In Layton generation, age no barrier to leadership: Ashton

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This article was published 08/11/2011 (5466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Manitoba MP Niki Ashton said Monday age is no barrier to her quest to lead the federal NDP.

The 29-year-old Churchill MP officially launched her leadership campaign in Montreal Monday and immediately addressed one of the biggest questions about her — age.

“New politics says that age is not a barrier,” Ashton said.

She acknowledged if she wins she would be the youngest person to ever lead the federal NDP. She would also be the youngest to ever lead a major Canadian political party. Joe Clark was 36 when he was elected to lead the federal Tories in 1976.

But Ashton declared herself to be part of the “Jack Layton generation” that saw 19 NDP MPs under the age of 30 elected last May. Ashton is their de facto leader, being the only one of the under-30 set with experience. She was first elected in 2008.

She said new politics and Layton’s leadership broke down barriers for age, gender or race, and that is the kind of politics she will espouse.

Ashton pledged to campaign on a vision that is progressive and protects the services Canadians cherish while maintaining control of our own economy. She said the Manitoba NDP and its four successive majority governments have proven you can have a strong economy and an innovative social agenda.

Ashton blamed Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives for politics of division and cancellation.

“Today it’s the wheat board, tomorrow it’s other marketing boards, the CBC and medicare,” she warned.

Ashton made her announcement from Quebec and spoke much of the time in French, acknowledging both the large role Quebec played in her party’s current fortunes and her ability to speak eloquently in both French and English. Ashton is actually able to speak four languages. Greek is her mother tongue and she can speak fluent Spanish. She has some proficiency in Cree, Mandarin, Ukrainian, Russian and Turkish.

Ashton grew up with a political family. Her father is longtime Manitoba cabinet minister Steve Ashton.

Ashton is the ninth candidate to join the race to fill Layton’s shoes. The next leader will be chosen at a convention in Toronto March 24.

Ashton has already shown much courage in her brief political career facing off against much older, more experienced opponents on issues such as the elimination of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly and the planned closure of the Vale nickel smelter and refinery in Thompson.

Last fall, she was both chided and praised for sticking to her convictions to vote in favour of a bill to eliminate the gun registry, despite her party’s general stance in favour of the registry. She recently voted against another bill to get rid of the registry.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca