Green Party leadership hopeful's expulsion was flawed, says internal party report

Green Party leadership hopeful Alex Tyrrell should not have been kicked out of the federal party, says an internal party report obtained by CBC news.

"The process of expelling Tyrrell from membership in the GPC was flawed," says one section of the report, which was produced by the Green Party's ombuds and appeal committee.

"We do not agree that Tyrrell's conduct merits expulsion."

Tyrrell was expelled from the party in July after making what the committee acknowledges was a series of inflammatory claims about the war in Ukraine and comments that denigrated some in the party. But the appropriate action, the report says, would have been a penalty short of expulsion.

The report, which is marked confidential, was produced on Aug. 28 and is not binding on party leadership.

Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, made a bid to run for the federal leadership of the Greens in 2021 and was planning a second run when he was expelled.

The federal Greens said they kicked him out because he violated the party's code of conduct with his controversial statements about the war in Ukraine.

"I think that it was profoundly undemocratic and I think that it's really unfortunate what's taken place," Tyrrell said.

Tyrrell was also accused within the party of libelling former Green party leader Elizabeth May. In 2019, he accused May of pushing a "pro-tar sands" policy that would extend the life of the oilsands by investing in refineries and upgrading.

The ombuds report concluded that the process used to revoke Tyrrell's membership was flawed because he was given only three days to prepare a defence and wasn't provided with the full allegations against him. The committee's report also points to an unnamed federal councillor who submitted the complaint against Tyrrell and participated in his ejection from the party.

"Anyone who signed a request for a membership review of Tyrrell should not have been allowed to vote on a motion to impose a penalty on Tyrrell for problematic conduct," says the report.

Jean-Charles Pelland, the Quebec federal representative on the party council, submitted the complaint and participated in the process to expel Tyrrell.

In an email to CBC News, Pelland said he did not cast a vote to decide Tyrrell's fate — but he also did not recuse himself from the discussions about it.

"Since Alex Tyrrell is a Quebec member and most complaints about his behaviour came from Quebec members, it was my duty as Quebec rep to participate in the discussion of M. Tyrrell's potential expulsion," Pelland said.