Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is playing down recent changes in her party that some are seeing as signs of dissent under the new chief.
Senior Deputy to the Leader David Chernushenko -- once seen as a top contenders to actually win a seat in the next election -- recently announced he won't be running.
During an interview aired Sunday on CTV's Question Period, May played down Chernushenko's decision, describing it as only a "break" from partisan politics.
"What he wants to do right now is be able to pursue some private sector opportunities and some government appointments -- such as to the National Round Table -- that are simply inappropriate when he's playing a partisan role," May said.
"So I don't rule out at all his return to the Green Party. I certainly don't think he's announced that he will not be a candidate for the Green Party again."
Chernushenko, a sustainable development consultant, was one of the top contenders to run against May for the leadership of the party.
After winning the leadership last year, May reached out to her former opponent, creating a staff position for him as her senior deputy -- a new position separate from that of deputy party leader.
May said Chernushenko initially took the position under the impression that a federal election would be happening soon, and he would quickly get the chance to run for election.
"What he said is he needs to take a break to pursue some of these things because the election appears to be further off in the distance than we'd originally thought," May said.
However, some observers have suggested Chernushenko's method of informing May of his decision -- via BlackBerry -- indicates tensions between the two.
May denied there are any sour grapes between them and said she was not surprised by his decision. She said they have known each other for more than a decade.
"I don't think he thought it was that big a deal, frankly. He'd been pulling back for some time because of the pressures of work," May said.
"Initially he thought he could work full time. He thought he could shut down his consulting practice. He came back through the winter months and said look, I've got some opportunities that are too good to pass up, so he'd gone from five days a week to four days a week to three days a week. He finally ... decided not to be on salary at all, but to continue with the title."
May dismissed rumours that there is a movement within the party to oust her from leadership, and said there is "tremendous" grassroots support and unity within the Greens.
She pointed to poll numbers that show the Greens are at 10 per cent support -- up 2 per cent from last year. By comparison, the Bloc Quebecois is down 1 per cent to 10 per cent, the NDP is also down 1 per cent to 17 per cent, and the Liberals and the Conservatives are both at 31 per cent support.
"We are solidly in double digits," she said. "Our higher profile means we're attracting really serious candidates that will give Canadians a real option the next election."
May said the fact that even small "bumps in the road" attract media attention is evidence that the party is achieving success and gaining a higher profile.
