Bevan-Baker says P.E.I. Greens have a 'bright future' as he readies to exit the stage

Peter Bevan-Baker says it's time for P.E.I.'s Green Party to start looking toward a future without him.

The Green leader announced his resignation at the party's annual general meeting on Saturday. Bevan-Baker will stay on until a new leader is chosen.

"This party has a really bright future if we don't panic," he told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier Monday morning.

His resignation comes just a few months after disappointing election results in April. The party lost six of its eight seats, giving up their Official Opposition status to the Liberals.

But Bevan-Baker said his decision to retire was largely due to personal reasons. He said his life has been very unbalanced in recent years.

I came to politics recognizing that there was a real problem with the existing parties — which I think still exists — and that Islanders were hungry for a different voice.- Peter Bevan-Baker

"This is not a complaint," he said. 

"I just am aware of how many other things in my life have gotten squeezed out, some of them completely excluded. I feel it's time to bring some of that back in."

Big win in 10th try

Bevan-Baker was elected leader of the P.E.I. Green Party in November 2012. He brought with him a lot of election experience — none of it successful.

He first got involved with the Greens in Prescott, Ont. Bevan-Baker would end up running for the party eight times in Ontario, both at the federal and provincial levels. He lost all of those elections.

His ninth effort was on P.E.I. in the 2011 provincial election, where he finished third in the district of Kellys Cross-Cumberland with 306 votes. Expectations for the 2015 election were not high.

But that year, Bevan-Baker won his seat by the largest margin seen in the province, becoming P.E.I.'s first-ever Green MLA.

Fortunes for the party turned rapidly. With a byelection win by Hannah Bell in 2017, the Green caucus grew to two members. 

The 2019 general election made Bevan-Baker's party the first Green Official Opposition in Canadian history.

Positioned for government

Bevan-Baker said he was able to make a difference by presenting the Greens as a party that was not just about the environment, but ready to govern on a full range of issues — from health care to education to economic development.

"If you want people to support you as a potential government, you have to demonstrate that you have capability and capacity and understanding in all of those areas," he said.

"I came to politics recognizing that there was a real problem with the existing parties — which I think still exists — and that Islanders were hungry for a different voice, a different kind of voice."

But it's time for someone else to be that different voice, he said.

Bevan-Baker said he made his decision within days of the April election, but that the party was dealing with a lot and he did not want to add to its difficulties while it was reorganizing and preparing for the spring session of the legislature.

The party's AGM seemed an appropriate time to let people know his decision.

'We won't find his equal'

Elizabeth May, leader of the federal Green Party and a long-time friend of Bevan-Baker, said the P.E.I. Greens were lucky to have him.

"[His] contribution to public life was to add a huge dose of civility, integrity and kindness, and set the bar quite high for elected people and elected leaders in any party and anywhere across Canada," she said.

"We won't find his equal."

May said although he will be greatly missed, she's confident the Greens will continue to see success — both nationally and at the provincial level.

The Green Party of Prince Edward Island remains the government in waiting.- Elizabeth May

"I wish Peter hadn't made the decision he made, but I totally understand. I can see that the Green Party of Prince Edward Island will rebuild very fast because of the strong support from voters," she said.

"The Green Party of Prince Edward Island remains the government in waiting."

Future plans

Bevan-Baker will stay on as MLA for District 17, but he hopes he will be able to bring some balance back into his life with less responsibilities.

He rules out a return to dentistry, his first profession, but said he has many other interests.

"I want to get back to music, I want to do some more writing, I want to get back involved with children's theatre which I loved so much," he said.

"I want to see my own children more, and particularly my grandchildren. I just feel that in the future, I will just try to regain some sort of equilibrium."

Despite the April results, Bevan-Baker said he's happy with where he's leaving the party.

The Greens saw a significant drop in its support. But despite winning fewer seats than the Liberals, they did win more votes.

The party finished second in 18 seats. While the Liberals won three, they placed second in only two other districts.

Bevan-Baker left open the possibility he could run again as an MLA in 2027, but said it is unlikely.

As for shaping the party's future from here, Bevan-Baker said that wasn't the point of his resignation.

"I'm happy to give my experience and my knowledge to whoever comes next, but I am not going to have a heavy hand on what the future of this party looks like."