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Emily Lowan

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Emily Lowan
Emily Lowan outdoors
Leader of the Green Party of British Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 24, 2025
Preceded byJeremy Valeriote (interim)
Personal details
Born (2000-09-18) September 18, 2000 (age 25)
PartyBC Greens
University of Victoria
ProfessionClimate justice organizer, politician, and investigative researcher
WebsiteWebsite

Emily Lowan (born September 18, 2000)[1] is a Canadian politician and activist who has served as leader of the Green Party of British Columbia since 2025.[2] She was reported to be the first Generation Z leader of a major political party in Canada.[3]

Lowan is not a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, but has said she intends to run in the next "viable" provincial by-election or in the next general election.[4] She has said she will not ask either of the two current Green MLAs Jeremy Valeriote or Rob Botterell to resign so she can run in a by-election in their constituencies.[5]

Lowan positions herself as a progressive challenging the political establishment, similar to Zack Polanski in the United Kingdom and Zohran Mamdani in New York City.[6]

Leader of the BC Greens (2025–present)

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On July 3, 2025, Lowan launched her campaign for the party leadership, receiving endorsements from David Suzuki, among others.[7][8][9] She won the election in September 2025, winning over 60% of the popular vote, becoming the first Generation Z leader of a major political party in Canadian history.[10]

Membership in the party increased from roughly 5,500 to 10,000 during the leadership campaign primarily bringing in youth, with membership under 30 increasing tenfold.[6][11] Much of this growth comes from Lowan's activity on social media sites, where she uses short-form videos to express her platform and policies.[3]

In February 2026, under Lowan's leadership the party decided not to renew its confidence and supply agreement with the BC NDP government, accusing it of not implementing the terms of the agreement.[12]

Oligarchy

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A major priority of Lowan's campaign and platform as leader is raising taxes on the wealthiest people in the province.[13][14] Lowan defines “the oligarchs” as people who have at least CAD$100 million in assets. According to Lowan, “There’s about 650 individuals in B.C. that fall under that particular bracket.”[13] She is critical of the power these individuals have over government policy and has specifically targeted her rhetoric at Lululemon founder Chip Wilson and businessman Jim Pattison.[13]

Lowan advocates for an "ultra-wealthy fairness tax" similar to the one-time five per cent tax proposed in California on wealth over $1 billion.[13]

Shortly after being elected leader in September 2025, Lowan held the Fight the Oligarchs Tour. The two-month-long tour took her across the province visiting small communities, meeting with community leaders, Green Party members, and the general public.[15][16]

Labour

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Lowan has advocated for "aggressively expanding unionization" and implementing sectoral bargaining, legislation which would allow unions to reach a collective agreement that covers all workers in a sector of the economy.[17][18][19]

Lowan has criticized the BC NDP for their handling of the 2025 BCGEU public service strike, the longest public service strike in Canadian history.[20][21][22] Lowan has also accused David Eby of "abandoning his traditional labour and progressive base."[23]

She has also argued that unions must be a larger part of the government's consultation process, pointing to the BC NDP's plan to allow private liquor distribution being tainted by "corporate lobbying."[24]

Climate change

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Lowan has voiced her opposition to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Mark Carney and Danielle Smith on the construction of a new pipeline to British Columbia's North Coast.[25][26]

She successfully campaigned to have the University of Victoria’s working capital fund divest $256 million of investments in fossil fuel corporations.[27] She is the former Fossil Fuel Supply Campaigns Lead at Climate Action Network Canada.[28]

Indigenous rights

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Lowan supports the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), calling for the government to "build a shared vision with First Nations on a stable, clear path forward with the implementation of DRIPA."[29]

Electoral reform

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Lowan campaigns for reforming British Columbia's electoral system, supporting proportional representation.[13] This would involve the creation of regional ridings to which representatives would be elected based on the proportion of support their party receives in their regional riding.[14]

Personal life

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She is an alumna of Claremont Secondary School in Saanich, British Columbia.[30] and the University of Victoria where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and environmental studies.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ Knox, Roger (September 4, 2025). "B.C. Green Party leader hopeful makes Okanagan stops". Victoria News. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "BREAKING: Emily Lowan named new leader of B.C. Greens". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. September 24, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Matheson, Darcy (March 3, 2026). "Meet Canada's first Gen-Z political party leader". BC Business. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  4. ^ Depner, Wolfgang (September 24, 2025). "B.C. Green Party votes in climate activist Emily Lowan as new leader". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  5. ^ MacLeod, Andrew (September 24, 2025). "New Green Leader Emily Lowan Vows to Challenge NDP". The Tyee. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Hussain, Farida (October 30, 2025). "New B.C. Green Leader Pledges 'Fiery New Leadership to 'Reclaim the Economy'". The Energy Mix. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  7. ^ "Second candidate joins BC Greens leadership race". Global News. The Canadian Press. July 3, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Chan, Hugh (July 17, 2025). "BC Greens Need a New Leader. Who Wants the Job?". The Tyee. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  9. ^ Shaw, Rob (August 15, 2025). "Emily Lowan's audacious leadership run rattles corners of BC Greens". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  10. ^ @Emily_Lowan (September 10, 2025). "I'm beyond honoured to receive this endorsement from David Suzuki" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  11. ^ Shaw, Rob (September 5, 2025). "Verification woes cloud B.C. Green party's leadership race". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  12. ^ Pawson, Chad (February 9, 2026). "B.C. Greens pull out of governing accord with B.C. NDP". CBC News. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e MacLeod, Andrew (January 5, 2026). "Emily Lowan on Next Steps for the BC Greens". The Tyee. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Issues". Emily for BC Greens. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  15. ^ Smith, Jennifer (November 24, 2025). "BC Green Party leader in Okanagan". Clearwater Times. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  16. ^ Knox, Roger (November 25, 2025). "New B.C. Green Party leader pledges to be a light and a thorn during B.C. tour". Abbotsford News. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  17. ^ "How a Zoomer Became Leader of the BC Green Party". The Tyee. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  18. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  19. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  20. ^ "Emily Lowan on Next Steps for the BC Greens". The Tyee. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  21. ^ Hussain, Farida (October 30, 2025). "New B.C. Green Leader Pledges 'Fiery New Leadership to 'Reclaim the Economy'". The Energy Mix. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  22. ^ Hillier, Matthew (September 24, 2025). "BCGEU and PEA strikes are now the longest-running public service strikes in BC history". Prince George Citizen. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  23. ^ "Emily Lowan on Next Steps for the BC Greens". The Tyee. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  24. ^ "BCGEU & BC Greens protest direct-to-wholesaler bypass of Liquor Distribution Branch". Island Social Trends. May 9, 2026.
  25. ^ Rose, Andrew (November 27, 2025). "Leader Emily Lowan: Carney and Smith Will Not Hold Our Province Hostage". BC Green Party. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  26. ^ Reeve, Michael. "Green leader Lowan touts vision for a new, younger coalition of voters during Kamloops stop". CFJC Today Kamloops. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  27. ^ McCabe, Samantha (October 29, 2021). "Inside the student-led movements urging Canadian universities to divest from fossil fuels". Maclean's. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  28. ^ Robillard, Audrey (July 3, 2025). "Statement on Emily Lowan's candidacy for leadership of the B.C. Green Party". Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac). Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  29. ^ Lowan, Emily; Phillip, Stewart (April 23, 2026). "Opinion: Why B.C.'s future depends on embracing DRIPA". Vancouver Sun.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ "Emily Lowan - Haida Gwaii Trip". Rotary Club of Sidney.
  31. ^ Barkley, Ethan (July 31, 2025). "UVic alumna running to lead BC Greens". The Martlet. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  32. ^ "Emily Lowan Opinion". Canada's National Observer. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
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