Just hours after celebrating her victory in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding, Elizabeth May, the veteran Green Party co-leader, remained cautiously optimistic Tuesday (April 29) afternoon as she awaited the final results from across the country.
While secured for a fifth term in her riding with a definitive 40 per cent of the votes, May held out hope that she would have company on Parliament Hill. The Green Party's Mike Morrice was locked in a tight race with Conservative Kelly DeRidder. When the final votes were counted Tuesday afternoon, Morrice fell 358 votes shy of victory.
"Obviously, I don't want to be one by myself – it’s nicer to have two or more Green seats," May said, her voice tinged with anticipation. "But honestly, there is no, as the trite saying goes, bad seat in the House of Commons. Some parties work hard across this country to try to win one seat, so I don't take anything for granted, but I know that one seat can do a lot."
May’s own history underscores her point. Elected as the first Green MP in Canada in 2011, she spent eight years as the party's lone representative.
"I was the only Green MP from 2011 till 2019, so I know the job well," she stated.
During that time, she successfully championed Bill C-442, the National Lyme Disease Strategy Act, which led to millions of dollars being allocated to Lyme disease research and the creation of a national awareness program within Health Canada.
May emphasizes that a single MP can be remarkably effective, provided they are not stifled by party leadership.
“One MP can do a great deal in Parliament, as long as you're not a member of Parliament and a backbencher for the Liberals, Conservatives, or New Democrats or Bloc, where they don't want their MPs to do anything,” she added.
Dismissing any notion that her seat in Ottawa is comfortable, May described the demanding nature of the role.
"I work seven days a week, quite often 19-hour days back to back," she revealed. "It's a seriously difficult job. And if you're serious about doing it, you're putting at least as much time into the constituency work locally as you are into what you do once you're in Parliament."
Looking ahead, May said her immediate priority is to engage with Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the government's priorities.
She aims to highlight key Green Party policies, including a strategic reserve of natural resources and the creation of "Canada Bonds" designed to encourage savings.
"A lot of the Green Party policies that we put forward in the election, I would want to brief the prime minister and make sure that he understands how we do a strategic reserve of natural resources, how we create Canada bonds – the saving Canada bonds. That'd be a great way for us to take on President Trump and create a new saving mechanism for Canadians.”
After defying political predictions and securing her riding once again, May took a moment to celebrate with her campaign team, supporters and her husband, John Kidder.
She even joined in a duet, singing "On the Sunny Side of the Street."
When asked what that “sunny side” means for her constituents, May emphasized the importance of finding a positive outlook amidst challenging times.
"Now that I've been re-elected, I’ll be very devoted to a high degree of quality service for my constituents.”
She also indicated plans to revisit previously tabled bills.
"There are a lot of bills I'd love to return to and see if we can fast-track them based on the fact they'd already gotten the third reading."
May specifically highlighted her environmental justice legislation, which became law in June 2024.
"I want to speed up the work to take that law, which is now the law of the land, and make sure we're implementing it, particularly locally where there are a number of issues of environmental justice," she explained.
The final results saw May capture 31,152 votes (39.1%), holding off a challenge from Liberal David Beckham (25,353 votes), Conservative Cathie Ounsted (19,994) and the NDP's Colin Plant (3,158).
Expressing deep gratitude to the voters of Saanich-Gulf Islands for their continued support, May acknowledged the responsibility entrusted to her.
"I'm very fortunate and very grateful to the voters of Saanich-Gulf Islands that they've returned me to keep working for them," she said. "It's a long job interview and I've just had my contract renewed, so I have to keep working."
Finally, May addressed the future of the Green Party, stating that she plans to discuss potential pathways forward with co-leader Jonathan Pedneault to determine his current aspirations and the best course of action for the party.
