With Mike Morrice being one among two Green Party members to be elected to office within the federal election, the newly minted Kitchener MP’s name has naturally been mentioned almost about the leadership opening.
Annamie Paul announced her intention to resign as party leader on Monday after a disastrous showing eventually week’s election, which left Morrice and former leader Elizabeth May alone within the Green section of the House of Commons.
Morrice issued a press release on Twitter on Tuesday that praised Paul for her perseverance during her temporary stint as leader of the party.
“Annamie persevered through challenges I recognize I’d not have faced if I had been in her shoes and I fully respect her decision to step down presently,” Morrice wrote.
“As the primary Black, Jewish leader elected to serve a federal party, her presence on the national stage has inspired others to become involved.”
Paul will step down formally inside “the approaching weeks,” the Green Party confirmed to The Canadian Press on Monday, and its ruling federal council will then appoint a caretaker leader.
Once that caretaker leader is installed, there will likely be six months before a latest leader is chosen.
Morrice’s spokesperson told Global News in an email that he isn’t closing the books on throwing his name within the ring at some point, but currently, the rookie MP is focusing his efforts on his latest gig.
“Mike is open to any variety of possibilities down the road, but in the meanwhile his focus is on serving the residents of Kitchener Centre, so he wouldn’t be all for searching for party leadership presently,” spokesperson Rosalind Horne wrote, noting he was currently focused on representing the realm residents who elected him.
“It is crucial to him to have the option to each serve the realm’s residents through a responsive constituency office, in addition to to tackle their priorities by collaboratively working to enhance housing affordability, implement truly universal healthcare, and fight climate change at the dimensions and pace required by the emergency facing us.”
After falling just short within the previous provincial and federal elections, Morrice became the primary member of the Green Party to win a seat in Ontario.
He finished greater than 5,000 votes ahead of his nearest challenger, Conservative candidate Mary Heinen Thorn.
Morrice replaces former Liberal MP Raj Saini, who dropped out of the race to cope with serious allegations levelled at him. Despite this, Saini collected 16 per cent (8,297) of the votes as he finished fourth.
—with files from The Canadian Press
