REGINA – The NDP leadership bid of Heather McPherson has capped off a campaign swing of Saskatchewan with stops in Moose Jaw and Regina.
McPherson, who had spent earlier this week campaigning in Prince Albert and then Saskatoon, made her way from that city down to Moose Jaw for an afternoon event on Friday at the Hive Espresso Bar.
“We met with folks at Hive, we sat and had coffee, we had a number of folks come and visit and say hello, which was fantastic,” said McPherson in speaking to SaskToday.
“Heard a lot about some of the concerns that people are facing here in Saskatchewan, had a chance to talk about what rebuilding the NDP in Saskatchewan looks like.“
Afterwards, she drove to Regina where the highlight was an evening social event downtown at the Copper Kettle with local NDP members and supporters.
In speaking to SaskToday McPherson, who is the MP for Edmonton Strathcona, said that it is important to be campaigning in Saskatchewan.
“I think if somebody wants to be the leader of a federal party, somebody better visit all parts of the country,” said McPherson.
“So to come to Saskatchewan, that's an important place for the New Democratic Party. This is the birthplace of the NDP. This is where it all began. I'm a prairie girl and I understand how important the prairies were to our movement. So I think it's important for me to be here for that reason. I think it's important to hear from folks that are New Democrats about why the party hasn't been doing as well in Saskatchewan as it should have been doing. So that's been part of my goal. And of course, making sure people know that there's a leadership race, that I'm running in that race, and give them a little bit of insight into what my vision for the party is.“
McPherson is one of five candidates in the race to take over as the permanent NDP leader, facing a field of candidates including Rob Ashton, Avi Lewis, Tanille Johnston and Tony McQuail.
Part of the campaign effort has been seeking out existing NDP supporters as well as new ones, and making sure they are signed up with the party as members who are eligible to vote in the leadership election in March. There is a deadline of Jan. 28 for those looking to renew or sign up as members to be able to vote in the leadership contest, with the winner to be announced March 29 at their national convention in Winnipeg.
“So until the 28th of January we're really focused on making sure that every member renews their membership and making sure that anyone who wants to get a membership can get one,” McPherson said. “So we're selling memberships until the 28th of January and then if you've got your membership on the 28th of January, you'll be able to vote in the leadership race. And the voting starts on March 9th and it'll go for three weeks.”
The NDP has a major rebuild on its hands across the country but particularly in Saskatchewan. It has failed to elect an MP from the province for three elections in a row, with a historically poor popular vote result in the 2025 election.
Meanwhile, the provincial NDP made major gains in the 2024 provincial election including a total sweep of seats in Regina. Replicating those kinds of results at the federal level is something McPherson is looking to do.
She said that a major priority for her campaign is to rebuild relationships with the provincial parties.
“In 2019, when I first won my seat — I'm the only candidate in this race that's a Member of Parliament — when I first won my seat, Rachel Notley wasn't very supportive of the federal NDP and now she's endorsed my campaign, she's helping out on my leadership team. We rebuilt that relationship with hard work and I think we need to do that across the country.”
McPherson said the NDP across the country is “very successful. We are government in Manitoba and British Columbia. We are giant oppositions in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Now I know Carla Beck’s going to be the next premier of Saskatchewan. We need to be working together, we need to be supporting the provincial parties.”
In rebuilding the federal party, McPherson acknowledged there is a lot of work to do.
“Part of it's about showing up,” she said. “That's why I'm in Moose Jaw. We can't get people to get on board with the messages that we have or want to work to rebuild a party if we're not present. I think that's part of it.
She also said part of it is “talking to people that those issues matter most to them.””Across this country, people are dealing with a really difficult crisis. The affordability crisis is making life unaffordable for folks. Folks can't afford a place to live, they can't afford groceries, they can't afford their bills. We need to be showing Canadians that we are the only party that is actually fighting with real solutions for working-class Canadians. I think we got away from that a bit.;I think it's important for us to get back to that, to be talking to people about those issues that matter most to them.”
She also points to the health care system as another issue.
“I'm from Alberta, and when I see Danielle Smith bring forward legislation that does the most damage to our public health care system since Tommy Douglas and the NDP put it in place, that worries me. It worries me when Scott Moe says that he's going to take the lead from Danielle Smith and privatize health care in Saskatchewan. That's a problem. We've got to have a strong, new Democratic Party that can fight for health care, that can push to make sure that the federal government is enforcing the Canada Health Act and is giving the amount of money that they should be to the provinces for health care. We're the only party that's every single time the one standing up and fighting for public health care.”
Another thing McPherson is looking to rebuild is support from the unions.
“Absolutely. I mean, that's work that I know as an Albertan MP. That's the work that we did. You know, I have great relationships with IBEW, with OE (operating engineers), with the Building Trades, with CUPE. These are the guys that we should be working with. These are who we fight for. These are the jobs that we need to make sure we're protecting.”
She also pointed to the Liberals. “I look at Mark Carney giving half a billion dollars to Algoma Steel just so that they could lay off 1,000 workers right before Christmas. I think about how worried people are about their jobs across this country. We've got to be the party. We've always been the party that stands up for working-class Canadians.”
McPherson thinks the mood of party members in Saskatchewan “has been really, really good. People are excited. They're excited to rebuild the party.”
She also said party members are seeing “how there has been a wild swing to the right by Mark Carney.”
“By all accounts, he's basically a conservative. It's why the Conservatives are so comfortable crossing the floor to join the Liberals right now. So I think for progressive Canadians, for people in Saskatchewan who want a party that's fighting for working class values, that's fighting for our healthcare system, that they need a strong NDP. So people are excited about that.”
McPherson was set to take her campaign to central Canada this weekend where the young New Democrats are hosting a debate in Toronto for all the candidates, and then she plans to campaign in Winnipeg. She said she plans to get back to Saskatchewan again before the leadership vote in March.
She says one of the things she has heard is “people are happy that I'm taking the time to visit Saskatchewan and I'm taking the time to visit some of the smaller communities in Saskatchewan. Not just Regina and Saskatoon, but going to Moose Jaw, going to PA. I think that's important. It's important we show up.”
