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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Local Spotlight
Want to boost your trivia score? Learn from these high school trivia whiz kids
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.