Ryan Meili to step aside when new Saskatchewan NDP leader elected

Ryan Meili has only one regret after serving almost four years as leader of the Saskatchewan NDP: His party wasn’t better able to urge the provincial government to do more about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We weren’t able to force this government to take COVID more seriously, to act to protect people’s lives, to protect our health system and protect people’s jobs,” Meili told a crowd of reporters packed inside his Saskatoon constituency office on Friday.

His resignation comes just days after the election of the Saskatchewan Party’s Jim Lemaigre in a byelection in the northern riding of Athabasca. Previously, the NDP had held the riding for more than two decades.

Meili told reporters he has no regrets about speaking up for public health action during the pandemic and demanding the truth from Premier Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party government.

Commenting that the province is on the “brink of a new phase” — one he said he is excited for — Meili said he wants to help, not hinder, the party in finding its next leader.

He reported having spoken with Saskatchewan NDP president Sheila Whelan to request she speak with the party’s executive and call for a leadership race.

“As someone who’s become so associated with masks, with mandates, with calling for the tough things that needed to be done, I know it’s going to be very difficult to no longer be associated with that at a time where people are looking for something new,” Meili said.

There won’t be an interim leader for the party, Meili said. He plans to remain leader until a new one is chosen, when he will step aside.

Meili said he has concerns about polarization in the province, stating the Saskatchewan Party is trending towards a U.S. Republican Trump-style of leadership.

Repeatedly saying Moe has lied to Saskatchewan people throughout the pandemic — about the state of COVID in the province, the effectiveness of vaccines and other concerns — Meili noted the importance of his stepping aside to ensure his own baggage does not impede the progress of the NDP.

Polling in recent months, Meili noted, has shown that a “steady, sensible, clear opposition is really making gains.” He said a new voice is needed to articulate the vision for the province moving beyond COVID-19.

“What did we learn from COVID-19 and how do we plan a future that will really make a difference in people’s lives?” he asked.

Meili called it “a real opportunity for Saskatchewan people to see during a time where Scott Moe is straight-up lying.”

Meili said he hopes to continue representing Saskatoon Meewasin as its MLA, and to be there “for the assist, if not for the goal” of seeing his party elected to government.

To his successor, Meili offered the advice to tell the truth and be direct and honest with Saskatchewan people.

“It may not seem the most successful thing to do politically, but people respect integrity, they respect when you’re genuine and sincere, and I believe that’s at the heart of who the New Democrats are,” Meili said.