The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Niki Ashton is contemplating a run at the federal NDP leadership, a bid that could catapult the Churchill MP into one of the most influential jobs in the country. She told the Winnipeg Free Press she will ponder the matter in the coming weeks but won't make a final decision until after the Oct. 4 provincial election. "People are asking me to (run)," Ashton told the newspaper last week. "A number of people both here on (Parliament) Hill and members on the ground." Ashton said she was frequently asked to seek the leadership during a recent visit to Saskatchewan for that province's NDP Youth Convention. A former UCN instructor in her hometown of Thompson, she told the Free Press she would bring a lot to the race given that she is young at 29, a woman and from the Prairies. Realistic? But how realistic is a successful leadership bid for a young MP who has three years of parliamentary experience? "Let's not forget Roy Romanow was 30 years old when he first ran for the leader of the NDP in Saskatchewan in 1970," Noah Evanchuk, a Regina lawyer who wants Ashton to run for leader, told the Free Press. "And Ed Schreyer became premier of Manitoba when he was 33." So far in Ashton's political career, at least, age has not been much of a barrier to achievement. She was just 22 in 2005 when she wrestled away the Churchill NDP nomination from Bev Desjarlais, who at the time had spent eight years as the riding's MP. Though she lost the 2006 election to Liberal Tina Keeper, Ashton held onto the party nomination and won decisively in her second try in 2008. Youthful success in politics runs in the family. Ashton's father, Thompson MLA and provincial cabinet minister Steve Ashton, was first elected to the Manitoba legislature at 25. Earlier this month, her younger brother, Alexander Ashton, a rookie trustee, was voted chairperson of the school board in Thompson. See 'NDP...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 The federal NDP enjoyed an unprecedented breakout in the May election, becoming the official opposition with 104 seats. Though the NDP's influence arguably lessened with the emergence of a Conservative majority government, the leader of the official opposition remains one of the most powerful individuals in Canadian politics. As of last Thursday, just two candidates Ð Quebec MP Romo Saganash and party strategist Brian Topp Ð had committed to seeking the NDP's vacant leadership slot. But there are numerous other candidates who are expected to give serious thought to running. The leadership convention will not take place until March 24, 2012 in Toronto. Many in the party are eager to see female candidates throw their hat into the ring, including Niki Ashton, who told the Toronto Star she would like to see more than one woman in the race. 'Feminist men' "We need feminist men to run and we need to hear men talk about issues of inequality that women still face and how we are going to take Canada forward in this area," she told Canada's highest-circulated newspaper, "but certainly we need to hear from women in our party as well and in a very active way." Securing the NDP leadership would mark a drastic lifestyle change for Ashton, who as an opposition member from a remote riding has stayed largely out of the spotlight. Not only would she become the primary spokesperson against the Harper government, she would also live in Stornoway, the official residence of the opposition leader, in Ottawa. Ashton, who earns $157,731 a year as MP, would see her pay bumped nearly 50 per cent to $233,247. She would also be entitled to a car allowance. The NDP is currently headed by interim leader Nycole Turmel, a rookie Quebec MP. The New Democrats lost their popular leader, Jack Layton, to cancer on Aug. 22.9/26/2011
