Peter Bevan-Baker, the most successful provincial Green Party leader in Canadian history, is stepping down.

Bevan-Baker, who turned 61 earlier this month, made the announcement in an emotional speech at the party's annual general meeting Saturday in North Rustico, P.E.I.

"That would rank as perhaps the most difficult speech I've ever made," he said in an interview later Saturday.

In the April election, the party went from eight to two and lost Official Opposition status to the Liberals.

But Bevan-Baker said he made the decision for personal reasons, and that he would have done the same no matter how many seats the party won or lost.

He said he's looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his grandchildren.

"Politics is not an easy place to live and work," he said.

"It's hard on you. It's hard on relationships."

Bevan-Baker said he had made the decision a while ago, and had intended to make the announcement at the end of the spring sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature. The legislature sat until midnight a few days last week, and will continue into next week.

He will continue as MLA for District 17, New Haven-Rocky Point, and stay on as leader until a new one is chosen.

He said the party is still in good shape, and he will maintain a "hands-off" approach to the campaign to choose a successor.

He also ruled out any move into federal politics. While he said it's unlikely, he did not rule out running as a candidate — but not as leader — for the P.E.I. Greens in the next provincial election. He said there are many capable people who could replace him.

"This is not the Peter Bevan-Baker party," he said during his speech to members. "This is the Green Party. For a party to succeed long-term, it has to be more than one person."

Bevan-Baker, a dentist originally from Scotland, was first elected in 2015, becoming the first member of the Green Party to sit in the P.E.I. Legislature.

He was re-elected in 2019 when, under his leadership, the Greens won eight seats and formed the Official Opposition for the first time in any Canadian province.

Political scientist Don Desserud said Bevan-Baker brought prominence to the Green Party.

"More than any other leader, perhaps even more than Elizabeth May, [Bevan-Baker] established the Greens as a serious party to reckon with, not just in P.E.I. but across Canada as well," he said in an email.

"He also brought a new style of politics to P.E.I., one where a well-informed politician could be effective at both opposition and collaboration. Under his leadership, his party brought what must be a record number of opposition party bills to fruition. I will be very sorry to see him go."

Karla Bernard, the MLA for Charlottetown-Victoria Park, is the only other Green Party member currently in the P.E.I. Legislature.