Don’t rest on laurels: Selinger

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This article was published 02/06/2012 (5064 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fresh off winning a fourth consecutive majority government, the NDP must avoid complacency and continue to reinvent itself, Premier Greg Selinger told the party faithful Friday.

In the next four years, leading to an expected spring 2016 election, the NDP needs to sell more memberships in every constituency and raise more money, Selinger said in a speech kicking off the party’s annual convention.

“We have to be willing to roll up our sleeves and ask people to support us,” he told close to 500 delegates who had registered by 4:30 Friday afternoon.

“We have to continually reinvent ourselves as a social movement and as a political party, and we can only do that with grassroots participation,” he said in a 12-minute pep talk, during which he also recounted some of the party’s accomplishments.

Afterwards, Selinger said he doesn’t believe the NDP, fresh from beating up its opponents in October’s vote, is getting complacent, despite the fact the two opposition parties are searching for new leaders. But he wants the party to continually engage the public.

“I think it’s time to take it to another level,” he said. “We take the view that if you’re out there talking to your citizens now, that’s worth a lot more than leaving it to an election.”

Selinger, who spoke in his shirt sleeves without notes as his caucus stood behind him, admitted he was “pleasantly surprised” with the size of the NDP majority (the party took 37 of 57 seats).

Pointing to some of his government’s recent accomplishments, he said he was proud at-home anti-cancer drugs are now covered, daycare spaces are being increased and the minimum wage continues to rise. (It will go up 25 cents in October to $10.25 an hour.)

“We’re the only province that is raising the minimum wage right now across this country,” he said to cheers from delegates.

Selinger also made joking reference to the recent controversy over government MLAs taking free Jets tickets. Commenting on the fundraising tickets being sold, he quipped: “(but) no Jets tickets,” drawing a laugh.

The NDP convention concludes on Sunday. This morning, the party is expected to debate a resolution on whether to endorse a one-percentage-point increase in the provincial sales tax to fund infrastructure improvements. This afternoon, federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair will address the convention.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca