Who is the Green Party's rookie MP Mike Morrice?
The Green Party endured some major setbacks this federal election, but among the blunders was one major victory: gaining its first seat in Ontario.
Rookie MP Mike Morrice is to credit for that.
Morrice, the representative for Kitchener Centre, will be one of only two Green MPs in the House of Commons when Parliament returns. Former party leader Elizabeth May holds the second seat.
Morrice has been a dedicated climate activist for 15 years.
In 2008, he founded Sustainable Waterloo Region, a non-profit organization that helps local businesses become more environmentally and economically sustainable. As it gained national attention, he founded Green Economy Canada, to help companies across the country reduce their carbon impact.
He decided to enter into the federal political ring in the 2019 election, but lost out to former Liberal MP Raj Saini.
Asked why, as a successful environmental entrepreneur, he wanted to pivot into politics, Morrice provided two answers.
He said it’s become abundantly clear that chipping away at the climate crisis requires strong leadership at the highest levels of government.
“If we want to actually follow the science on the climate crisis, if we want to be honest about what’s needed to address some of the biggest systemic challenges we face, we’re going to need to change public policy,” he said in an interview with CTVNews.ca.
“We need to set the rules of the game in a way that incentives the kind of behaviour that we know scientists, Indigenous leaders, and young people… have been calling out for.”
His second reasoning is more “existential.”
“What’s the point of anything else if our nieces and nephews and kids and grandkids don’t have a safe climate future. That sense of calling kind of grew,” he said.
Morrice is one of 50 rookie MPs elected in the 2021 federal election. CTVNews.ca is profiling five—one from each party with a seat in the Commons— in the lead up to the first sitting day of the 44th Parliament.
Morrice said he learned from his first campaign experience that a candidate gains more from listening to, as opposed to talking at, constituents.
Green MP for Kitchener Centre Mike Morrice campaigning during the 2021 election. (Photo courtesy of Mike Morrice)
And what he heard this fall, were more of the same concerns he heard in 2019: less affordable housing, less access to vital health-care services, and longer wait times for long-term care.
“So many of these priorities, yes, I heard about them in 2019, but the sense of grieving and the depth of the challenge for so many in my community seems to have only been made worse,” he said.
He said he also heard from voters who’ve grown tired of hyper-partisan political games in Ottawa.
“So many people in my community don’t care whose name is on the bill, it doesn’t matter which party has put it forward, [they] just want to ensure that we make progress on ensuring universal pharmacare gets passed through, that we address gaps in health care,” he said.
Morrice’s objective is to venture to Ottawa open-minded, and ready to collaborate with politicians of all stripes, though he acknowledged the strategy could sound naïve.
“I recognize there are coercive forces at play in all of this,” he said. “I’m going to be respectful, even more so if we don’t agree, and that’s as much true at someone’s doorstep as I think it should be true in the House of Commons.”
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, who’s known Morrice for over a decade, says he’s confident he’ll be able to bring a “new approach” to politics – something the Guelph MPP is attempting to do at the provincial level.
“I’ve been a very strong critic of the Ford government just ripping up Ontario’s climate action plans, cancelling renewable energy contracts… but when a member of the Conservative caucus approached me about co-sponsoring a bill to make life better for electric vehicle drivers, I said yes, let’s work on this together,” Schreiner said in an interview with CTVNews.ca.
“I would encourage MPs from all parties to take the opportunity to really get to know Mike and work with Mike, because he’s there for the right reasons.”
The Green Party faced its fair share of infighting leading up to the 2021 campaign.
There were vocal calls from within the party to oust leader Annamie Paul, after an internal dispute with Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin, who defected to the Liberals in June.
Morrice, however, said Paul has been “hugely” supportive of his political journey.
“Annamie was here in Kitchener with us in the days before the election. She was with us at the nomination party back in the spring,” he said. “I’ve made clear my support for her as leader while also respecting her decision to begin the process of resigning.”
Asked whether he’d have a go at leadership, Morrice said he’s focused on his job ahead as an MP.
“We’re staffing up. We’ve got a lot to follow through on in terms of the commitments that myself and our team have made…and so my focus is on that work, on being a strong MP, on learning to do that job well,” he said.
He’s promised his Kitchener Centre constituents that he’d continue to listen and be respectful of their needs while in Ottawa.
“That to me is the bedrock of our democracy. I see this role as being a voice for my neighbours in Ottawa,” he said, adding that action on housing affordability, access to mental health services, and fighting climate change will be among his top priorities.
Schreiner said he’s encouraged Morrice to be a dedicated constituency MP.
“To have somebody with his connection to community, the way he connects climate action to improving people’s lives and improving our economy – to have that type of person, their voice in Ottawa, I think it’s good for Canada and Kitchener Centre as well,” he said.
Beyond the halls of Parliament, Morrice says he’s looking forward to exploring some new bike trails in and around Ottawa.
“There are some great trails so I’m hoping to have a chance to be on my bike again…I think it’s so important that we have elected officials who are doing the work, but also taking care of themselves,” he said.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.
Local Spotlight
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.