Andrew Weaver Steps Down

He's been a true stalwart of the Green Party movement in Canada. Our very own climate scientist, U. Vic's Andrew Weaver. Now he's announced that he won't be seeking re-election to the provincial legislature. This is it. He's done.

In 2013, Weaver left his post as Canada Research Chair in climate modelling and analysis at the University of Victoria. He was elected in May 2013 in Oak Bay-Gordon Head as the first provincial Green politician in Canada, and acclaimed as the party’s leader in 2015. 

He ran with a focus of making a difference in the area of climate change, explaining he viewed the B.C. Green Party as the best vehicle to do that work.

I wonder if Dr. Weaver is throwing in the towel, giving up the fight. The latest polling results show the federal Greens going nowhere. We might be back to the Vancouver Island/Gulf Islands bastion when the votes are tallied. A failure of Elizabeth May's Greens to stage a breakthrough will mean that climate change, the climate crisis/breakdown and our national climate emergency will fade once Scheer or Trudeau prevails.

It wouldn't be much of a surprise if Elizabeth May follows Weaver out the door. She has been fighting hard for close to 14 years. Susan Riley named her the "hardest working MP on Parliament Hill."  Like Weaver, she knows that Canada and the world stand at a crossroad and the petro-state isn't likely to change course. Time is not on Canada's side or humanity's. We haven't got another four years to squander on disingenuous half-measures as we have the past four years. But sometimes the clock simply runs out.