Brosseau mulls bid for NDP leadership
Ruth Ellen Brosseau was thrust back into the spotlight Thursday after the Quebec NDP MP opened the door to a possible leadership bid while her party looks to replace Tom Mulcair.
Brosseau, who first captured widespread attention during the 2011 election campaign over a vacation to Las Vegas, said Thursday that she entered politics as a single mother to help lessfortunate people become part of the middle class.
The former-bartender-turned-member of Parliament for the riding of Berthier-Maskinonge went on to earn high praise in the years following the 2011 election. She was re-elected last fall despite disappointing results for several other New Democrats across Canada.
As she looks ahead, Brosseau said she will be reviewing the terms of the race.
“We have much to do to improve the lot of Canadians, so I am certainly going to reflect, maybe, about becoming a potential candidate in the leadership race,” she said. “But I need to see what the criteria are (and) who are the other candidates who will come forward.”
Brosseau added she has not started to investigate how much support there would be for her possible candidacy.
The NDP’s federal council — its key decision-making team — is expected to meet early next month to set the wheels in motion for the future race that could take up to two years.
In the meantime, Brosseau said she is proud to represent the interests of her riding and plans to take the possible leadership process one day at a time.
The 31-year-old NDP critic for agriculture and agri-food recently backed Mulcair’s bid to stay at the helm of the party, though he was not successful in his attempt.