Green Leader Annamie Paul has survived another day of party strife after a move to push her out shifted course, leaving her with a tenuous grip on power ahead of a likely federal election this year.
Paul went into an emergency meeting of the Greens’ governing body Tuesday night to face a no−confidence motion from party brass that sought to oust her through a drawn−out process that would culminate in a vote among the membership.
Instead, the tense virtual gathering resulted in a different motion that asks the leader and Green MP Paul Manly to arrange a joint statement and press conference where Paul would repudiate past "attacks" from a former adviser and reiterate her "explicit support" for caucus.
Otherwise a vote of no−confidence in the leader will take place on July 20, federal council president Liana Canton Cusmano said in a statement Wednesday.
She said council also voted to hold a virtual general meeting of party members on Aug. 21, raising further questions about the stability of Paul’s eight−month reign.
The Green caucus, which includes former leader Elizabeth May, is now down to two after MP Jenica Atwin defected to the governing Liberals last week, citing internal clashes over the Israeli−Palestinian conflict as a key reason for her decision.
The fallout from party discord has continued since, with two of the federal council’s 15 members resigning last night.
Lia Renaud, who represents the Greens’ Nova Scotia wing, told The Canadian Press she "could not in good conscience continue" her support for Paul, but said she still backs May and Manly.
Lucas Knell also confirmed he stepped down as the representative for Newfoundland and Labrador, potentially leaving Paul’s political fate in the hands of the remaining 13 councillors, some of whom were appointed rather than elected by party members.
The rift stems in part from a statement by Paul’s then−adviser Noah Zatzman, who said in a social media post on May 14 that "we will work to defeat you," referring to unspecified Green MPs, among others, who he accused of antisemitic rhetoric.
The post came largely as a response to Atwin, who deemed the Green leader’s statement on violence in the Palestinian Territories "completely inadequate" and called on Israel to "#EndApartheid" in a Twitter post on May 11.
That post has since been deleted, though Atwin told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday that "I certainly stand by what I’m saying." She then adjusted her stance on Israel to align with the more moderate Liberal position on Monday.
Manly had said in a May 10 post the planned removal of Palestinian families from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah "is ethnic cleansing."
Paul has avoided explicit rejection of Zatzman’s statement, but has noted he no longer serves a senior adviser and stressed her initial statement on last month’s Mideast crisis: "Violence and confrontation will not bring resolution, only more suffering. We urge restraint and call on those in positions of authority to do all in their power to prevent further injury or loss of life."
Jo−Ann Roberts, who served as interim party leader for nearly a year, said Paul is facing the "growing pains" of a party whose membership spans multiple factions, from fiscal conservatives to eco−socialists.
"She’s learned some very tough lessons the hard way very publicly about the need to be in touch with people, know what they’re thinking," Roberts said in an interview.
"I think this has been a communications breakdown, and that’s going to take some work to fix."
The answer right now is not to change leaders, she added. "She is new to the job and deserves to have the chance to figure this out."
May also faced backlash from the grassroots after she resisted a vote by members in favour of a resolution supporting sanctions against Israel in 2016, Roberts noted. At the time, May opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, calling it "polarizing and divisive."
Allegations of bullying and racial bias against Paul, the first black woman elected to lead a federal party and the second Jewish person to do so (the NDP’s David Lewis was the first), have also bubbled to the surface.
Operation Black Vote Canada said in a statement Tuesday it was "disappointed and dismayed" to learn of the initial no−confidence motion.
"As the first black Canadian to ever lead a major political party, the election of Ms. Paul represented a step forward in the mission to diversify our politics, and have more Canadians represented in the institutions that represent them. Today’s developments represent a step backward in that endeavour," the group said.
