Independent MP Alain Rayes (Richmond-Arthabaska) said the fight against climate change “must be at the heart of the debates in Ottawa.”.“This is why I offer my support to the deputy leader of @LesVertsCanada, @j_pedneault in the by-election which will take place on June 19 in Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount,” said Rayes in a Monday tweet. .Green deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault thanked Rayes for his endorsement. .“Your support means a lot to me,” said Pedneault. .“You are a brave man and we need more courage and integrity in politics to deal with climate change.”.Rayes announced in September he was leaving the Conservatives to sit as an independent, citing leader Pierre Poilievre as his reason for departure..READ MORE: Alain Rayes quits Conservative Party following Poilievre's win.“I respect the choice made by Conservative members of the Conservative Party of Canada during the last leadership race,” he said. .“However, some of my political ideals, values and convictions are not compatible with the new path undertaken by our political formation.” .Former Green Party leader Elizabeth May won the party’s leadership race in November. .READ MORE: May re-elected as Green leader, vows to introduce co-leadership.“I’ve seen too much stuff in the media on how we’re a party divided and how we can’t get our act together,” said May. .She was running on a joint ticket with a shared platform with Pedneault. They vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment to allow the Greens to have co-leaders.
