Annamie Paul

“I was born in Toronto Centre.”

“Sometimes the most negative voices in the room are the loudest and it's easy for them to drown out the rest.”

“There are many parties that have climate messages. I know that it is really challenging to distinguish between plans that really aren't a plan and plans that are credible.”

“My mother taught in the schools in Toronto Centre.”

“I want to make sure if I do something, I want to make sure it will help and not harm.”

“I didn't apply for shadow cabinet, because as an MP, I had nine critic portfolios, and so it doesn't make any sense for me to be focusing on just one of those as an adviser on policy to the party.”

“It's important to be frank with people: I think that any kind of fruit on pizza is an abomination. I have never been able to understand that. It's not a deal-breaker for me in terms of friendships, but does raise questions for me.”

“First woman of colour, first Black person and first Jewish woman elected to lead a major federal party - it was never going to be a walk in the park.”

“I just love traveling.”

“I do not agree with many of the views that have been expressed by our MPs, but they are of course welcome to express them - and everyone knows that is the Green Party ethos.”

“To the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, you are no ally and you are no feminist.”

“Anyone who knows Black women and their hair knows it is a big commitment.”

“In the case of a Black woman like myself, the most classic trope of all is that we are angry or we are aggressive. It's very difficult to navigate that because in order to be a leader, and particularly a senior leader, you need to be able to speak with conviction to direct people.”

“And of course, we've never had a Black person or a woman of color lead a party.”

“If you got the hips, you gotta work 'em.”

“We believe that we can win seats with integrity, with good public policy, with evidence-based public policy and that's what it's about for me.”

“I'm not going to discuss things that are internal party matters and things that are not supposed to be in public domain.”

“I have not had any opportunity to develop any hobbies, habits, anything like that.”

“Even as the leader of the party, my first duty always is to the people who elected me, my first duty always is going to be to represent the people of this riding in Ottawa.”

“Often, when people like me are elected or appointed to positions of senior leadership, the rules of the game seem to change.”