Former Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May plans to join the party's leadership race, the Toronto Star reported on Thursday.

Ms. May, who left the party leadership in 2019, is currently working to accumulate the necessary signatures to run for leadership by the August 5 deadline, the daily said.

A Star source clarified that Ms. May plans to run for the leadership in partnership with Quebec human rights activist Jonathan Pedneault. The two candidates would propose that the Green Party opt for a leadership in pairs, like Quebec solidaire in Quebec.

The former leader of the Greens had left the leadership of the Party in the wake of the 2019 election, while remaining a deputy. Annamie Paul had replaced her as leader for a short term marked by internal conflicts within the Party, which ended with a bitter electoral defeat in 2021.

Mr. Pedneault, who has long worked in non-profit organizations such as Human Rights Watch, recently told the Journal de Montreal that he advocates for realistic environmentalism.

“For me, it is essential that the environmentalist discourse pulls its fingers out of its nose and looks around a bit. It’s easy to be an environmentalist when you live in the Plateau-Mont-Royal district,” he said, acknowledging that efforts are more difficult to make when you live outside major urban centers.

In his view, efforts to limit pollution must first and foremost be led by the government, which must better regulate industries and provide the infrastructure for citizens to green their lives.

The Green Party will elect its next leader on November 19.