Win or lose, P.E.I. Green leadership hopefuls say there are good 'vibes' within party

There was an air of optimism in the room as the two candidates for the leadership of P.E.I.'s Green Party discussed a range of topics in their final chance to impress voters Saturday. 

Hannah Bell and Matt MacFarlane were aligned on many of the topics that came up during a debate in Charlottetown. 

The party's membership will vote on which of them will become the permanent leader during a convention on June 7. 

"It reminded me of our time in 2019 when we had very similar energy," said Barb McDowall, a Green Party member from Charlottetown. 

"Whoever becomes the leader will be the right person … and I know that the two of them will work very, very well together." 

The Greens have been without a permanent leader since Peter Bevan-Baker stepped down after the 2023 provincial general election. 

That vote saw the party tumble from Official Opposition status. Their eight seats were cut to two — Bevan-Baker and current interim Leader Karla Bernard. 

The Greens have since added a third seat in the legislature after MacFarlane won a February 2024 byelection in Borden-Kinkora. That was triggered by the resignation of former Progressive Conservative MLA Jamie Fox, who stepped down to run for the federal Conservatives.

Focused on growth

Saturday, the two candidates discussed local issues like interprovincial trade, health care, a basic income guarantee and proportional representation. 

This is the first time the P.E.I. Greens will have a contested leadership, according to party officials. 

Bell is a former member of the provincial Greens, winning a 2017 byelection for Charlottetown-Parkdale (now Charlottetown-Belvedere). Six years later, she announced she would not re-offer in the 2023 election. 

Since then, she said many people have encouraged her to throw her hat back into the provincial politics ring. 

"One of the worst things we can do is cut off our own opportunities," Bell said. "I've had a couple of years out of being in the politics space, and I had a lot of people contacting me and asking me if I would consider this [leadership race]." 

Bell added that she will consider putting her name in as a candidate in a byelection the Progressive Conservative government eventually has to call in Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park. That seat was left vacant when former PC cabinet minister Natalie Jameson stepped down to run in the federal election for the Conservatives. 

That's one of two byelections on the horizon. The other is in Brackley-Hunter River, the seat left vacant when former premier Dennis King stepped aside in February. 

Given the Greens' win in the last byelection held on the Island, many in the room Saturday — including MacFarlane — were feeling positive about the party recapturing its momentum from six years ago. 

MacFarlane, a lawyer who lives in Augustine Cove, announced his intention to run for the party's leadership in January.

"I think the biggest issue right now… is just growing the party and how are we going to do that if I'm the leader, if Hannah's the leader," MacFarlane said.  

"I'm feeling right now in Prince Edward Island the same sort of energy and vibes as I felt in 2018, going into the 2019 general election…. There seems to be a real strong desire for change."