Kuttner selected as next interim leader of the Canadian Greens
One time Leadership contender Dr. Amita Kuttner, has been selected as the next interim leader of the Green Party of Canada.
At 30 years and 11 months, Kuttner becomes the youngest, the first trans person and the first person of east Asian descent to lead a national political party.
Kuttner said in a press release that they were honoured to lead the party, "“I take on this responsibility fully aware of the magnitude of the challenges we are facing but convinced that we will overcome them and emerge stronger, more united and more confident about our vital role in national politics.
"Canada needs the Green Party and I will work tirelessly with our leadership, staff, members and supporters to ensure that the next Leader takes the reins of a party that is united around Green values and around our commitment to addressing the climate emergency, driving progress towards decolonization and promoting social justice."
Amita served as Critic for Science and Innovation for the Green Party of Canada from September 2018 to February 2020.
The new leader holds a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC); their research focused on black holes, wormholes, quantum effects, and the early universe.
Kuttner ran in the 2020 Green Party of Canada Leadership election election, coming in seventh to eventual winner Annamie Paul.
Kuttner leads the party during a time of renewal, after the Greens went through one of its greatest defeats since entering the House of Commons in 2008.
When former Green Party of Canada MP Jenica Atwin left the Green party to join the Liberal Party, Kuttner said in a facebook post that the leader responsibility to facilitate a smooth caucus, "We are Greens, we must be able to disagree and work through it, and policy opinions aside it is the leader's responsibility to facilitate a smoothly functioning caucus and work through any disagreements by building consensus."
After the Leadership election, Kuttner stepped back from the party, and acknowledged there was discrimination within the party, " I took a step back from the Green Party of Canada, but never left it, in order to distance myself from the discrimination within the party and deal with the many changes in my personal life."
Kuttner will need to start the process of healing rifts within the party, and bring the party through a challenging time.
They are the fourth leader of the Green Party of Canada since the 2019 election.
In 2019, Kuttner ran for the Green Party of Canada as a candidate in Burnaby North-Seymour placing third against winner Liberal MP Terry Beech, and former NDP MP Svend Robinson.
NOTE:
During Season 1 of the Cross Border Interview Podcast, We chatted with Dr. Amita Kuttner during the Green Party Leadership Race.
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