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Has led party since 2015

Weaver leaving Green Party

Oct 7, 2019 | 10:17 AM

B.C.’s Green Party leader has announced plans to leave the post — and provincial politics.

Andrew Weaver, who has led the party since 2015, says he will not run for re-election as MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head, and has asked the party prepare for a process to choose a new leader before the next B.C. election in 2021.

“It is after a great deal of thought and reflection that I am announcing today that I will not be seeking another term as MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head,” Weaver told a news conference in Victoria. “I am making this announcement now so that the party has enough time to start the process of electing a new leader in preparation for the next provincial election.

“When I first decided to leave my post as Canada Research Chair in climate modelling and analysis at the University of Victoria to run for public office in 2013, I did so out of a sense of civic duty. I had watched with dismay as our province slipped from being a climate leader to climate laggard. The B.C. Green Party is where I felt I could make the most difference, but I could not imagine the many ways we would transform the B.C. political landscape.”

Weaver, a climate scientist, and B.C.’s two other Green MLA’s, have helped keep the NDP minority government of John Horgan in power since the 2017 election.

“We have shown that minority governments can work well,” Weaver said. “They unite parties on issues of common ground. The foundation of this minority government is climate action, best represented by our collaboration on CleanBC – our economic plan to build a thriving, climate-responsible and climate-resilient society. I have long said it is time we reimagined the climate crisis not solely as an environmental problem, but as an incredible opportunity for innovation, creativity, and the advancement of our society.”

The 57-year-old Weaver says the decision not to run for re-election has not been easy.

“I feel a deep responsibility and pride for the role the B.C. Greens have played in getting the province back on track to meet its climate commitments and to reframe climate change as an economic opportunity – instead of a purely environmental catastrophe,” he said.

B.C. Green Party Provincial Council will meet later this month to put a leadership contest committee in place. This committee will be responsible for recommending contest rules and timeline, eligibility and vetting for the provincial council.

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