Abby Shin

Two out of three contestants are under 25 years of age!

As social and environmental issues seem more hopeless every day, it is understandable that young people are losing hope in their politicians and becoming apathetic to the political process. That’s why I was so excited when I stumbled across Emily Lowan, a 24-year old woman running to be leader of the BC Green Party. When I looked into the leadership contest, I was even more excited to see that one of the other contestants -Adam Bremner-Akins – is 23-years old!

This is not to discount the third candidate, Dr. Jonathan Kerr, as I believe that (for the most part) any Green Party politician is very admirable. However, it is especially exciting for me to see people my age supporting the Green Party and fighting for its values. This post will thus highlight the two young candidates, but you can check out Dr. Kerr’s platform here! I believe that the Green Party represents immense potential for Canada’s future, but that it also needs a new, much bigger cohort of young, passionate, and knowledgeable supporters (as I discuss more below). The younger generations are the main inheritors of the current ecological and social crises, and the Green Party (in my opinion) is the only party with a platform that adequately focuses on these crises, and their interconnectedness.

Emily Lowan

Emily Lowan has a strong history of professional, academic, and community-based social and environmental activism. She holds a Bachelor’s from UVic in Environmental Studies and Political Science, with a minor in Economics. She has incredible volunteer and work experience, currently the Fossil Fuel Supply Lead at Climate Action Network Canada. Her campaign slogan is “Fight the Oligarchs and Fund our Future”, with her platform built on phasing out MAGA-backed pipelines and fossil fuel expansion, taxing BC’s richest corporations and 1% to fund housing, transit, and other social benefits for working Canadians, as well as upholding Indigenous rights and consent under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. As a young woman and activist, Emily Lowan is such a source of inspiration to me! Even if you do not live in BC, she is a great figure to follow and is definitely turning into a major voice of our generation. Read her full platform here and follow her on Instagram @emilylowan.

Adam Bremner-Akins

Adam Bremner-Akins has been an active member of the BC Greens for over 8 years, having served as Party Secretary and been an MLA Candidate. He is currently a restaurant server and Political Science student at Simon Fraser University with a minor in Planning. His platform is comprised of many ideas to strengthen affordability, mobility, climate action, and healthcare, with his slogan aiming to “lower the cost of living for every hard working British Columbian”. Like Emily Lowan, Adam has a plethora of great ideas about addressing environmental and social issues, and is an activist to watch regardless of the Leadership Race outcomes. To learn more, read his full platform here and follow him on Instagram @adam_bremner_akins.

The importance of youth representation in the Green Party’s success.

Things have been tough for Canada’s Green Party recently. In the last election, they were omitted from the leaders’ debate and went from two Members of Parliament to one, with co-leader Jonathan Pedneault losing his own riding and resigning. This leaves longtime leader Elizabeth May to solely represent the Greens in the House of Commons. It doesn’t help that the Greens’ history has been defined by dysfunction and policies that are limited by a lack of power. I know from personal experience that provincially, the Greens are also lacking a lot of support from younger generations and are struggling to be taken seriously by voters in comparison to the larger parties. It has become clear that the Green Party needs a bit of a refresh.

As those who will suffer the brunt of the climate, biodiversity, and environmental injustice crises, younger generations should have a vested interest in strengthening the Green Party’s influence both provincially and nationally. People like Emily Lowan and Adam Bremner-Akins clearly know this, and I hope that they inspire more young people to learn about the Green Party’s platforms and policies. These policies, despite general belief, aim to solve Canada’s social and economic issues in addition to environmental ones. Furthermore, unlike the larger parties, they acknowledge the connection between those issues and integrate this interconnectedness into their policies. This is not to say that Green policies are without fault, of course. But empowering the party and growing their supporter base is necessary to make improvements and garner real political sway.

To learn more about the Green Party, check out their national platform as well as their work in Ontario!