Meet Canada’s first Gen-Z political party leader

Emily Lowan never imagined she would be the first Gen-Z leader of a major political party in Canadian history. “I did not have this on my bingo card,” the 25-year-old climate activist says. When the BC Green Party reached out to ask her to apply for the leadership race, she assumed the email was spam and almost deleted it. But the then UVic student (who had successfully fought for fossil fuel divestment as student union leader) decided to take the leap. She won on the first ballot with over 60 percent of the vote. 

Lowan’s leadership has sparked explosive growth for the Greens, nearly doubling membership by bringing in thousands of new young members in just five weeks. Her secret weapon? TikTok and Instagram, where her unapologetic short-form videos about wealth redistribution and vacancy control (with the occasional F-bomb thrown in) are resonating with traditionally difficult-to-engage voters under 30. 

 

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Although she’d already spent a decade doing climate justice organizing, Lowan at first figured she’d be “tokenized” because of her age. But she’s since discovered the opposite—and is now laser focused on building “real” solutions for everyday folks. “Because we know that people can’t care about the climate if they are struggling to put food on the table,” she says. 

A renter herself, Lowan sees opportunity in building a base of working British Columbians who don’t see themselves “in the status quo.” Although the next election isn’t until 2028, she’s already planning to “supercharge” the party’s momentum by connecting with young working–class people and business owners with listening tours of campuses and workplaces. “As many as humanly possible,” she says. 

See the full list of our 2026 30 Under 30 winners here.