Writing in three pages, Reckmans called her tenure as party president “tumultuous.”
Reckmans took the job a year ago. the Greens were in shambles after an attempt to dump former leader Annamie Paul ahead of the federal election.
Reckmans, the party’s first indigenous president, believed she could help the Greens “rise from the ashes” and become a vibrant, inclusive party while rising to the challenge of protecting the planet.
Those hopes were not realized, he said.
“Now I see that, for me, the dream is dead,” he declares. “I’m exhausted and my optimism is dead … To me, this signals an end to (the Green Party of Canada.).”
In an interview with CBC News on Sunday, she called on members to reclaim the party, comparing the current situation to 2021, when it is beset by infighting and divisive politics.
WATCHES | Reckmans feels she “got on the wrong bus”:
Reckmans says she feels she ‘got on the wrong bus’
Outgoing Green Party President Lorraine Rekmans says that after years of service to the party, she’s not sure she’ll be able to change direction. Reckmans shared a copy of her resignation letter. The reasons for her resignation are long, but she focused on contestants in the ongoing leadership race and problems with her colleagues in the party’s governing body, known as the federal council. “I have resigned to begin with. I had no confidence in the leadership contestants, and they had no confidence in me, and I lost confidence in (the) federal council,” Reckmans said.
The interim leader was misunderstood
Some of her concerns stem from the start of the race about a week ago. During the virtual event, organizers tagged interim leader Amita Kuttner with incorrect pronouns on screen. Kuttner uses the pronouns they/he/ille. According to an earlier statement by Kuttner, Rekmans did not abuse them, but the then-president apologized as a party representative. Kuttner said the incident exposed a larger problem within the party. “In reality, this incident reflects a larger pattern of behavior perpetuated by a few in the party. Over the years, the party has documented reports that point to a systemic issue that disproportionately affects Black, Indigenous and Tribal people and 2SLGBTQIA+,” he said. Kuttner. Four candidates in the leadership race issued a joint statement admitting that Reckmans was not to blame and called on the party leadership to address “similar patterns of behavior that Dr. Kuttner faced during their tenure.” Party leader candidate Sarah Gabriel Baron called Reckmans “uninformed” during a press conference. In her resignation letter, Reckmans accused the candidates of politicizing the incident and insulting her to the point where she could not see herself working with any of them as leader. “Really, what can you do when our leadership hopefuls make allegations against you?” Reckmans said. While most candidates did not personally blame her for Kuttner’s misconduct, Rekmans said the implication was there. “I felt bad,” Reckmans told CBC News. “It was a huge insult to me. It’s an insult to my leadership, an insult to my contribution.” Working 40 hours a week unpaid for the party, Reckmans said she suggested the party do an assessment to fix its culture. At a meeting Friday night, according to Reckmans’ letter, the federal board voted to investigate allegations of abuse and discrimination. However, most aldermen also voted to move the leadership race forward at the same time, which Reckmans opposed. The outgoing president said she did not believe staff and volunteers should be working a match amid allegations of workplace harm and discrimination. “I don’t understand how these two things can coexist, that we could be under investigation for harm and that we could continue to use our volunteers to run a competition,” Reckmans said. “If the council had voted to suspend the tender, I would not have resigned, because that would have sent a message to me that these people are serious about safety.” WATCHES | Extended interview with outgoing Green Party President:
Extensive interview with the outgoing president of the Green Party
Outgoing Green Party President Lorraine Reckmans talks to CBC parliamentary reporter David Thurton about why she decided to step down.
Kuttner says the party’s problems are not new
Kuttner, the party’s interim leader, has been implicated in the latest development. Kuttner told CBC they were grateful for Rekmans’ service, but the leadership race will have to continue. “These problems are not new,” Kuttner said. “We knew they had to be dealt with.” “It’s something we have to be able to do at the same time.”
