Canadians should expect to see the co-leader Jonathan Pedneault as the face of the national electoral campaign of the Green Party.
Pedneault and Elizabeth May officially faced a Co-Liderazgo Agreement earlier this year. But the greens announced this month that Pedneault would assume “unique leadership roles” when necessary during the campaign. This includes taking the game flag in leadership debates.
“I am really excited to go out and compete with our opponents about what is the best vision for the future of Canada,” Pedneault told CBC News.
May won the Green Leadership career in 2022 with a promise of having a co-lideraz model with Pedneault. Pedneault himself ended third in that race.
After initially serving as an attached leader, Pedneault He moved away from that role in 2024 For “personal reasons.” He returned as co-leader in January.
“His leadership, passion and deep commitment to justice and sustainability make him the right person to bring our message to the national stage,” May said in a statement earlier this month.
Pedneault worked as a journalist and activist, even with International Amnesty and Human Rights clock, in conflict areas worldwide before entering politics.
The 34 -year -old will be the youngest leader in the debate stage. Although he has been close to federal policy in recent years, he will have to appear to the Canadian electorate in general.
“He is a new leader. For many people they will probably realize that he is the co-leader and face of the party for this campaign once they see it in the debate,” said CBC News, an survey analyst from The Writit.Ca who directs the CBC survey tracker.
The Green Party is possibly one of the most ready for elections when it comes to candidates: they have 260 people registered to run. Only conservatives currently have more nominated candidates.
But having ready candidates does not necessarily translate to electoral success. The voting numbers of the party have remained relatively flat and have not been able to take advantage of the fall in the support of the NDP.
“Despite the fact that the NDP is inactive … In that scenario, you would generally expect the Greens to be quite high, but instead they are still in their three or four percent. So they do not seem to be making a great advance,” Grenier said.
The Green Party, which has traditionally focused on environmental issues, can have difficulty breaking with voters in this particular election. In a recent Abacus survey, only five percent of respondents listed climate change as the most important issue that influences their vote. These are affordable problems and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, were the two main factors.
Pedneault himself pointed out the importance of maintaining the national support of the party.
“We need to maintain at least two percent of the national vote to simply continue to exist as a party,” Pedneault said.
“The last thing we want is to simply disappear from the face of the Earth. We will be very happy to do it once we have fixed the climatic emergency and once Canada is again the country that really delivers to most people.”
As it is, the CBC survey tracker has the greens winning a maximum of two seats, which would maintain its current count.
But the party has retired its support in BC, which Grenier said it could mean that May is potentially at risk of losing his driving in the Saanich Gulf Islands, which he has had since 2011.
“I think Elizabeth May has no guarantee that her seat is sure,” Grenier said.
Pedneault himself is directing Montreal’s driving of Offremont.
“This is really Montreal’s heart and a place that is very close to my heart,” Pedneault said about his driving.
Currently, driving is in the hands of the Minister of Immigration, refugees and citizenship Rachel Bendayan, who took more than 40 percent of the votes in the last two elections.
“The greens have never been so successful in Quebec,” Grenier said, although he argued that Pedneault was a Francophone could help some.
“I think Pedneault has a very, very high mountain to climb.”
Greens are looking for ‘Electoral Cooperation’
The Greens wrote to the leaders of the liberals, the PND and the Québécois block last week, asking that the parties meet and discuss a “electoral cooperation agreement”, arguing that the current system favors conservatives due to the progressive division of votes.
The party did not indicate how the agreement would be seen and Pedneault said they would need to have the meeting to hammer it.
“We would be willing to explore all the options, but it does not correspond to us to dictate the terms. It is not for us to find a solution ready.
Pedneault said that so far no part has responded to his proposal for a meeting.
“Now that the liberals are in a place to potentially win the elections, there would be very little appetite to try to reach an agreement to block conservatives,” Grenier said.
Despite seeking electoral cooperation, Pedneault said that one of its objectives during the campaign will be to encourage Canadians to avoid strategic vote.
“I want the Canadians not to come out and vote in their hearts, but with a real ability to express what they would like to happen in this country,” he said.
“This choice is not about us. It is not about liberals, it is not about conservatives, the NDP or the block. This is Canada. This is the future of this country and the country that we will leave our children. And I prefer, as I think that most Canadians [would]Leave behind a country that is more democratic, more equal and better than what it is now. “
