New premier arrives Oct. 17

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/09/2009 (5881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A vote to replace Premier Gary Doer as NDP leader will be held Oct. 17, the party executive decided Monday night, as labour leaders mused privately about a younger leader who could invigorate the governing party.

The date coincides with the end of the fall legislative session and sets in motion a race to see who will replace the popular Doer, who’s been at the helm since 1988.

Insiders say a quick leadership convention benefits everyone.

"When you’re in government you cannot be without a premier for too long," one person said. "You can’t get anything done, from budgets or anything."

Brandon East MLA Drew Caldwell, who also sits on the party’s 24-person executive, said a quick vote also does not divert from the work of government. The fall session starts Sept. 14 and ends Oct. 8.

"We have a legislative agenda to attend to," Caldwell said.

NDP president Lorraine Sigurdson said Doer’s resignation last Thursday has thrown the party into overdrive as it organizes its first leadership convention since 1988.

"It’s a lot of work," she said. "The last time was 21 years ago. None of us were at the convention and we certainly weren’t part of organizing it."

Sigurdson said the date gives leadership hopefuls adequate time to sell memberships. The deadline is Sept. 17. The voting strength of each district will be determined by the number of members it has 30 days before the convention. Delegates will be selected from the province’s 57 constituencies. An undetermined number of union delegates will also help choose Doer’s successor.

Delegates who cannot make it to the Winnipeg Convention Centre will be allowed to vote via video conferencing, Sigurdson said.

Matt Schaubroeck of the NDP’s youth wing said the leadership contest is a perfect opportunity to inject new blood into the NDP.

He said as a young Manitoban, all he knows is Doer as leader but picking a replacement will spark interest in the party and in local politics.

"I want to have a strong leadership convention to rejuvenate the party," he said.

Sigurdson said the date when the new leader is sworn in as premier will be determined in consultation with the lieutenant-governor.

At the legislature Monday, senior cabinet ministers and other would-be leadership hopefuls continued to keep a low profile.

Those touted as potential candidates include: Health Minister Theresa Oswald, Finance Minister Greg Selinger, Competitiveness, Training and Trade Minister Andrew Swan, Family Services Minister Gord Mackintosh, and longtime parliamentarian and newly elected MLA Bill Blaikie. None has signalled their intentions.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton has said he may run, while Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Pat Martin hasn’t ruled it out.

A few labour leaders have said privately that the party needs to consider a new generation of leaders, which would include Oswald and Swan.

One prominent New Democrat noted Monday that Swan is more than five years older than Ed Schreyer was when he became the province’s first NDP premier in 1969, and he has cabinet experience to boot.

There also appears to be a generational shift occurring in the political world, the party member said, noting the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president.

On Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Doer as Canada’s next ambassador to the United States, replacing Michael Wilson.

Doer said Monday night his last day as premier is still being worked out, but it will be about the same time as the convention.

"I’ve got two sets of authorities," he said. "One is the party and the people of Manitoba and the other one is the upcoming job. I’m co-ordinating both."

Meanwhile, former diplomat Stephen Lewis told the Free Press that Doer is an ideal choice.

"I think Gary Doer is just a tremendously bright and able man," said Lewis, a former Ontario NDP leader who was named Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations in 1984. "The Americans will really warm to him."

— With files from Lindsey Wiebe

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Hooked up online

COINCIDENCE or just smart planning? Whatever, no one is saying just yet.

But consider this: According to domain registrations, these NDP cabinet ministers have recently registered to have their names on a website, one person the day before Doer announced his resignation. Their name and date when they registered:

 

www.nancyallan.ca – Aug. 26

www.TheresaOswald.ca – July 16

www.gregselinger.ca – July 2008

www.gordmackintosh.ca – March 2009

www.kerriirvinross.ca – Aug. 12

www.stanstruthers.ca – July 8

www.peterbjornson.ca – Jan. 3

www.ronlemieux.ca – Nov. 2008

 

Andrew Swan has had his name registered since he first ran for MLA in 2004:

www.andrewswan.ca