A former MP from Waterloo Region may become the next leader of the federal Green Party after the only other candidate dropped out of the race. Nira Dookeran withdrew as a leadership candidate on Tuesday, leaving Mike Morrice as the only other person still in contention for the role. In a statement posted on the Green Party’s website, Dookeran said “after much soul searching” she decided to drop out due to “personal and family reasons.” “I want to express my best wishes to Mike Morrice, my fellow candidate in the Leadership Contest. We, as a Party, have a big job ahead of us,” Dookeran’s statement said. Morrice unopposed Although Morrice is now running unopposed, the Party said he will not be acclaimed. “Under the Green Party of Canada’s Constitution, a vote is still required even when only one leadership candidate remains,” the Green Party of Canada told CTV News in an emailed statement. “Mike Morrice will therefore not be elected by acclamation, and the leadership vote will proceed.” The Party said, under the leadership contest rules, any remaining scheduled debates will still move forward, but they will now be presented as town halls. Although the Party’s website states votes will be cast between Nov. 2 and Nov. 13, on Wednesday, CTV News was told that timeline is not confirmed and more information will be released when it is available. The Party also said it is not currently considering allowing additional candidates to register for the leadership race. Morrice: “The campaign continues because the work continues” Speaking with CTV News on Wednesday, Morrice said his campaign continues as he awaits further details from the party on the next steps. “I want to make sure that we’re continuing to grow the Party and build the movement we need,” Morrice said. The Party has only one sitting MP at this time: Elizabeth May, representing Saanich – Gulf Islands in British Columbia. But Morrice said the Greens have a lot of support across the country. “I actually think as Greens nationally, we need to be taking cues from provincial parties and the successes that they are seeing, to do what we always do when Greens win, which is support strong community leaders who are rooted in their communities, known in their communities, want to be a voice for their communities alongside other progressives standing up for regular people,” Morrice told CTV News. Morrice said his time as an MP convinced him there’s a lot that can be accomplished when one works across party lines, citing his efforts to improve the Canada Disability Benefit as an example. “We need to fight for regular people and invest in housing and invest in health care and invest in good childcare, while the ultra rich need to pay their fair share.” Political scientist weighs in Simon Kiss, political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, described the Greens as “a small Party, but it’s remarkably resilient.” Kiss said that is in part because they are far from a one-issue party. “It’s not just about the environment. It speaks to values of participation, local democracy and social liberalism like individual liberty and individual freedom that are put into a kind of a coherent package that appeals to enough voters that they’ve been able to get elected at various levels.” Kiss also said that while the Carney Liberals may be seeing a lot of support as they tackle Donald Trump and a trade war, a lot will change before the next federal election, expected around 2029. “By that time, there’s a good chance that President Trump will be no longer in power, possibly the Republicans won’t be in power,” Kiss said. “There’s a good chance it’ll be a whole set of new issues and that presumably would open things up for other parties other than the Liberals.” Morrice’s political history Morrice previously served as the MP for the Kitchener-Centre riding in Kitchener, Ont. He was elected to the position in 2021 and served as the Green 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. He announced his intention to run for the federal leadership in August.
