Two men have already stepped forward as candidates for the Saskatchewan NDP leadership.
The party has announced the parameters for the leadership campaign, which culminates in a March 9 leadership convention.
Cam Broten, a health policy manager and MLA for Saskatoon Massey Place since 2007, said Sept. 5 that he would run, and Erin Weir, an economist, former NDP youth president and former federal candidate from Regina, added his name to the ballot Sept. 7.
Others are expected to enter the race in the coming weeks.
Leadership contest committee chair Deb Higgins said she hoped the race would attract several good candidates who could reconnect with voters and rebuild the party.
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“There is no question that we have a lot of hard work to do to rebuild the party and to renew the trust of Saskatchewan people,” she said while outlining how the leadership would be determined.
The NDP under former leader Dwain Lingenfelter lost ground against the Saskatchewan Party in last November’s election, winning just nine of 58 seats.
Rebuilding in rural areas is a particular concern, said Weir.
“One of the problems the NDP has right now is that almost half the province is not really very competitive for the party, so certainly I think a priority has to be to find a way of rebuilding the NDP in rural Saskatchewan, listening to rural people and finding out what issues are most important,” he said.
Broten pledged to restore the party’s rural roots and elect more women and people from diverse backgrounds.
As part of the rebuilding, the party will hold 14 all-candidates debates beginning Nov. 17 in Regina. Other debates will follow in Humboldt, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Melfort, Rosetown, Weyburn, The Battlefords, Yorkton, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. Regina and Saskatoon will host two debates each, with the latter hosting the final one Feb. 16.
Candidates must be nominated at least seven weeks before March 9. They require signatures from at least 200 NDP members from a minimum of 20 provincial constituencies.
To be eligible to vote, members must have purchased their memberships at least six weeks before March 9. They can vote in advance by mail, phone or online and will receive a preferential ballot. They can also vote in person, by phone or internet in real time during the live-streamed convention.
