Annamie Paul’s lacklustre performance in the 2021 election resulted in a mere 8.5% of the vote in the riding of Toronto Centre, placing fourth behind the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives. In the 2020 by-election, Paul placed second and gained 32.73% of the vote.
The party also saw a drop in overall national support, receiving a meagre 2.3% of the vote compared to the 6.55% it received in the 2019 federal election.
The Greens ran candidates in only 252 ridings— the fewest since 2000. Two Green candidates were elected — Mike Morrice from Kitchener Centre and former Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
While Paul said she was “disappointed” to lose, she commended Morrice and May for their success. May told CTV News that she felt “a very strong sense of disappointment” over Paul’s loss and that the party will discuss “what went wrong and what we need to do better.”
Amid rumours of party chaos, May said, “it’s way too early for me to be suggesting what’s next, except that I have confidence and faith in our membership.”
True North’s in-house pollster Hamish Marshall referred to Paul’s defeat as “absolutely damning” and said he “feels safe to predict that she will not be the Green leader tomorrow.”
Prior to the election, the Green Party saw multiple layoffs of staff and organizers due to a strained financial situation. Paul also faced a non-confidence vote by party executives due to the party’s infighting over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The non-confidence vote was ultimately halted by an independent arbitrator.
Under Paul’s leadership, former Green MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals, citing too many “distractions” in the Green Party. Atwin was re-elected as a Liberal on Monday.
