Provincial NDP leadership hopefuls Steve Ashton and Wab Kinew shared their visions for Manitoba’s future at a recent public forum in Thompson.
While the two candidates shared common ground on many issues, such as their disdain for Premier Brian Pallister’s policies and a commitment to job growth in the North, their approach to tackling each subject was coloured by their vastly different careers.
Kinew, a 35-year-old rookie MLA for Winnipeg’s Fort Rouge riding, spent a lot of time discussing the importance of connecting with young people and putting together a jobs plan that will help secure their future.
He said he was disappointed during a recent visit to Thompson when none of the summer students with whom he spoke planned on staying in the northern city after finishing high school.
“If we want to keep those young people like those summer students here in a city like Thompson long term, there needs to be economic opportunity,” he said. Ashton, 61, who spent three-and-a-half decades as Thompson MLA before his defeat in 2016, touched on many of the same points.
He also referenced past initiatives of the former NDP government in which he served, including Thompson’s University College of the North campus.
For Ashton, the only way to rebuild the NDP is to return to its progressive roots by instituting a $15 minimum wage, eliminating tuition fees, supporting the labour movement and standing up to the rich and powerful.
Kinew positioned himself similarly in his closing statements, saying he wants to give every Manitobian a chance to succeed by putting an emphasis on jobs, education, and health care. The new leader of the Manitoba NDP will be selected at a delegate convention in Winnipeg on September 16.
- With files from Kyle Darbyson, Thompson Citizen
