Elizabeth May, My Favourite Member of Parliament

No one asked me to choose a favourite. In fact, I’ve never been inclined to do so before. But, I am suddenly full of hope and inspiration. The people of Saanich-Gulf Islands have elected a stateswoman who is as ordinary as she is incredible. Single mother, grandmother, former waitress, environmental activist, author, lawyer, party leader, rookie MP... Most of us can recognize something of ourselves in Elizabeth May. It is her clarity of purpose and consequent action that set her apart. I am not alone in thinking that her election to the House of Commons is the best among outcomes of the May 2011 federal election. Smart, well spoken, contemporary, and media savvy, Ms. May was ready to hit the ground running when the House of Commons resumed sitting on Monday, May 30th. She will undoubtedly continue to serve Canadians well, as an advocate for democracy and the environment in particular.

Elizabeth May has close to 40 years experience as a leader in the environmental movement, from grassroots volunteer to executive director of Sierra Club Canada. The roots of her political leadership go back almost as far. Ms. May ran as a candidate for Cape Breton Highlands Canso in the 1980 federal election. In fact, she was founder and party leader of the newly formed Small Party, which ran 13 candidates in 6 provinces. Their focus was on environmental issues. Although no candidates were elected, this early display of political initiative is noteworthy.

Elizabeth May was born in Connecticut in 1954, but moved to Cape Breton Island with her family in 1973. She became a Canadian Citizen in 1978.

Ms. May spent most of her 20s working for the May family business, a restaurant/gift shop along the Cabot Trail, where she worked as a waitress and a cook. It was during this period that she became active in the local environmental movement. In her spare time, Ms. May volunteered with the group Cape Breton Landowners Against the Spray. The group waged a long battle (1975-1979) to ban the spray of aerial insecticides over Cape Breton. They eventually won and their story became the subject of Elizabeth May’s first book, Budworm Battles (1982).

From these early years to now, Elizabeth May has accomplished a great deal. Her catalogue of achievements is too long to list here. Highlights include a law degree from Dalhousie University (1983), 2 years as a senior policy advisor to the federal Minister of the Environment (1986-1988), 17 years with Sierra Club Canada (1989-2006), the award Officer of the Order of Canada (2005), and 5 years as the leader of the Green Party of Canada (2006-present)...not to mention the 7 books Elizabeth May has authored. Clearly this woman is extraordinary! 

It’s not my purpose here to advocate for a certain political party; rather, my purpose is to celebrate Elizabeth May, an inspirational Canadian woman.

Although I didn’t know very much about her at the time, I remember feeling very pleased when Elizabeth May was elected leader of the Green Party of Canada (August, 2006). I had only recently become aware of the party and its leader Jim Harris, when Elizabeth May began appearing on television. I was heartened by her presence. She seemed so bright, articulate and approachable, with a great sense of humour to boot. I remember one episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in particular, where Rick Mercer tried to involve the newly elected Green Party leader and long-time environmental activist, Elizabeth May, in cutting down a tree. I found the segment very funny and I said to myself, “I like Elizabeth May.”

Ms. May’s unique way of doing things made a big impression on me during the 2008 federal election campaign. Other party leaders tend to be very traditional in how they conduct their campaigns; so much so, that it becomes difficult to tell one party from another. Elizabeth May distinguished the Green Party in 2008 by travelling across the county by train, greeting Green Party candidates and supporters in Via Rail stations along the way. In this day and age, it’s hard to make a road trip by campaign bus (or plane) look fresh...not to mention environmentally responsible. Also in 2008, Ms. May raised eyebrows, including my own, by choosing to run in a riding that she wasn’t likely to win, that is Central Nova against popular cabinet minister Peter MacKay. She explained that she wanted to be near her home and her father. That made me think about all the times I have made important work decisions so that I can be there for my children. I found it endearing. In retrospect, now that I know more about Elizabeth May and about the outcome of the 2008 election, I suspect that winning the Central Nova riding wasn’t her main priority but rather raising Green Party issues and popularity. From that point of view, the 2008 election was a great triumph. The Green Party didn’t elect any members to the House of Commons, but they ran a candidate in almost every riding and garnered nearly 1 million votes, close to 7% of the popular vote.

The Green Party’s share of the popular vote declined significantly (-3%) in the May 2011 federal election. Despite this decline, 2011 has been a landmark year for the Greens.

Elizabeth May made history on May 30, 2011 by being sworn in as the Green Party of Canada’s first elected Member of Parliament. The people of Saanich-Gulf Islands have given Canadians a great stateswoman.

Written by Rosemary MacDonald
Edited by Lucinda Atwood