Peter Bevan-Baker has a problem. A couple of them. OK, three.
The leader of the Green Party on P.E.I. is just so darn likeable. That’s problem number one. People like the way he talks. They like what he says. He sounds so, leaderly.
Problem number two. He’s successful. He’s the leader of the official opposition, the party-inwaiting ready one day form the government.
He’s a bit of a late bloomer. He tried running for MP beginning in 1992, failing twice in Ontario, then two more times here over the years. There were other attempts, bids to win a provincial seat in Ontario, then here.
Then Plan B happened. The government decided to move a section of the Trans-Canada Highway. Opponents had concerns. Bevan-Baker helped lead the unsuccessful fight against it.
That fight failed, but in the next provincial election he won the first Green seat as an MLA in this province. His timing, at long last, was perfect.
Which is his third problem. His perfect timing.
Federal Green leader Elizabeth May is calling it a day. She’s staying on as an MP, but she’s out as leader, a job she has held since 2006.
The party has made modest gains, but never scored a breakthrough. It increased its seat count by 50 per cent in the recent federal election. But all that really means is they went from two seats to three.
A party needs 170 seats to form a majority government, so even a sniff of political power still seems a long way off for the Greens.
Which brings us to BevanBaker.
He’s sitting eight provincial seats, up from two in the last election, two more than the usual number two party, the
Liberals. A quick glance across Canada and you’ll find that’s situation is repeated in exactly – oh right – no other provinces.
And now the party will go looking for a new leader next fall, on Oct. 2-4…in Charlottetown. No pressure, Mr. BevanBaker.
He has made his position very clear, thanks, but no thanks.
“I’ve been approached a number of times over the last few years and I’m very touched by that, but I have to tell you absolutely unambiguously, I have no interest in seeking the federal leadership of the Green Party,” he said.
“I’m absolutely committed to the role that I have here on the Island. I just don’t see any reason for me to give up this very unique opportunity that the Green Party has here on Prince Edward Island,” he said.
“I'm not going to walk away from that. This is where my heart is, this is where my work is, and this is absolutely where I see my political future.”
Besides, national leaders must speak French, he doesn’t.
And the lives of national leaders are not their own. They must be in Ottawa. And when they’re not in the national capital, they’re jetting around rallying the troops.
It’s not quite as appealing as jumping in your car at the start and end of each day for the quick commute to your home on P.E.I.
Still, a year is a very long time in politics and leadership is a funny business. Just ask Conservative leader Andrew Scheer. He’s facing a challenge because he lost the last federal election, one his party thought it was going to win.
It’s all about timing.
Rick MacLean is an instructor in the journalism program at Holland College in Charlottetown.
