Ryan Meili (centre), the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan’s MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin, stands with four of the NDP’s summer students on a visit to Kindersley on Aug. 24 when the students canvassed the town to collect signatures for two petitions. In photo left to right: Kirsten Samson, Travis Hebert, who lived in Kindersley for 11 years, Meili, Aiden Murphy and Brittney Senger

Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

Saskatoon Meewasin MLA Ryan Meili, a New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan leadership candidate, paid a visit to Kindersley with four of the NDP’s summer students.

Meili and the summer students were in town on Aug. 24 to collect signatures for two petitions and to speak with community members. The NDP leadership candidate also met with local NDP members during lunch. The students have been busy travelling across Saskatchewan.

“We have a group of summer students,” Meili said. There are eight summer students in total, with four of them in Kindersley for a day. “They’ve been going all over the province. They’re getting to all 61 constituencies at some point this summer.”

He noted that the students have been hosting events and meetings with NDP supporters on their stops throughout the province. The students have been busy gathering signatures for their petitions and canvassing the communities.

The students had two petitions for local residents to sign, one against cuts to the education system and another opposing the sale of the province’s Crown corporations. Meili said the students asked him to join them in Kindersley and he saw it as an opportunity to meet with local people who have been involved with the party for years.

One of the four summer students in town was Travis Hebert, who lived in Kindersley for 11 years before moving away for school.

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Meili, a family physician who was first elected back in March in a byelection, was planning to go around knocking on doors with the students. He announced his candidacy for the NDP leadership in May. He ran for the party’s leadership in 2009 and in 2013, finishing second both times, to Dwain Lingenfelter in 2009 and Cam Broten in 2013, when he lost by only 44 votes, even though he didn’t have a seat in the legislature either time.

But now, with two second-place finishes behind him, and with a seat in the legislature, he said, “I think the chances are very strong.” Meili said he received a strong response in the previous two leadership races and he believes there’s an appetite for change within the party, so his hopes are high for the race.

Meili noted that he’s been involved in politics for a long time, but it was nice to take the plunge and gain the experience of being in the legislature. He added that the byelection in March was also an opportunity for the party to test how people are responding to the Saskatchewan Party’s current mandate and fiscal situation.

The NDP leadership convention will take place on May 6, 2018, in Regina.

Nicole Sarauer
Interim NDP leader

Nicole Sarauer, the MLA for Regina Douglas Park, is the interim leader of the Saskatchewan NDP and she’s the first woman to ever lead the party.

Meili said the party’s approach in the 2011 and 2016 elections didn’t highlight an appetite for change.

“We didn’t do enough to make it clear what our vision was,” the MLA said. “It was about a strong critique of the Saskatchewan Party, but not necessarily a clear indication of how we were different and what we’d be able to achieve.”

He hopes to see a desire to inspire and excite people among the party’s leadership candidates at the convention. Meili said it’s an interesting time for politics in Saskatchewan, with the only two parties in the legislature both holding leadership races.

There’s going to be a byelection in Kindersley because of the retirement of current MLA Bill Boyd. Meili said local issues include concerns of a scandal involving Boyd and the cost of living in the area, but the sale of Crown corporations is also a local concern. He said he has also heard about the lack of affordable housing and the rise in food bank use in Kindersley.

He recognized, however, that Kindersley has been a tough egg to crack for the NDP.

Meili, who was raised on a farm in the Moose Jaw area, added that the focus for the NDP heading into the next election will be on improving the quality of life for every resident of Saskatchewan.

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© Kindersley Clarion