Activate 2025_ Interview with Emily Lohan, Leader of the BC Greens

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Twenty-five-year old Emily Lowan was declared leader of the BC Greens on September 24. 2025. She is believed to be the first member of generation Z elected to office. Lowan was one of the three speakers in a session Activate 2026 dedicated to 'Winning Campaigns: Stories & Tactics of Victories.' She credited her success to the aggressive recruitment of youthful members, which close to doubled the size of the party. When the votes were counted, close to 61% went to Lowan on the first ballot. Despite her youth, the press release announcing her election states that Lowan had already "spent over a decade building campaigns for climate justice, Indigenous solidarity, and democratic reform. She has led high-impact campaigns at Climate Action Network Canada, published critical climate research, worked at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Corporate Mapping Project, and successfully fought for fossil fuel divestment as a student union leader." I approached Lowan during the break that followed her presentation at Hollyhock's Olatunji Hall. The next session was about to begin, but she graciously agreed to an interview.