Ryan Meili stepping down as MLA of Saskatoon Meewasin
NDP leader Ryan Meili announced he is resigning from his position as MLA of Saskatoon Meewasin.
Meili is also stepping down as the leader of the official opposition, as the spring sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislature ends.
“It is time for me to move on and do other things and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have been the leader of the NDP, to have been leader of the opposition and to be a doctor leading in the middle of a pandemic, it’s been the challenge and opportunity and honour of a lifetime,” Meili said.
Representatives from both sides of the aisle offered their appreciation for Meili and his family for their sacrifice and service to the people of Saskatchewan, during proceedings Thursday.
“As a leader, as an activist, as a doctor in Saskatoon and right across this province, as far away as Mozambique Ryan Meili has made a lot of sacrifices in the name of helping others," NDP MLA Carla Beck said.
Premier Scott Moe also wished Meili the best – commending his perseverance.
“The fact that he did live true to his beliefs whether we agreed on those beliefs or not he most certainly did live to them and he stood by them and those two traits, perseverance and being true to the beliefs that you have, I think are admirable in any individual,” Moe said.
“We largely as politicians likely agree on more than we disagree on and I would say that extends across Saskatchewan.”
Meili served as the MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin for five years and as leader of the provincial NDP for four.
He was elected as leader in 2018, after two failed attempts to get the job.
A new NDP leader will be elected in June. Two names are on the ballot: Regina Lakeview MLA Carla Beck and Saskatoon lawyer Kaitlyn Harvey.
Following the leadership vote, a by-election will be held in Meili’s constituency. A date has not yet been set.
It will be a critical seat for the NDP to maintain as Meili’s departure leaves the party with just 11 out of 61 seats in the legislature.
“I won’t be that MLA, but I’m going to be helping out in that campaign to make sure we win,” Meili said.
Meili said his final day in the seat will be July 1.
The outgoing leader added that he is going to take some time off to think through his next steps.
“It will be medicine and some degree of advocacy for health because I don’t really know how to do anything else,” he said. “I’ll definitely be seeing patients, that is something I’ve missed and I enjoy so much.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'