PEI Green leader Peter Bevan-Baker resigns after seat drop in election
NORTH RUSTICO, PEI — The politician who led Prince Edward Island’s Green Party to four years as the province’s official opposition — the best result for a Green party in Canada — is stepping down as leader.
Peter Bevan-Baker told party members gathered Saturday at the annual general meeting in North Rustico, PEI, that he will continue as a member of the legislature for New Haven-Rocky Point, remaining as leader until his replacement is elected.
But he said it’s time for a new person to take the reins of the party
“This is not the Peter Bevan-Baker party. This is the Green Party. For a party to succeed in the long run, it must consist of more than one person,” he said in his resignation speech to the deputies.
Bevan-Baker won his ride in the April 3 provincial election, but his party fell from eight to two seats and lost its official opposition status to the Liberals as the Progressive Conservatives gained a convincing majority.
The 61-year-old dentist attracted national attention in 2019 when his party formed the opposition and achieved its best result in history by a Green Party candidate list.
Although the party lost some of its most prominent legislators in the election, it managed to win nearly 22 percent of the vote, compared to the Liberals’ 17.2 percent.
In a telephone interview, Bevan-Baker said he was leaving partly for personal reasons, as politics had led to an “unbalanced life” and he hopes to spend more time with his grandchildren.
He also pointed to the reality that the Progressive Conservatives will be in power for at least four years, and he wants a new leader to gain public exposure.
“It felt like the right time for both myself and the party,” he said.
Some political commentators have said the party appeared ill-prepared for the latest campaign, having been targeted by Liberals fighting to regain their position as a traditional rival to the Tories.
But Bevan-Baker said his departure was not linked to campaign shortcomings.
“You know[politics]can be pretty mysterious and arbitrary and brutally brutal sometimes, at election time,” he said.
The Scottish-born immigrant said he is aware that as he moves away from leadership, environmental issues become increasingly important. Atlantic Canada has experienced very intense hurricanes and wildfires in recent months that climate scientists predict will return to the region.
Bevan-Baker said he will continue to raise concerns about what he called the county’s failure to adequately prepare for global warming or reduce carbon emissions.
“I look at what is happening locally and regionally and nationally and internationally and it breaks my heart. So I’m going to keep working… to make the planet a kinder, gentler and cleaner, greener place,” he said.
However, the leader also said he feels the party’s political support has hardened into a solid footing, and that new talent will emerge that “will match my strength and could very well be more effective.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 17, 2023.
— Story by Michael Tutton in Halifax.
