Green Party co-leader says Carney acting like a Progressive Conservative in campaign

The Green Party of Canada co-leaders Elizabeth May, right, and Jonathan Pedneault, speak to their supporters as they launch their election campaign in Montreal on Sunday, March 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The Green Party will defend “the progressive vision of Canada” against the threats of U.S. President Donald Trump even as the Liberals move to the right, one of the party’s co-leaders says.

Jonathan Pedneault launched the Green Party’s election campaign alongside longtime leader Elizabeth May on Sunday in Montreal, where he said Canada is up against “some of the most difficult challenges” the country has ever faced -- including climate change and an aggressive Trump administration.

“The threat is real. We cannot afford to sit this one out,” he told a crowd of a few dozen candidates and supporters. “We must vote now as though our country depends on it, because more than ever before, it does.”

Pedneault and May both said they were disappointed that Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s first move as prime minister was to scrap the consumer carbon tax. In an interview, Pedneault said Carney is “starting to look like a Progressive Conservative,” and said it was “a shame” to see him drop what had been one of the Liberal government’s central climate policies.

“The only party that will be standing firm on real climate action is Greens, because we don’t make up our mind by checking the winds of popular views and polls,” May later told reporters. “We stand up for Canadians and for our planet based on what scientists tell us.”

The Green Party faces an uphill battle during this election campaign, with polls suggesting they’re only on track to win two seats -- the same number they have now. Fears about the Trump administration and the cost of living have eclipsed concerns about climate change and the environment for many Canadians.

But Pedneault insisted the Greens are not a single-issue party. Last month, they released a plan with 39 measures to respond to Trump’s threats, including calls to create an “economic NATO” with other like-minded democracies, to suspend the purchase of F-35 jets from U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin and to bar Trump from visiting Canada.

“We are a progressive party that’s always had a strong platform to help workers, to help working families throughout the country,” he said. “The Green Party first and foremost is about planning for the future.”

Pedneault, 34, will be the face of the Green Party’s federal campaign and will participate in the debates. A former journalist and activist with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Pedneault became deputy leader of the Green Party in 2022.

He left the party last year for health reasons, but returned earlier this year to serve as co-leader alongside May, who first took over leadership of the party in 2006. “I came back because we are faced with the gravest threats in our history,” he said. “And this is a moment where I have the incredible opportunity to stand and defend the progressive vision of Canada at a time when no one seems to be focused on that.”

Pedneault stressed that he’s the youngest of the federal leaders, and said the Greens need “renewed vision and vigour” during this campaign. “It is a time of crisis for so many Canadians,” he added.

Pedneault does not hold a seat in the House of Commons, and is running in the Montreal riding of Outremont, currently held by Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan, who has been serving as immigration minister.

Aside from May, who represents the British Columbia seat of Saanich-Gulf Islands, the party’s only other MP is Kitchener, Ont. MP Mike Morrice.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2025.