Elizabeth May

Elizabeth May  OC, LLB (Dalhousie) DHumL (MSVU hc) LLD (UNB hc) LLD (MAU hc)
Elizabeth May, March 1, 2007
Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Incumbent
Assumed office  August 26, 2006
Preceded by	Jim Harris
Born	June 9, 1954 (1954-06-09) (age 55) Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Political party	Green Party
Children	Victoria Cate (1991)
Residence	Sidney, British Columbia
Alma mater	Dalhousie Law School (1983)
Occupation	Lawyer, Writer, Activist
Religion	Anglican

Elizabeth May, OC (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian environmentalist, writer, activist lawyer, and the current leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was also the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006.

May's permanent residence is in Sidney, British Columbia while her family home is in Margaree Harbour on Cape Breton Island.^[1]

Background

May was born in Hartford, Connecticut^[2][3] to a British father and American mother; she has a younger brother named Geoffrey.^[4][5] Her mother was a prominent anti-nuclear activist and one of the original founders of the peace group SANE while her father was Assistant Vice President of Aetna Life and Casualty.^[5][6]

May attended the prestigious Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut. Her family was rooted in the Welsh Congregationalist tradition of free thinking on religious beliefs.^[7]

The family moved to Margaree Harbour, Nova Scotia in 1972 following a summer vacation spent on Cape Breton Island. They purchased a restaurant and gift shop that was situated in a land-locked schooner, the Marion Elizabeth, located along the Cabot Trail. The business had been closed for several years before the Mays rehabilitated the facility, although financial difficulties saw May withdraw from her studies at Dalhousie University to help the family business. The restaurant and gift shop operated from 1974 until 2002 when the property was expropriated for an expanded highway bridge carrying Route 19 across the Margaree River.^[6]

Following the move to Margaree Harbour, May became active in the fight against aerial herbicide spraying against the spruce budworm. May led a group of 15 landowners in a court fight against Swedish forestry giant Stora, which sought the spraying of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T.^{[citation needed]}

To publicize non-nuclear issues, May banded with a group of like-minded candidates to run in the 1980 federal election. The Small Party, as they called themselves, ran in eleven ridings, with May trying to unseat Allan J. MacEachen in Cape Breton Highlands—Canso. May placed fourth in a field of four candidates receiving 272 votes.^[8]

In light of her legal action, May resumed her university studies as a mature student, majoring in law. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1983. Following her graduation Mr. Justice Merlin Nunn delivered his decision on May's case with the verdict being given in Stora's favor. The judge ordered the group to pay the company damages and legal expenses running to an estimated $500,000.^[9] Faced with losing their land and savings, in addition to the $180,000 they had already spent on the case, May led a group to Stora's headquarters in Stockholm to force the company into settling for a lesser amount. The group scored a public relations victory when Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme met with the group and expressed his displeasure with the company's plan to use herbicides that were banned in Sweden in one of their overseas operations. The resulting settlement gave relief to the landowners but not to May, who was out $15,000 in property and costs she had incurred while handling the case. Ironically, the herbicides May fought against were banned by the time the case was settled.^{[citation needed]}

Following her defeat, May moved to Ottawa in 1985 where she became active with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, as well as representing Pollution Probe and Friends of the Earth. During this time May helped found the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund with the aim of funding groups and individuals in environmental cases.

She began work as an environmental lawyer advising Tom McMillan, Brian Mulroney's Environment minister in 1986. During this time she worked as a liaison between environmental groups and the government. Her time as a policy advisor was not without some controversy. Some environmental groups, at the time, suggested anonymously in The Toronto Star that May favoured Toronto-based applications and they may lose funding if they were not more favourable to the government's proposals.^[10]

May received praise from David Suzuki for her work on Quttinirpaaq National Park (known as Ellesmere National Park prior to February 19, 2001), Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site (previously the South Moresby National Park Reserve, it was renamed on February 28, 1996), Grasslands National Park and the ozone protocol files.^[11] She resigned, in 1988, from her post after learning that the government's plan for Grasslands National Park meant granting permits for the Rafferty-Alameda Project ^[12] in Saskatchewan without performing environmental assessments in exchange for the parkland and the translation of Saskatchewan's statutes into French.^[13]

Sierra Club of Canada Executive Director

In 1989, May became the founding Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada.^[14] May sits on the boards of the International Institute of Sustainable Development ^[15] and Prevent Cancer Now! ^[16]. She is also a former vice-chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.

In 2001, May went on a 17-day hunger strike to protest the government's failure to clean up the Sydney tar ponds in Cape Breton. As a result the federal government pledged to relocate people living nearby to a safer location.^[17]

After that, May was involved in lobbying Paul Martin, then Minister of Finance, claiming that she was instrumental in convincing him that gross domestic product was not a viable measure of economic performance, a position Martin clearly advanced in public in Canada through 2003.^[18]

When Martin became Prime Minister of Canada in late 2003, he was however circumspect on this point, and his replacement in Finance, Ralph Goodale, was concerned mostly to cut Canada's debt to GDP ratio. May rallied and repeated her conversion feat, and by February 2005 Goodale announced "the greenest budget ever" with May at his side, representing the Green Budget Coalition.^[19]

May is a supporter of Help Lesotho^[20] and has experience in international lobbying. She said that the Montreal Action Plan (which came out of the 2005 UN Climate Change Conference^[21]) was "a set of agreements that may well save the planet".^[22] She counts Bill Clinton, who attended the Montreal Conference in 2005 at her request, among her contacts; Clinton became acquainted with May and her parents (then living in Connecticut) while a student at Yale University in the 1960s. In his conference speech Clinton thanked May for inviting him to Montreal. Clinton's presence was instrumental in getting the US to agree to talks on climate change for the first time.

May resigned as the Sierra Club's executive director in April 2006, intending to step down that June. As one of her last major acts in this post she participated in a poll of experts that determined that Brian Mulroney was Canada's "greenest" Prime Minister for an award presented by Corporate Knights magazine, due in part to his influence over the USA on acid rain. For her prominent role in this initiative, May took some criticism from leftist commentators and environmentalists. However, as Mulroney himself noted, she saw him as "the best of a bad bunch", and the timing of the event was calculated to pressure current Prime Minister Stephen Harper to improve his environmental policies in the spring 2006 federal budget. This was May's last public nonpartisan announcement.

Leader of Green Party of Canada

May at Green leadership convention in 2006

May with the fellow candidates at the June 21, 2006, leadership debate in Calgary.

On May 9, 2006, May entered the Green Party of Canada's leadership race.^[23] She announced her intent to make the party "a force." She cited the "major planetary catastrophe" and "climate crisis" and the "crisis of democracy" as primary issues. "I find myself despairing when I see four men in suits engaging in a debate where nothing important is said… if the voters get to hear a whole bunch of really exciting new ideas, they might like them… instead of trying to do a calculation of who they hate the least." ^[24]

On August 26, 2006, May won the leadership election on the first ballot. She tallied 65.3% of the votes beating her main rival, David Chernushenko (33.3%) and Jim Fannon (0.88%). She said one of the main platforms for the next election would be to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). She also said that she would insist on the party being represented on the televised debates.^[25] At the time of her election as leader, May said she intended to run in the riding of Cape Breton-Canso in the next federal election, although she also said she would stand in a federal byelection if one occurred prior to the next general election.^[26]

London North Centre by-election

Lawn signs for all the major candidates decorate an intersection during the by-election

In the fall of 2006, London North Centre Member of Parliament Joe Fontana announced he was resigning his seat to run for Mayor of London, Ontario. Prime Minister Stephen Harper scheduled a by-election for that seat on November 27, 2006, and May stood as the candidate for the Green Party. She shocked some analysts when she finished second to Glen Pearson of the Liberal Party, ahead of the Conservative and New Democratic Party (NDP) candidates. At the time, May's showing in this by-election was the best result, percentage-wise, ever achieved by the Green Party of Canada. She received 9,864 votes, about 26% of the total votes cast.^[27]

2008 federal election

On March 17, 2007, May announced that she would run in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova, in the next federal election.^[28] Central Nova is located on mainland Nova Scotia, rather than Cape Breton Island where May once lived. However, it is adjacent to the Cape Breton-Canso riding in which May previously expressed interest, and overlaps with the area covered by the former Cape Breton Highlands—Canso riding in which she ran in 1980 ^[29] as founder of the "Small Party", precursor to the Green Party of Canada.^[30] The riding was held by Conservative National Defence Minister Peter MacKay. May has explained that she chose Central Nova to avoid running against a Liberal or NDP incumbent.^[31] She acknowledged, however, that this would be a more difficult riding for her to win than others she had considered.^[32] The Green Party received less than 2% of the vote in Central Nova in 2006.^[33]

On April 12, 2007, Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion announced that the Liberals would not run a candidate in Central Nova in return for the Greens not running a candidate in Dion's safe Saint-Laurent—Cartierville riding.^[34][35] May earlier attempted to broker a deal with the NDP, by contacting Stephen Lewis to set up a meeting with party leader Jack Layton; both NDP figures rejected the notion outright. When the May-Dion deal was announced, it was criticized by the Conservatives and NDP, with Layton describing it as "backroom dealing", while former NDP leader Ed Broadbent said that it deprived voters of choice.^{[36] [37]} One of May's paid political advisors, Dan Baril, also resigned over the deal.^[38]

May was initially excluded from the televised leadership debate in the 2008 federal election, based on the lack of any elected Green party MPs. She argued that the TV network consortium's initial exclusion of the Green Party of Canada was "anti-democratic" and blamed it on "the decision-making of a small group of TV network executives".^[39] Prime Minister Harper, NDP leader Jack Layton, and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, all initially opposed her inclusion. Layton initially said that he was following the rules of the broadcast consortium, while NDP spokesman Brad Lavigne confirmed that Layton had refused to attend if May was present, noting that May had endorsed Liberal leader Stéphane Dion for prime minister, and arguing that her inclusion would in effect give the Liberals two representatives at the debate.^[40] Rod Love, former chief of staff to Ralph Klein, has suggested that the Greens could potentially cut into the NDP's support.^[41] Layton's stance drew criticism from the YWCA,^[42] Judy Rebick, and members of his own party.^[43] Layton dropped his opposition to May's inclusion on September 10, 2008.^[44][45]

May did not win Central Nova on election day, losing to MacKay by a margin of 5,619 votes. The party failed to elect a candidate and finished the election either $2 million^[46] or $4 million^[47] in debt. There was criticism from prominent Green Party members of May's failing to support all Green candidates unequivocally during the 2008 election, as she made favorable comments about Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and said that supporters in close ridings might consider voting strategically to attempt to defeat the Conservatives. This may have left Green candidates with vote totals short of Election Canada's reimbursement threshold, as well as reducing the party's subsidy based on popular vote.^[46]

Coalition government support

On December 2, 2008, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion spoke to May about Green Party support for the coalition government of the possible Liberal-NDP coalition government. The possibility was discussed of May being offered a Senate appointment.^[48] May gave the support of the Green Party to the coalition government and stated that she believed that, in the Senate, “I would be seen as more legitimate (than other senators) having received, for my party, just under a million votes and still not having a seat.” ^[49]

Ultimately, however, the coalition fell apart after Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued parliament to avoid a non-confidence vote, Liberal leader Dion resigned and was replaced by Michael Ignatieff, and when parliament finally resumed in January, 2009, the Liberal Party decided to support the Conservative government's new proposed budget. While parliament was prorogued, Harper also announced his intention to fill all current and upcoming Senate vacancies with Conservative appointees to establish his party's control over that chamber.^[50]

Speculation of a Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley byelection run

May had indicated she would consider running in a byelection in the rural Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, which is adjacent to the Central Nova riding she contested in the 2008 election. The Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley riding became vacant when incumbent independent MP Bill Casey resigned to accept a job as representative of the Nova Scotia provincial government in Ottawa.^[51] Prime Minister Stephen Harper announce on October 3, 2009 that these by-election will be held on November 9, 2009.^[52] Since May made these comments the Green Party has selected Jason Blanch as the candidate for this riding, and the by-election was held without her running for its Member of Parliament. In the 2008 federal election, May endorsed Casey's independent campaign in Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley and the Green Party did not run a candidate.

41st federal election

Elizabeth May will run as the candidate in the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. The nomination meeting took place September 19th, resulting in May winning by a landslide^[53] against Stuart Hertzog. She will face Conservative cabinet minister Gary Lunn, who has held the seat for the past twelve years.^[54] May had considered the Ontario riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound where the Green Party received over 27% of the vote in 2008,^[55] and the riding of Guelph, where the Green Party received 21% of the vote ^[56].

Controversial statements

Stance on abortion

Although the Green Party's official policy on abortion is pro-choice, while speaking to the Sisters of St. Joseph during the London by-election, May stated that she personally sees the issue as a "moral dilemma" and not "clear-cut black-and-white".^{[citation needed]}

In the past, May added, she "talked women out of having abortions". She further stated, "I would never have an abortion myself, not in a million years. I can't imagine the circumstances that would ever induce me to it". However May believes that abortion must be legal and available to those women who choose to have one, because "If we make them illegal, women will die".^[57] Following reports of May's statements, prominent Canadian feminist Judy Rebick announced that she was withdrawing her previous support of May and the Green Party due to May's questioning "the most important victory of the women's movement of my generation".^[58]

Responding to Judy Rebick’s open letter, May explicitly reaffirmed that she supported a woman's right to access a safe and legal abortion and that “I never said a woman's right to choose trivialized anything. Not ever.” To clarify the misunderstanding around the Green Party’s recently approved Pro-Choice/Pro-Life position, Elizabeth May further wrote “Some feminist scholars have pointed out that the slogan 'right to choose' focuses on too narrow a context. What are a woman's real rights in society? Where are our economic rights? While a woman must have the right to terminate a pregnancy, what of the larger context? What about the on-going struggle to create a truly equal relationship of sexual equality that might (would) help avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place? What about the responsibility of both sexual partners to avoid unwanted pregnancy (and while on the topic, to avoid sexually transmitted diseases that would be reduced through use of condoms)? I believe that respectful dialogue is possible even around such an emotionally charged issue as this. Not every opponent of legal abortions is unthinking. Neither is every supporter of legal abortion unwilling to acknowledge the moral complexity of the issue. Some common ground could be found, I believe, when the discussion shifts to a broader context”. ^[59]

Chamberlain analogy

In April 2007, Elizabeth May was reported to have made statements in a speech to a London, Ontario United Church of Canada congregation referring to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stance on the environment as "a grievance worse than Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of the Nazis". Her alleged statement drew criticism from the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Conservative Party that the use of Nazi analogies was inappropriate. While Opposition leader Stéphane Dion refused to respond to Harper's request for him to distance himself from May and these remarks during Question Period, Dion did state to reporters outside Commons that May should withdraw the remarks, and that the Nazi regime is beyond any comparison.^[60]

In a Green Party of Canada press release May stated that she was referencing comments made by journalist George Monbiot a few days earlier at the Toronto Green Living Show^[61], saying that he "echoed the views of many people around the world when he expressed his deep distress at Canada's abdication of responsibility in the current climate crisis. As a failure of leadership and moral courage, he compared it to the appeasement efforts of Neville Chamberlain. I made reference to Mr. Monbiot’s statement to highlight the damage being done to Canada’s international reputation, something that should concern all Canadians."^[62][63] Both Prince Charles and Britain’s foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, are on record recently making similar analogies ^[64].

The reaction to May's comments led to a Macleans.ca story^[65] recounting several instances of politicians on record using Chamberlain analogies, including NDP leader Jack Layton, Liberal MP Robert Thibault and Conservative MP Peter MacKay.^[66]

Personal life

May lives in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia with her daughter, Victoria Cate May (born 1991).

May is studying theology at Saint Paul University, and describes herself as a devout Christian.

She indicates that her devout religious position and path towards becoming an ordained minister with the Anglican Church does not clash with her role in the Green Party of Canada, and sees a clear separation between religion and politics.^[67]

Electoral record

Running in Central Nova:

Honours and awards

• Elizabeth May Chair in Women’s Health and the Environment, Dalhousie University, 1998.^[14]
• Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (DHumL), Mount Saint Vincent University, 2000.^[68]
• Harkin Award from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, 2002.
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws, University of New Brunswick, 2003.^[69]
• United Nations Global 500 award.^[70]
• Officer of the Order of Canada, 2005.^[71]
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Mount Allison University, 2007.^[72]

Selected works

• Budworm battles : the fight to stop the aerial insecticide spraying of the forests of eastern Canada (with Richard E.L. Rogers). 1982. Four East Publications. ISBN 0-969-0041-5-X
• Paradise Won: the struggle for South Moresby. 1990. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-5772-5
• Frederick Street: life and death on Canada's Love Canal (with Maude Barlow). 2000. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-200036-9
• At the cutting edge: the crisis in Canada's forests. 2005. Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55263-645-3
• How to Save the World in Your Spare Time. 2006. Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55263-781-6
• Global Warming for Dummies (with Zoe Caron). 2008. Wiley & Sons Publishing. ISBN 0470840986
• Losing Confidence: Power, Politics And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy. 2009. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0771057601

See also

• List of Green party leaders in Canada
• Canadian federal election, 2008

References

External links

• Candidacy website
• Party website
• Elizabeth May on YouTube
• Elizabeth May on Google Video

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