B.C. Green Party to elect new leader

A new party leader will be chosen by the BC Green Party next week.

In one week, a new leader will be crowned for the B.C. Green Party.

Emily Lowan is one of the three contenders. The former UVic student and climate justice activist has garnered high-profile endorsements, including from David Suzuki.

She wants to see the party take a bolder stance on environmental and Indigenous rights. She says she’d push to renegotiate the Greens’ deal to prop up the NDP and feels like she’s attracted a raft of supporters who are disgruntled with NDP policies.

“We’ve just seen a flooding of young people – workers, renters, Indigenous peoples – who are fed up with the status quo and are just ravenous for change,” said Lowan Wednesday.

Jonathan Kerr, a father of two, who is a family doctor and a two-term municipal councillor in Comox, says his political priorities are what he’s hearing in his community.

“Cost of living, housing, health care and, of course, as Greens we care about the environment. So those are really the top four issues that I’m focused on,” he told CTV News.

Adam Bremner-Akins is a political science student at SFU. He’s run twice for the Greens as an MLA, losing last time to Mike Farnworth in Port Coquitlam. He calls himself a progressive, but sees himself as in the middle of the pack, ideologically.

He wants to maintain the path for the Greens charted by previous leader, Sonia Furstenau.

“Ready to fight for a province that I can stay in and live in, because at this time, it doesn’t feel I’m going to be able to have a life here – it’s too expensive,” he said.

The leadership contest has been clouded by controversy over membership verifications.

Lowan has pushed back on a process she worries was too cumbersome and would suppress the vote. Her opponents say all leaders agreed upon it in advance. Lowan has retained a lawyer, but says she’s optimistic changes to the process will allow it play out satisfactorily in the remaining week.

“I’ve seen some promising improvements on behalf of the party,” she said.

Whoever prevails next Wednesday will make a speech in Victoria the following day at the UBCM meeting to set out the party’s vision as its new leader.