NDP’s next-man-up leadership race may be wrong way to go

The Saskatchewan NDP’s convention this past weekend offered a clue as to who should be providing leadership. And it didn’t necessarily come from the only two choices now on the ballot. This is not to suggest either Ryan Meili or Trent Wotherspoon acquitted themselves poorly.

Both accomplished what they intended to do in Saturday afternoon’s debate, moderated by comedian and The Debaters host Steve Patterson. The format was chancy for both candidates and the party, largely because politicians don’t often mix well with comedy. But Patterson’s initial funny bits did cut the tension for what was an occasionally intense NDP policy debate.

Meili underscored his “upstream economy” idea, where even the Chamber of Commerce recognizes health and education cuts are “a path to slow down the economy.” Wotherspoon repeated the Opposition caucus mantra that a “part-time, low-wage, outsourced economy … needs to be stopped.”

Both rightly noted they were in “violent agreement” on most issues including opposing P3s, supporting local procurement, a $15/hour minimum wage, true reconciliation with First Nations and Metis people, staunchly defending Crown corporation ownership (although Wotherspoon more strongly advocated it should be “locked in” by amending the province’s founding Saskatchewan Act) and a “made in Saskatchewan plan” on greenhouse gas emissions (although Meili hit harder on supporting a carbon tax).

One testy exchange occurred when Meili invited Wotherspoon to “join me by not taking corporate and union donations” during this leadership race as a way of leading by example. Wotherspoon shot back he was in favour of moving away from such donations but “now is not the time to tie the hands” and that Meili might be surprised how many small businesses want to express support for the NDP.

“It’s getting heated and it should be,” Patterson observed.

That said, there wasn’t much animosity in post-debate scrums … or anywhere else on the convention floor this weekend.

Meili’s crew seemed younger and Wotherspoon’s troops seemed mostly union/old guard. But there was a mix in both camps that seemed to strengthen the NDP’s annual gathering rather than divide it.

Why Brad Wall would far prefer the Saskatchewan Party run against Meili rather than Wotherspoon’s broad appeal also seemed clear, but the gap seemed to close a bit this weekend.

“I think I’m a little taller. I’m receding a bit in that back, I think he is in the front,” Wotherspoon said in the post-debate scrum. “He skateboards, I play hockey. But honestly, he’s a heck of a good guy.”

Yet such testosterone-laden remarks seemed out of step at an NDP gathering that emphasized its gender parity to the point of demanding a balance of male and female questioners at bear pit microphones. (It peeved at least one man, who described himself as a Latino minority.)

So why are there no women running for NDP leader? The Sask. Party has two women running for its leadership — one, in Alanna Koch, who has an excellent chance of winning — but the NDP can’t muster one woman candidate.

What makes this situation even stranger is that the NDP has a ready-made female contender in interim leader Nicole Sarauer.

The best leader’s speech of the convention came from Sarauer, who successfully bolstered the faithful’s belief that they are back on the right side of the public on a lot of issues. “Imagine this: A $2-billion highway (bypass) in Saskatchewan that wasn’t built for farm equipment,” Sarauer said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”

But it was her comment on the tough issue of “providing support for survivors “of interpersonal violence, sexual harassment and assault that was most intriguing.

“It’s in Hollywood, across the globe and right in our party,” she said, referring to an investigation into sexual harassment and assault allegations within the NDP. “I admit it is a hard topic to discuss ... it’s hard for me, personally.”

Yet there she was addressing an issue so many past leaders have simply ducked. It was likely the best demonstration of leadership all weekend. That should tell the NDP something.