Turmel ‘canny’ pick for leader

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This article was published 26/07/2011 (5225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — The woman likely to become Canada’s interim federal Opposition leader has less than three months’ experience as a member of Parliament — but three decades’ experience battling within government.

At his surprise news conference Monday, NDP Leader Jack Layton endorsed Nycole Turmel as his preferred candidate to replace him while he takes a medical leave to fight cancer.

Sources close to Layton said Turmel, 68, was chosen because she’s bilingual, experienced and, most importantly, she’s unlikely to ruffle many feathers.

Unlike other potential replacements, she is not known to harbour any leadership aspirations and is therefore considered less likely to feed internal divisions while Layton is gone.

While she has little experience as an elected politician she does carry an extensive background in the union movement since the 1970s.

She president of the union representing workers in the federal civil service, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, and was an executive at the organization during the budget-slashing 1990s. She was an instrumental figure in the gender pay-equity struggle.

Turmel’s experiences may come in handy as New Democrats battle the Harper government while it launches a round of federal deficit-slaying.

Layton said he hoped the party would pick Turmel as an interim leader in his absence. The caucus will discuss the issue at a meeting Wednesday, and the federal council is expected to choose an interim leader the following day.

“Ms. Turmel enjoys unanimous support as the national chair of our parliamentary caucus,” Layton said. “She is an experienced national leader in both official languages, and she will do an excellent job as our national interim leader.”

NDP president Brian Topp later pointed out the political risk of choosing anyone else. If the party doesn’t pick Turmel, he suggested it could wind up in an awkward position: having to choose between its two deputy leaders, Libby Davies and Thomas Mulcair.

Turmel had little to say Monday. She said she was “honoured” by Layton’s recommendation and simply wanted to wish him a speedy recovery.

A longtime NDP insider said Turmel would be a smart selection because she would help balance some delicate differences within the party. He said the francophone Quebecer, well-known in Ottawa circles, would help reconcile the party’s left and right wings.

“I think the choice of Nycole Turmel is particularly canny, because what (Layton’s) done in not elevating one of the two deputy leaders is maintain that critical balance,” said Ian Capstick, a former aide to Layton.

Turmel won the Ottawa-area riding Hull-Aylmer over Liberal incumbent Marcel Proulx. Proulx accused her of supporting Quebec separatism.

“I am not a sovereigntist and Marcel Proulx knows it very well,” Turmel said in a statement.

— The Canadian Press