congratulated her on her victory. She said he told her he looked forward to working with her in the House of Commons. Leading up to voting day, May said neither federal New Democrats nor federal Liberals are credible voices on the environment and defended the Green Party as being more than just an environmental party. "If anyone looked at our platform in this election … we have the most innovative ideas for economic sovereignty," she said
CBC
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Canada election: Liberals projected to win 4th term, but unclear if minority or majority
Pedneault's co-leader, Elizabeth May, is holding her watch party in Victoria at Church and State Wines — a winery owned by friends in her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. May started dancing when early results put her in the lead. No matter what happens, the Greens are having fun tonight. Before the projection that Pedneault would lose in his riding, May took the stage to perform a duet with her husband John Kidder, who played the guitar. May said she didn't want to comment on the results until they're finalized, but then predicted a Liberal minority government. The Greens also heard poetry by Lorna Crozier and music performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Bill Henderson, who got the crowd of about 75 people on their feet when he played a tune about protecting Canada's sovereignty.
