Ashton pledges to give NDP a boost

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This article was published 13/01/2015 (4168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STEVE Ashton pledged to rejuvenate the New Democratic Party in Manitoba if he’s given the chance to lead its membership.

Ashton, the longtime Thompson MLA, stood before supporters at an event Monday afternoon and promised to bring new life into a party and government that in the eyes of some has grown a little stale over the years.

The former infrastructure and transportation minister believes the current NDP leadership race is an opportunity to reconnect with Manitobans and re-energize the party.

Ashton is seeking the NDP leadership along with former jobs and the economy minister Theresa Oswald and Premier Greg Selinger.

The NDP will choose a new leader on March 8.

“The strength of our party comes from its members,” Ashton told a small audience at the Chief Peguis Business Centre. “Job No. 1 is to get our members more actively involved in an ongoing basis.”

If chosen as the front man, Ashton’s plan won’t be to just lead.

He wants to be the party co-ordinator, too, setting a mandate to get the membership engaged and promising to hold a “renewal conference that will connect New Democrats and progressive Manitobans” within six months following the provincial NDP leadership election.

Ashton is also pledging a “significant commitment” to the constituency associations, believing they are not receiving the necessary support to serve the public. Ashton wants regular meetings, not just one annual general meeting, to help deliver this promise.

Ashton vowed to increase the overall NDP membership numbers, believing the leadership race will not only give the party a boost, but also resonate with Manitoba voters.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in government or in opposition, it doesn’t matter how many MLAs you have, if you’re going to be a democratic party, if you’re going to be a grassroots party, you have to have a significant (and) sustained number of members,” he said, pointing to the strides he, Oswald and Selinger have made in corralling new NDP recruits during the initial stages of the campaign.

Ashton vowed to hold public consultations and forums on investments and decisions that shape the province, referencing the much-maligned PST increase put forth by the Selinger-led government. That has remained a key talking point for all three candidates in the leadership race.