Why Dimitri Lascaris Isn’t Running Again for Green Party Leader

Written by Alex Cosh

In this week’s episode of North Untapped, we spoke to eco-socialist lawyer and activist Dimitri Lascaris about why he has decided not to run again for Green Party leader, and the hostile atmosphere towards dissent on Western foreign policy that contributed to his decision.

We also discussed Lascaris' concerns about how former leader Elizabeth May would have gone to “every conceivable length” to derail his campaign, and the public conflicts that would likely have ensued as a result, particularly if Lascaris ended up winning the leadership contest.

Shortly after last year’s federal election and in the wake of Annamie Paul’s resignation as Green Party leader, Lascaris told The Maple that he was weighing another leadership run “very carefully,” noting at the time that “the result in the last leadership contest, where we were actually ahead on the fifth ballot, and finished a close second was encouraging in terms of our prospects.”

However, last month, Lascaris announced that he would not run again. In an article explaining his decision, he wrote:

“Since the last leadership contest, I have been dismayed by a precipitous decline in the quality of political discourse in Canada, and in the West generally. Intolerance for dissent has increased dramatically. Censorship has been normalized. In particular, those who dare to oppose Western militarism or our failed economic system are being marginalized and suppressed to a degree that is unprecedented in my lifetime … In this extraordinarily difficult political environment, I feel that I can best contribute by remaining an independent voice of dissent.”

To hear Lascaris’ thoughts about the current political climate, particularly in regards to Western policy on the Ukraine war, and his concerns about how Elizabeth May would have tried to undermine his eco-socialist platform, download the full episode on Apple, Spotify or Google.