In a hard-hitting, hard-hitting resignation letter, Green Party leader Lorraine Rekmans has announced she has resigned in frustration and says the party’s dream is “dead”.
In three pages, Rekmans called her tenure as party chair “turbulent.”
Rekmans took the job a year ago; the Greens were in crisis after an attempt to dump former leader Annamie Paul ahead of a federal election.
Rekmans, the party’s first Indigenous president, believed she could help the Greens “rise from the ashes” and transform into a vibrant and inclusive party, while meeting the challenge of protecting the planet.
Those hopes were not realized, he said.
“Now I see that, for me, the dream is dead,” he says. “I’m exhausted and my optimism has died … For me, this signals the end of the (Green Party of Canada).”
In an interview with CBC News on Sunday, he called on members to revive the party, comparing the current situation to 2021, when it was beset by infighting and divisive politics.
LOOK | Rekmans feels like he “got on the wrong bus”:
Rekmans says he feels like he ‘got on the wrong bus’
Outgoing Green Party president Lorraine Rekmans says that after years of service to the party, she’s not sure she can change its direction.
Rekmans shared a copy of his resignation letter. His reasons for resigning are varied, but he focused on the contestants in the leadership race currently underway and problems with his colleagues on the party’s governing body, known as the federal council .
“I resigned on principle. I had no confidence in the leadership contestants, and they had no confidence in me, and I lost confidence in (the) federal council,” Rekmans said.
Wrong interim leader
Some of their concerns stem from the launch of the race about a week ago. During the virtual event, organizers tagged interim leader Amita Kuttner with incorrect pronouns on screen. Kuttner uses the pronouns they/he/ille.
According to an earlier statement by Kuttner, Rekmans did not misgender them, but the then-president apologized as a party representative. Kuttner said the incident exposed a larger problem within the party.
“In reality, this incident reflects a wider pattern of behavior that is being perpetuated by a few members of the party. Over the years, the party has documented reports that indicate a systemic problem that disproportionately affects black, indigenous and racialized people and 2SLGBTQIA+.” Kuttner said.
Four candidates in the leadership race issued a joint statement acknowledging that Rekmans was not at fault and called for party leadership to address “similar patterns of behavior that Dr. Kuttner has faced during his tenure.”
Party leader candidate Sarah Gabrielle Baron called Rekmans “uninformed” during a news conference.
In her resignation letter, Rekmans accused the candidates of politicizing the incident and insulting her to the point that she could not see herself working with any of them as a leader.
“Seriously, what can you do when our own leadership is waiting to impeach you?” said Rekmans.
While most candidates didn’t blame her personally for damaging Kuttner, Rekmans said the implication was there.
“I felt slandered,” Rekmans told CBC News. “It was a huge insult to me. It’s an insult to my leadership, an insult to my contribution.”
With 40 hours a week of unpaid work for the party, Rekmans said he has proposed that the party conduct an evaluation to correct its culture.
At a meeting Friday night, according to Rekmans’ letter, the federal board voted to investigate allegations of abuse and discrimination. However, the majority of councilors also voted to continue the leadership race concurrently, which Rekmans opposed.
The outgoing president said she did not believe staff and volunteers should be working on a race amid allegations of workplace harm and discrimination.
“I don’t see how those two things can coexist, that we could be under investigation for damages and that we could continue to use our volunteers to run a contest,” Rekmans said.
“If the City Council had voted to suspend the competition, I would not have resigned, because that would have sent me a signal that these people are serious about security.”
LOOK | Extended interview with the outgoing president of the Green Party:
Extended interview with the outgoing president of the Green Party
Outgoing Green Party President Lorraine Rekmans talks to CBC parliamentary reporter David Thurton about why she decided to step down.
Kuttner says the party’s problems are not new
Kuttner, the party’s interim leader, has been implicated in the latest development. Kuttner told CBC they were grateful for Rekmans’ service, but the leadership race should continue.
“These problems are not new,” Kuttner said. “We know they had to be dealt with.”
“It’s the kind of thing we have to be able to do simultaneously.”