In response to the Saskatchewan NDP’s announcement this morning that the party membership had grown to over 11,000 members, leadership candidate Dr. Ryan Meili issued the following statement:

“These numbers bode well for the future of our party. The growth in youth membership is particularly exciting. Our campaign has seen a surge of involvement from young people, First Nations and Métis, recent immigrants, young families and others. Many of these people are joining a political party for the first time, or rejoining the NDP after having become disenchanted in the past."

“Longtime members I’ve spoken to are thrilled about all the new faces they’ve seen at party events – they’re ready and willing to share the work of steering this great party. If you’ve just joined for the first time, welcome. If you’ve rejoined after some time away, welcome back.

“It’s important to emphasize that this growth is not a victory for one camp or another – it’s a victory for all of us. The renewal of the NDP is now well underway, and the future of the party is in good hands. People are hungry for a new way of doing politics, they want to be a part of a movement working for a better future, and – most importantly – they are ready to take the lead.

“Now it's up to all four leadership candidates to engage, serve and represent this growing membership base. I look forward to speaking with and learning from the membership – from lifetime members to first-time members – in the remaining weeks of this campaign, leading up to convention on March 9th and beyond.”

Are you a new or renewed member planning to vote for Ryan? Text YES to 1.306.988.1685 or go to http://www.ryanmei.li/pledge to pledge your vote!

BTW, this graphic is designer Adrienne Conley's latest addition to our "Retro Meili" series. Here's the piece that inspired it: http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/persuasion/themes/earlycff/26372.jpg