Elizabeth May

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows her that Elizabeth May's parents were both social activists. Her mother became a celebrity for the intensity of her convictions, at one stage leading a hunger strike to protest nuclear weapon testing in front of the Soviet Embassy at the United Nations.

Elizabeth May was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut where her father worked as an executive with Aetna Insurance and her mother, an artist and sculptor. When Elizabeth was 18, her parents moved to Cape Breton where they ran a restaurant and gift shop. Elizabeth pursued a law degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She loved the law and litigation, but in 1986 she left the courtroom for a position as advisor to then-Environment Minister Tom McMillan.

After two years, May resigned and took on a new role as executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada. She stayed until 2006, when she was elected leader of the Green Party of Canada. In 2011, May became the first Green candidate to be elected to a seat in the House of Commons when she won Saanich--Gulf Islands, B.C.

Catherine Clark spoke to Elizabeth May about her life Beyond Politics.