Wotherspoon to seek NDP leadership after all
Regina-Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon is officially running for the leadership of the Saskatchewan NDP.
His announcement Wednesday is the latest chapter in what has so far been a tumultuous beginning to Wotherspoon’s leadership campaign.
After being named interim leader of the NDP following the 2016 provincial election, Wotherspoon repeatedly said he would not be seeking the job permanently.
That sentiment was repeated for about 13 months, but the tune changed this June when he announced he would be stepping down from the position in order to consider running for the leadership.
Soon, speculation of a Wotherspoon leadership bid turned into the expectation such a move was inevitable.
By making his intentions clear Wednesday, Wotherspoon confirmed that was the case.
He is continuing to dismiss suggestions from skeptics — notably stemming from ready-made Saskatchewan Party attack ads — that this was his plan all along.
“If I knew that my motivations and my intent would have been different a year and some ago, obviously I would have expressed myself in a very different way,” he said. “In life, sometimes you face different realities and one can change their mind.”
In the race for NDP leader, Wotherspoon has but one opponent at this point: Saskatoon-Meewassin MLA Ryan Meili.
May 2018 is the date set for when party members will choose their next leader. With Wotherspoon and Meili the lone names on the ballot thus far, the race is shaping up to be a bit of a rematch between the two, although both will aim to do better than previous efforts to get the same job.
Meili tried and failed to become leader in 2009 and 2013. Wotherspoon was one of Meili’s opponents in 2013.
“It’s all about listening and addressing the realities that people are facing, and also speaking to the opportunities that exist and laying forward a progressive plan and vision to get there,” Wotherspoon said of the race ahead.