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 appeared upbeat Saturday after losing early on in her long-shot bid to lead Canada's official opposition. With just under six per cent of the vote on the first ballot, the Churchill MP finished last in a field of seven candidates at the NDP's leadership convention in Toronto. 'I'm excited about what's going forward to support his work and the work of our team as we move forward,' Ashton told CBC News, referring to newly elected leader Thomas Mulcair. Dropped out Ashton's 3,737 tallies represented 5.74 per cent of the votes on the first ballot. She, Martin Singh and Paul Dewar dropped out following the ballot. She told CBC she has 'tremendous respect' for Mulcair, a Quebec MP who bested former party president Brian Topp with 57 per cent support on the fourth and final ballot. But on at least one relevant issue for a number of NDP voters _ drug policy _ Ashton and her new boss are on separate pages. Ashton, who at 29 was the youngest leadership hopeful, supports decriminalizing marijuana, a fact she highlighted during her leadership campaign. See 'MP...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 Mulcair told Global Toronto, however, that such a move 'would be a mistake' since 'the information that we have right now is that the marijuana that's on the market is extremely potent and can actually cause mental illness.' In her convention speech, delivered in both English and French, Ashton said she was running 'to bring new politics to Canada.' 'The old politics of Stephen Harper has left a legacy of growing inequality, the threat of war and inaction on the growing climate crisis,' she said. Ashton called herself a proud member of the 'the Jack Layton generation _ a new generation, where age, gender or background are no barrier to achieving our dreams, where common challenges can be met with common purpose, where we all have a voice in shaping the decisions that affect our lives.' She focused part of her speech on a challenge that impacts her riding perhaps more than any other in Canada _ the plight of First Nations. 'In one of the richest countries in the world we have Third World conditions in First Nations and M_tis communities,' the MP said. Ashton spoke of 'the growing inequality gap' in major cities 'as more and more working and middle-income Canadians are left behind.' 'This didn't just happen,' she said. 'It is the result of years of corporate tax breaks, unfair trade deals, cuts to social programs like housing and health care, rising tuition, cuts to pensions and the erosion of collective bargaining.' Ashton described the NDP in lofty terms as 'not just a party that seeks to govern' but 'a movement that seeks to change Canada and change the world for the better.' 'Our party has accomplished a lot in opposition,' she said, 'but we know from our experience in government in five provinces and one territory, how much more we can accomplish when we govern.' But the party, she stressed, 'will not win government with only three seats on the Prairies' as is now the case. 'Stephen Harper wins in Western Canada by playing on peoples' fears _ and then he takes them for granted,' Ashton said. 'New Democrats can speak to Westerners' aspirations _ including those Westerners who have voted Conservative _ and we can win their trust by listening to them.' Promote peace Speaking in global terms, Ashton said Canada 'must make promoting peace and fighting global poverty our first priority on the world stage.' On the environmental front, she said the country needs to 'address the climate crisis with significant greenhouse gas reduction targets.' In closing, Ashton took on Prime Minister Stephen Harper directly, delivering to him a personal message. 'You've played wedge politics with language, religion, culture, region, generation, gender, sexual orientation,' she said. 'You've played political games with the very lives of Canadian soldiers. You have manipulated and debased our democratic system. 'Stephen, here is my message for you: Enjoy being Prime Minister _ while it lasts. Because if you thought you saw an orange wave in 2011, you ain't seen nothin' yet.' Mulcair, 57, becomes leader of the NDP _ long the favoured party of northern Manitoba _ at a time when it has never been closer to achieving power. Still, to win the 2015 election, the New Democrats have a long way to go as they occupy 63 fewer seats than Harper's Conservatives. While many New Democrats see Mulcair as the leader with the best chance of forming government, others fear he will move the party too far to the centre and away from its core values.
