Biographical sketches of the three candidates running for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada.

David Chernushenko

Widely seen as one of the Green Party's best hopes to win a seat in the January federal election, David Chernushenko put together a strong campaign and pulled in more votes than any other Green candidate in the election, though he ultimately came up short.

The married father of two children, Chernushenko is a respected environmentalist who has published three books on sustainable development and owns Green and Gold, a consultation firm that helps businesses develop sustainability and energy efficiency.

He believes it's time for the Green Party to begin acting like a political party, not an NGO or an advocay group.

"We exist to get Canadians to vote for us, to send Green MPs to Ottawa and, to govern. To do that we must develop the structures, practices and policies that will make the Green Party a viable, electable alternative, with a clear and principled message that is understood, respected and preferred by the majority of Canadians," Chernushenko says in a statement on his website.

He believes the Green Party must become more broad-based, inclusive and accessible to all Canadians who "embrace the truth of our convictions."

Chernushenko's involvement in the party has included roles on the local executive level, as a provincial candidate, twice as a federal candidate and as deputy leader.

Jim Fannon

Jim Fannon, 37, has been involved with the Green Party since he joined in 1993, when he ran in the federal election as a candidate in Niagara Centre. Later, Fannon ran provincially in 2003, then provincially and municipally in 2004.

Fannon, who is single, was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ont., where he has been selling real estate for 13 years in addition to running the business he founded, Nature's Hemp, a company that sells hemp-based food products.

He believes his experience in sales helps put him in a strong position to lead the party, and denies charges that he is a long shot to win, claiming his campaign is making progress.

What we need most of all right now is a salesman," Fannon says.

"Until people find out what we're all about, and understand what our sometimes pie-in-the-sky philosophy and policies actually mean when you bring it down to earth, and how these policies are put into practical terms, they're not going to vote for us."

He is currently the chief financial officer for the Green Party of Ontario's St. Catharines Constituency Association and is past president of the Green Party of Canada's federal constituency association in St. Catharines.

His past memberships include stints with the Council of Canadians, Fair Vote Canada, and the Sierra Club of Canada.

Elizabeth May

Environmentalist, lawyer and former head of the Sierra Club of Canada, Elizabeth May is running for the leadership of the Green Party because she believes it has a key role to play in the future of Canada.

May says she has been let down by the mainstream political parties in Canada, and decided to make a run for the leadership of the Green Party because she believes it has the best chance of effecting positive change.

"I have been very disappointed by the major political parties in our country," May says in a statement. "There is no long term vision for what Canada will be in even a few decades, let alone a few generations. The only party forging a plan for a Canada that is healthy seven generations from now is the Green Party."

May said her priorities as leader would be battling climate change, protecting jobs in remote, one-industry communities, and the plight of family farmers who find it more and more difficult to survive.

She also listed the struggle of Canada's poor and homeless, and a worrying foreign policy that appears to be in lockstep with the U.S. as her top concerns.

"As leader of the Green Party of Canada I will give voice to these concerns and offer sound solutions that get Canada on a healthier, self-sufficient and sustainable path, including de-toxifying our environment."

May has a long list of awards and accomplishments, and her campaign has been endorsed by the likes of environmentalist David Suzuki and singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer.