Emily Lowan Becomes Youngest Leader of BC Greens
The BC Green Party has just made history by electing 24-year-old climate justice advocate Emily Lowan as its new leader. The announcement was made in Victoria after a ten-day voting process that wrapped up following nearly three months of campaigning. Lowan didn’t just win—she dominated. On the very first ballot, she secured 3,189 votes, far outpacing her closest rival, Jonathan Kerr, who gathered 1,908 votes, and Adam Bremner-Akins, who came in with 128.
Lowan spoke to supporters after the results were announced, calling the campaign “electrifying” and describing it as a “lightning rod of hope.” She said their bold, progressive vision had managed to capture the imagination of a new generation of Green members, many of whom had been disillusioned with politics. By bringing thousands of new people into the fold, she told the crowd, “you definitely put the ‘party’ back in the Green Party.”
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This moment represents a big shift for the Greens. The leadership race itself was not without controversy. The party opened up free memberships to people between the ages of 14 and 30, hoping to attract younger voices. But verifying those new members turned into a complicated process. Some of them, along with others who paid the regular $10 membership fee, had to go through online tools and even video calls to prove they were real. At one point, Lowan even threatened legal action if the voting deadline wasn’t pushed back, arguing that members deserved enough time for their voices to be confirmed. Despite the rocky process, interim leader Jeremy Valeriote called the end result a success, noting that the party emerged stronger, with new energy and new ideas.
Lowan takes the helm at a crucial time. The previous leader, Sonia Furstenau, stepped down in January after losing her own riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill in the 2024 provincial election. Furstenau had led the party since 2020 but couldn’t secure a seat for herself, a major blow. Currently, only two Green MLAs hold seats in the legislature—Valeriote and Rob Botterell—and neither of them chose to run for leader. That leaves Lowan with the task of rebuilding the party’s profile largely from outside the legislature, something that won’t be easy.
Still, her election signals a wave of change. She represents a younger generation deeply engaged with climate action and progressive politics. Her ability to rally thousands of new members, especially those who had given up on traditional politics, suggests the Greens may be tapping into a broader movement. Whether that energy can be transformed into electoral gains remains to be seen, but for now, Emily Lowan’s victory has set the stage for a rejuvenated Green Party in British Columbia.
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