A politician from Kitchener is eyeing a potential new role in the Green Party of Canada. Former Kitchener-Centre MP Mike Morrice has announced he will be running as one of two approved candidates in the Green Party’s leadership race. Morrice was named as one of the party’s deputy leaders in November 2025, alongside Rainbow Eyes. In recent years, the party has seen some turbulence within its leadership role; longtime leader Elizabeth May was succeeded by Annamie Paul in 2019 after May announced she was stepping down as leader, a position she had held since 2006. Paul’s term was marred by division among the ranks. Despite announcing her intention to resign as leader following the 2021 federal election, a leadership review was held and there were contentious legal issues within the party before Paul’s eventual departure in November of that year. Following that, Elizabeth May returned as leader in 2022, but this time she announced plans to introduce a co-leadership model with Jonathan Pedneault tapped to help steer the party. However, he failed to win a spot in the House of Commons during a byelection and later resigned as deputy leader. He returned in January 2025 to serve as co-leader, but that tenure was also brief, as he resigned following the 2025 election after the Green Party was reduced to only one seat. May also announced her plan to resign as leader in 2025, clearing the way for a leadership race in November 2026. Morrice’s career so far Morrice first ran to represent Kitchener Centre in 2019 and was elected in 2021. He served as the party’s critic for housing and disability inclusion. However, he was defeated by current Conservative MP Kelly DeRidder during the 2025 election. At the time, he had been the Green Party’s only sitting MP in Ontario. The riding was close throughout the night, with the count continuing into the early morning hours. According to the official results posted by Elections Canada, DeRidder secured 20,234 votes compared to 19,859 votes cast for Morrice — a difference of 375 ballots. Shortly after the decision was announced, Morrice appeared before his supporters and thanked them for their unwavering faith in him. He called his time as an MP “a privilege of a lifetime.” Leadership election The Green Party’s leadership election will be held from Nov. 2 until Nov. 13 using a ranked ballot. According to the party’s website, the results will be announced on Nov. 14. The party said they accepted applications from both individual candidates an co-leadership pairs. “The next leader, or co-leaders, will guide the Green Party at a pivotal moment for Canada,” the website says. Candidates had until July 14 to submit their nominations and a full list of candidates will be published on Wednesday.
