B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau steps down

Sonia Furstenau, who lost her seat in the past provincial election is passing the torch, saying it's more important than ever to see third party representation.

Sonia Furstenau resigned as leader of the B.C. Green Party on Tuesday, three months after failing to win a seat in the legislature in the 2024 provincial election.

Furstenau, 54, was first elected MLA for the Cowichan Valley in 2017 and became leader of the B.C. Greens in 2020.

In the October 2024 provincial election, Furstenau decided to run in the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding, where she was defeated by B.C. NDP incumbent Grace Lore.

“I never aspired to be an elected official,” Furstenau told reporters in Victoria after announcing her resignation of the party leadership.

“I can’t look back and regret the things that I had control over, which was how hard I worked, how hard I tried, my own integrity, my own accountability,” she responded when asked whether she had any reservations about her decision to change ridings in hindsight.

Praise from colleagues

It’s no surprise that Adam Olsen, Furstenau’s right-hand man and the only other Green MLA in the legislature in the previous term, would have high praise for Furstenau and her ability to connect with ordinary British Columbians and political leaders alike.

“We’ve spent the last seven years working very, very closely together and I think she has shown a model of leadership that I think this province can be proud of,” he said following her announcement. “She created space, for those that didn’t really have a voice in our political system.”

Furstenau also forged relationships across the floor, including a friendship with former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Mary Polak.

“Sonia is one of the very few who is just 100 per cent absolutely authentic, genuine,” she told CTV News. “Whether you agree with her or disagree with her, here is the kind of person we really want to see more of in whatever elected position is open.”

Interim party leadership

Jeremy Valeriote, one of two Green MLAs elected in the 2024 vote, will take over as interim party leader while rules for a Green leadership contest later this year are expected to be revealed in February.

Valeriote won the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding while MLA Rob Botterell won the Saanich North and the Islands riding for the Greens.

Both Valeriote and Botterell said Tuesday they would not seek the top party job in the leadership race, meaning a new Green leader would have to come from outside the legislature.

“In the electoral system that we have, it’s not easy being Green,” Furstenau said, describing herself as a “reluctant politician.”

“It’s a really tough climb to get elected as a Green but we keep having people that achieve that outcome, and I think the longer that we’re there, the more British Columbia is going to recognize how essential it is,” she said.

In a statement following the October election, Furstenau said she would stay on as leader to “provide guidance and counsel as our party and our province enter this new chapter.”

In December, the Greens announced they had reached a co-operation agreement with the ruling B.C. NDP, securing Green support for the government in exchange for advancing initiatives on health care, housing, climate change and other priorities.