Ask-The-Contestants!

Dear Amélie-Mikasa,

Thank you for your question. Throughout this race, all the candidates have worked hard to demonstrate that it is possible to do politics differently, without attacking or tearing each other apart. This gives us a solid foundation for a post-election cooperation that I hope will be most rewarding for the party.

It must be said that no one enters a leadership race without a solid commitment to the well-being of the party. Of course, we are each convinced that we have comparative advantages over candidates with whom we are not teamed up, otherwise we would not have entered the race. It will be up to members to decide which of these advantages they prefer to see in our upcoming leader(s). That being said, it is clear that this party and this cause are bigger than any of us and that the future of the party lies in building a strong team equipped to carry the Green message across the country.

Elizabeth and I are determined to put the undeniable qualities and positive energy of all the other candidates to good use if we are elected. At the beginning of the race, we both committed to doing everything we could to avoid the rifts that marked and followed the previous leadership race.

As I mentioned in a few debates, Anna and Chad are effective organizers and mobilizers, Simon is a man of ideas and integrity, and Sarah is deeply committed to improving member participation in the party's decision-making processes. As for Elizabeth and I, I believe we are the best positioned to not only communicate the Green Party's ideas, rebuild its reputation externally and trust internally, grow our caucus and electoral base, and lead us to the gains that will allow us to build the world and the Canada we dream of.

In such a world, one could almost dream of a leadership team that brings all of these qualities together. In practice, this will be possible if Elizabeth and I win the leadership, allowing us to lay the groundwork for an expanded caucus in Ottawa where we will do everything we can to get Anna, Chad, Simon and Sarah to join Paul, Mike and us in moving the Green agenda forward in Parliament and, hopefully, in government.

Until then, as Elizabeth mentioned, we hope they will agree to participate in a strengthened shadow cabinet that’s well equipped to work with us to advance the Green message in as many arenas as possible.