BC Green's Andrew Weaver to step away from politics in 2021

The BC Greens will be looking for a new captain over the next few months, that as current Leader Andrew Weaver announced his intention to step down from both the leadership and political life in the BC Legislature prior to the 2021 provincial election.

Mr. Weaver who has had the helm  for the Greens in the Legislature and delivered the party message there since 2013, revealed his plans on Monday, his comments bringing to an end a weekend of speculation after his initial heads up of a major announcement to come on Monday.

In his comments of yesterday, Weaver noted that he wanted to provide the party with ample time to select a new leader.

“It is after a great deal of thought and reflection that I am announcing today that I will not be seeking another term as MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. I am making this announcement now so that the party has enough time to start the process of electing a new leader in preparation for the next provincial election."

Among his thoughts on his decision to bring his time in BC politics to an end, he recounted the factors that led him to the Legislature in the first place and how over the last few years, the Greens have shown how minority governments can be sustained for the benefit of the province.

“We have shown that minority governments can work well. They unite parties on issues of common ground. The foundation of this minority government is climate action, best represented by our collaboration on CleanBC - our economic plan to build a thriving, climate-responsible and climate-resilient society. I have long said it is time we reimagined the climate crisis not solely as an environmental problem, but as an incredible opportunity for innovation, creativity, and the advancement of our society."

The leader of the Greens in BC was recently diagnosed with labyrinthitis, a condition which is an inner ear disorder and results in dizziness, it can bring on vertigo, nausea, a ringing in the nears and also a potential loss of hearing.

The health issue, was a topic which he addressed through his twitter feed in September.

The party anticipates hosting their leadership contest at the 2020 convention which will be held in Nanaimo from June 26-28, more details on the process ahead will be released in the weeks and months to come.

You can review Monday's statement here.

Premier John Horgan responded to the news of Mr. Weaver's pending departure with some thoughts through Social media, noting how the two have come to work well together in the last two and half years, comments which the Green leader also had some thoughts on.

So far, the Liberal's Andrew Wilkinson has not offered up any social media message on Mr. Weaver's decision of Monday.

The Premier and the Legislature haven't quite seen the last of the Green Leader just yet.

The Legislature chamber and corridors will still be the MLA's domain through to 2021, which would suggest that those who tune into the Legislature feed from time to time will still hear much from the MLA from Oak Bay-Gordon Head, as he ensures that the Green message is heard loud and clear by both the NDP government and the Liberal opposition.

For more items of note on the work of the British Columbia Legislature see our archive page here.

A wider overview of the events of Monday can be found from our political blog D'Arcy McGee and our Victoria Viewpoints archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.