The chair of the B.C. Green Party’s provincial council has announced the party is moving to immediately suspend its leadership contest.
“The B.C. Green Party Provincial Council has unanimously voted to postpone our leadership contest for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 crisis,” Sat Harwood said in a March 27 release. “We are facing a global pandemic that requires all hands on deck. It is more important than the political processes of the B.C. Green Party.”
Harwood said no decision has been made on when to resume the leadership race, and Saanich North MLA Adam Olsen has agreed to stay on as interim leader.
The party’s annual convention, originally scheduled for June 26 to 28 in Nanaimo, has also been cancelled, and the party is looking into ways to hold its AGM online.
“I also want to acknowledge the commitment of Kim Darwin, [Cowichan Valley] MLA Sonia Furstenau and those who had planned to launch their campaigns imminently,” Harwood said.
Darwin, a former Green candidate in Powell River-Sunshine Coast and, until launching her leadership bid on March 17, president of the riding association and member of the party’s provincial council, said she and her campaign team support the party’s decision.
“We know our members and supporters are all dealing with the far-reaching, and as yet unpredictable, effects of COVID-19 in varying degrees,” Darwin said in a statement after the announcement. “Our hearts go out to those affected, whether physically or economically, and those who are caring for loved ones.”
Darwin said the decision shows “compassion and understanding to those who may be struggling with all the extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19.”
“We look forward to a spirited race in the near future, but our priority right now is to allow British Columbians time to focus on flattening the curve,” Darwin said.
“The work of the B.C. Green Party continues in supporting emergency legislation, distributing essential information and getting people the support they need,” Olsen said. “I urge every single British Columbian to listen to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, to think of one another’s wellbeing, and to act accordingly.”
