'Canadian kids are fantastic,' said Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada on her stop in Collingwood today

MP and Green Party leader Elizabeth May walks on Hurontario with her young guides. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

1 / 1 MP and Green Party leader Elizabeth May walks on Hurontario with her young guides. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

Elizabeth May took lunch in Collingwood today.

The leader of the Green Party of Canada was in town for a couple of hours on her way to Orillia for a community question and answer session planned this evening.

She started her local tour at MedaTech Engineering Services, then joined a group of local youth for a downtown tour.

The group included Sanna Huyssen, Nadine Oliynyk, and Renée Ficko, who are all heading into Grade 12 in September at Collingwood Collegiate Institute, where they’ve spent the past year as members of the Gaia club.

The club has an environmental-science focus, spending the school year working on educational outreach to their peers, organizing events like a clothing drive, and running the school’s compost and recycling program.

They also run the peace garden where they grow produce and another outdoor garden for the summer harvest.

Ficko said she likes the activism work she can do as part of the club, whether that’s educating a group, or reminding her fellow students to stop using single-use plastics.

Oliynyk helped bring the group back to CCI after it folded.

Huyssen’s favourite activity is working on the school’s four compost bins to produce nutrient-rich soil.

“It brings me back to the circle of life,” she said. “There’s no waste in nature.”

The club also helps bring the Be The Change film series to Collingwood, which features a series of films on climate and environmental issues.

“They’re so impressive,” said May after meeting the Gaia club members. “They’re just wonderful, they’re brimming with enthusiasm and ideas and youthful energy.”

May said she makes a point of speaking to youth - both in general and during her tours of Canada.

“Canadian kids are fantastic,” she said. “Stop and talk to a kid and you’ll be amazed at what they know and how much they know and how engaged they are.”

May thinks its an oversight for a political party to ignore youth because they typically don’t vote as much as other demographics.

“These kids have 70 years ahead of them and their future is very much in doubt right now because of the climate emergency,” said May. “The demographic that votes the least is the part of our society that has the most at stake.”

As for the upcoming federal election, May said she’s hoping no party ‘wins.’

“I’m hoping for a minority government that forces us to work together,” she said. “I wish all political parties would set aside the partisanship. We declared a climate emergency in parliament, but we haven’t taken it seriously since.”

In addition to electoral reform (proportional representation instead of the current first-past-the-post system) May said it’s important to find “likely allies,” particularly in Ontario where, she said, there is a government not showing support for environmental initiatives.

“Everybody in Canada needs to face the fact that what we cherish is at risk if we don’t act,” said May. “We need to find those likely allies, whether they are segments of society like youth, faith groups, or services clubs, and we need to figure out how we do enough to counteract the damage being done … this is an all-hands-on-deck kind of moment.”

May finished her Collingwood tour with lunch at Sol Kitchen and tea from Blue Mountain Tea Company.

She will be in Orillia this evening for an event at Lakehead University.