2025 Green Party of Canada co-leadership election

On November 19, 2022, Elizabeth May was elected leader of the party once again, promising to convert the current leadership model into a co-leadership model, with Jonathan Pedneault being her co-leader.^[2][3] Notably, four of the six candidates approved to run in the 2022 leadership race campaigned as part of joint tickets, promising to appoint the losing member of their ticket as a deputy or co-leader. As co-leadership was not recognized in the Green Party’s constitution at the time of the leadership election, a move to shared leadership required approval from the Green Party. Former party leader Elizabeth May campaigned with Jonathan Pedneault; he became Deputy Leader while the two sought to amend the party constitution.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]}

In February 2024, party members were to vote on motions which, if passed, would have amended the party's constitution to implement a co-leadership model.^[11] However, Pedneault was unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons through a by-election and the proposed constitutional amendment was not voted upon due to disagreement within the party.^[12] On July 9, 2024, Jonathan Pedneault resigned as deputy leader, citing personal reasons.^[13][14] He returned in January 2025 to serve as co-leader, pending election by party membership, which was approved on February 4, 2025, in a landslide.^{[15][16][17][18]} However, while the vote was approved by 89.4% of the 2,990 Green Party of Canada members who voted, 71% of the total 10,301 Green Party of Canada members who were eligible to cast a ballot did not vote.^[19]

To be eligible, a candidate:

• must complete a leadership contest application;
• must have been a member in good standing for at least three months at the end of the application period, unless their employment prohibited them from membership in a political party;
• must be eligible for election to the House of Commons; have no debt owed to the party;
• have no open litigation against the party;
• must be solvent;
• must not have participated in the writing of the campaign rules;
• must be "confirmed to be proficient in speaking and understanding speech in both official languages, such that they can carry out their duties in both languages", unless an Indigenous applicant;
• must have "not demonstrated a pattern, or committed a single egregious act, within reasonable recency, of evidenced and documented violations of the GPC members’ code of conduct, such as inciting or committing violence, racism or abuse";
• has not engaged in a pattern of public advocacy of "positions contrary to the Global Green Principles".^[20]

All Party members age 14 and older were eligible to vote.^[21]