Newly minted Green Party Leader Annamie Paul announced Thursday night she’s decided to run in an Ontario riding in the next federal election.
In the face of a possible federal election this year, political parties have begun getting campaign ready. Some are already nominating candidates. A confidential Green party source who was not authorized to speak to publicly, said possible ridings for Paul include: Guelph, Spadina-Fort York, Parkdale High Park, Davenport, Toronto Danforth or Toronto Centre.
The party will announce a final decision at a later date.
In 2020, Paul lost an October by-election in Toronto Centre to the Liberal star candidate and former television personality Marci Ien. But Paul placed a close second and said the narrow result put the Liberals on notice.
The Greens hold three seats in the House of Commons: one in New Brunswick and two on Vancouver Island. The decision to run their leader in Ontario marks a break for the federal party that has seen its path to growing electoral success in British Columbia and the Maritimes.
“Greens are offering a positive, progressive, daring vision for Canada, and we will be running to win all across the country,” said Paul in a statement. “With this goal in mind, running in Ontario offers the perfect chance to grow the party.”
In October 2020, Paul became the first Black and Jewish woman to lead a federal party in Canada. Paul, who’s from Toronto, has spent the last four months raising issues such as the need for aggressive climate action, a guaranteed liveable income and addressing the crisis in long-term care homes in the wake of COVID-19.
