HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia NDP leadership contest got its first candidate Monday after party house leader Claudia Chender jumped into the race.
Chender, who represents the riding of Dartmouth South, ended months of speculation by officially announcing her intention to run for her party's top job.
The 45-year-old former lawyer told reporters that she wants to help grow the NDP beyond its Halifax-area base. The New Democrats currently hold six seats in the 55-seat legislature: five in the Halifax region and one in the Cape Breton area.
"We have been talking really consistently about the issues that matter to people," Chender said. "Affordability and power rates and housing and the environment. I think this is the moment when our policies have dovetailed with the public consciousness … so, I feel optimistic about the growth of our party."
Chender said the NDP needs to focus on making "real inroads" outside the province's main urban centres of Halifax and Sydney, N.S.
"We have work to do right across the rest of the province," she said. "That's why I am excited that I have the next few months to talk to people."
The NDP has set a registration deadline of May 21 for candidates. Voting for the new leader will begin June 20 and end on June 25.
A mother of three school-aged children, Chender was first elected in 2017.
A campaign launch video on Monday included endorsements from two Halifax-area NDP caucus members — Lisa Lachance and Susan Leblanc.
"She knows what she is talking about in the legislature and she knows how to listen when she is in the community," Leblanc said.
Lachance said Chender has inspired her as a member of the legislature. "I saw what leadership could look like."
Chender said that while she never envisioned launching a leadership campaign during a pandemic, she believes the timing is right for her vision. That includes, she said, ensuring people have enough money to buy food and pay the rent.
"I think that we are going to find a new normal and government is going to be a big part of that. I do believe that people are ready for a positive and inclusive approach to government."
NDP Leader Gary Burrill announced last fall he would step down once the party chooses a replacement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2022.
Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press
