James R. M. Harris
| Jim Harris | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Leader of the Green Party of Canada | |
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In office 14 February 2003 – 26 August 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Bradshaw |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth May |
| President of the Green Party of Ontario | |
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In office 2001–2003 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 February 1961 |
| Political party | Green Party of Canada |
| Other political affiliations |
Green Party of Ontario, Progressive Conservative Party of Canada |
| Alma mater | Lakefield College School |
| Occupation | author, management consultant |
James R. M. Harris (born 12 February 1961) is a Canadian author, environmentalist, and politician. He was leader of the Green Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006, when he was succeeded by Elizabeth May.
Harris was born in Toronto, attended Lakefield College School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History from Queen's University in Kingston in the 1980s. Initially a Progressive Conservative, he was converted to green politics in 1985 after reading Green Politics by Fritjof Capra and Charlene Spretnak, which highlights the rise of the German Greens. Harris worked as the national press officer of the British Green Party in 1987.
He helped organize the Ontario Green Party's campaign in the 1990 provincial election, and was himself a candidate in the Toronto division of St. Andrew—St. Patrick. In this election, he spoke against a provincial government decision to build more nuclear reactors in the province. The Green Party fielded 40 candidates and received 33,000 votes, a significant increase from seven candidates and 3,000 votes in the previous 1987 election. Harris finished fourth in his constituency.
Harris campaigned for Mayor of Toronto in the 1991 municipal election, as an independent candidate supporting green policies. He called for water conservation and a ban on city pesticide spraying, and supported stricter gun control. Considered a fringe candidate, he finished well behind frontrunners June Rowlands and Jack Layton.
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