OTTAWA — Former Green leader Elizabeth May slammed the New Democrats this morning for refusing stand down their candidate in a coming byelection so the first Black woman elected to lead a federal party in Canada can win a seat.
Annamie Paul is the new leader of the Green party after winning on the eighth ballot of the contest Saturday.
Paul says she is not surprised none of the other parties will offer what’s sometimes called “leader’s courtesy” in the upcoming byelection in Toronto Centre but that she is used to overcoming obstacles.
But May says in 2019, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said it was “classy” for the Greens to stand down so he could win a byelection in suburban Vancouver when a victory for him was not a sure thing.
May says Singh should think about that and asks other New Democrats to ask themselves how classy they think it is for their party to try and block Paul.
NDP National Director Anne McGrath says the NDP candidate in Toronto Centre was chosen democratically by the party membership and will be on the ballot.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2020.
Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press
