But it would be a mistake to dismiss the 29-year-old Manitoba MP — as most of the media are doing — as not worth mentioning.
She is smart, feisty, knowledgeable about a wide range of topics and capable of holding her own with more seasoned politicians. She speaks four languages (English, French, Spanish and Greek). She has an MA in international relations and is working toward a PhD in peace and conflict studies. Before winning her seat in Parliament, she was a lecturer at University College of the North in The Pas (630 kilometres north of Winnipeg).
Ashton is not a political rookie. She is now in her second term. And she got elected the hard way. First she defeated New Democrat Bev Desjarlais to win her party’s nomination. Then she went on to beat the incumbent, Liberal MP Tina Keeper, to become the representative for Churchill, which encompasses approximately two-thirds of Manitoba. In 2011, she widened her margin of victory.
Ashton is only slightly younger than Ed Schreyer was when he became premier of Manitoba (33) or Robert Bourassa was when he became premier of Quebec (36). She does not see her age as a barrier to succeeding the late Jack Layton as leader of the opposition. Unfortunately, her party does.
Her leadership rivals treat her as a candidate who’s running for next time or perhaps the time after that. They rarely challenge her ideas or question her fitness for the NDP’s top job. But it is clear they consider her a promising neophyte, not a political equal.
Ashton is more than an upstart. She is the only candidate in the race who speaks for a generation that grew up in the digital era. She is the only one with a platform that includes new policies. As the daughter of immigrants, she is thoroughly at home in today’s multicultural Canada. And she is closest in age and perspective to the coterie of young New Democrats elected in 2011 (16 under the age of 30).
Ashton met the Toronto Star’s editorial board, as did five of the other contenders (unfortunately not Nova Scotia pharmacist Martin Singh) between Jan. 31 and Feb. 21.
Three things stood about her session:
The first was the breadth of the discussion. She was eager to talk about everything from generic drugs to peacebuilding in the Middle East. She had a platform that covered all these topics. She wasn’t particularly interested in the dynamics of the horse race.
The second was her willingness to take on New Democrats, such as leadership front-runner Thomas Muclair, who argue the party must move beyond “the boilerplate of ordinary working class Canadians.” The biggest losers under that scenario, she maintains, are the members of her generation.
“The clock is being turned backward,” Ashton said, citing the sell-off of Canadian resources, the rollback of women’s rights, the impending reduction of benefits and the widening gap between rich and poor. Why would the NDP abandon the people left behind by this dismantling of the social contract?
The third was the ease with which she handled condescending questions. She simply turned them into opportunities to talk about her ideas, her values and her vision for Canada.
It is unfortunate Ashton has been relegated to the role of precocious child in the NDP leadership race. It is a shame she been written off as an also-ran by journalists. It is a pity that all Canadians know little — if anything — about her except that she’s a decade younger than any of the other contenders.
There are 5 million eligible voters in Canada under the age of 30. Jack Layton had the rare ability to connect with them. So does Niki Ashton.
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Carol Goar
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