The Green Party attributed illegal campaign overspending by MP Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, Ont.) in the 2021 election to mistakes by an inexperienced campaign agent. Blacklock's Reporter says Elections Canada fined Morrice’s campaign agent $500 after the campaign spent $118,679 — exceeding the riding’s legal limit of $112,018 by thousands of dollars.“Our first-time official agent made a few small mistakes in tracking campaign spending,” said Mats van Kleef, CEO of the Green Party. He emphasized that the breach was unintentional and that the Party has since implemented measures to prevent similar errors in future elections. “We regret these errors and have co-operated fully with investigators,” he added. Morrice declined to comment.Spending limits are designed to ensure fairness among candidates, said Elections Canada. “Most political entities do not spend up to the limits,” the agency noted, adding that only 4% of candidates in the 2021 election spent 90% or more of their allowable budget.Morrice was elected in Kitchener Centre with 35% of the vote, one of only two Green MPs elected nationwide. The party, which failed to nominate candidates in 86 ridings that year, garnered just 2.3% of the national popular vote, or 396,988 votes — a fraction compared to the support received by other federal parties.The Greens have struggled in recent years, electing only four MPs over four decades and cycling through four leaders since 2019. Current leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.), who returned to the role in 2022, has committed to guiding the party into another campaign despite personal health challenges, including a 2023 stroke.“The stakes are really big here,” May said, adding, “Baby boomers have f—ked this planet, and we can’t walk away and leave it for our kids to fix it.” While acknowledging her frustration, May expressed determination: “I can’t tell you how blessed I feel.”
