By Harrison Johnston

Last October, when Andrew Weaver announced that he would be stepping down as the leader of the B.C. Green Party, he said that it was “time to let another generation lead”. He specifically singled out the youth activists who organized the climate strikes in Victoria and Vancouver as inspiration.

It’s time for Weaver to take his own advice, step back, and let another generation lead.

I am a part of that next generation. I was one of the main organizers of the climate strike on September 27th which brought more than 100,000 people to the streets of Vancouver. I joined the B.C. Greens last November, just a few weeks after Weaver announced that he was stepping down. I made the decision to join because of that next generation of B.C. Greens, MLAs like Sonia Furstenau and Adam Olsen and many amazing activists and organizers across the province.

Despite saying he would be stepping back to let another generation lead, last month, Weaver made the bizarre decision to attack his former B.C. Greens colleagues, Furstenau and Olsen, on Twitter. Among a number of strange attacks, one Tweet really stood out to me.

In a reply to one of Weaver’s Tweets, someone said that “Weaver's Greens were far more centrist than most realized. They were fiscally responsible environmentalists. Leadership changed b/c the party came to represent the more radical left.” Weaver responded “You are 100% correct.” This goes to the root of why I had no interest in being a member of the B.C. Green Party while Andrew Weaver was leader.

Weaver wanted the Greens to be a centrist party that catered to wealthy elites, while also caring about the environment. There are numerous examples of this view from his time as leader.

Last year, Weaver suggested that people take out a second mortgage to pay for an electric car, a suggestion that is astonishingly out of touch with the reality of most British Columbians.

Another example is the speculation tax, designed to help fix the fact that many wealthy people have treated housing as an investment, which has created a massive crisis in B.C. that has left thousands of people precariously housed. It was supported by 76 percent of people in BC, but Weaver vehemently opposed it, calling it both “stupid” and “horrible”.

Before the pandemic, people in B.C. were already facing crises in many aspects of our lives. Housing prices are through the roof. Public education is underfunded and teachers are severely underpaid. Public transit is expensive and provides inadequate service. Many sectors of our economy are based on unsustainable resource extraction, but there are no plans to support workers in these areas.

Now, this massive public health crisis has brought attention to many issues that the B.C. government needs to address. Our long-term care system is broken and needs to be completely restructured. Many essential workers, including janitors and grocery store workers, who have made massive sacrifices during the pandemic are seriously underappreciated and underpaid.

Our government doesn’t guarantee any paid sick leave to workers, which has forced many to go to work even if they feel sick. There is nowhere near enough support for women who take care of children, family members who take care of elders, and many others who make massive contributions to our economy, but are not recognized for it.

The B.C. NDP is satisfied with championing minor reforms to the status quo, while doing very little to address the roots of these massive crises. The B.C. Liberals dream of returning the province to the disastrous years of Christy Clark that created many of these problems.

British Columbians desperately need a bold, progressive party that will fight for evidence-based solutions to the many crises we are facing. I am confident that if Sonia Furstenau is elected as the next leader, with the already strong base of activists, organizers, and future candidates in the party, the B.C. Greens are ready to step up and be that party.