NDP leadership speculation begins

There's no time to waste for the NDP. They will need a new leader in place ahead of the general election which is slated for some time later this year.

Two possible contenders for the job are Michael's fellow NDP caucus members. But in the moments after the announcement, neither George Murphy nor Gerry Rogers were really interested in talking about a possible leadership bid.

"I think maybe you're probably better off waiting for the dust to settle on this first. I haven't even thought about that," Murphy said. "I only found out last night that this is happening, and I'm still trying to get over the shock, I guess."

Rogers said running for the leadership is "probably not the direction that I would go," and she tried to shift the focus back to Michael's time as leader.

"She has been steadfast," Rogers said. "She has been committed, clear and courageous around the issues that affect the people of the province. I am happy that she has decided to continue on as a parliamentarian."

Michael will continue to serve as leader until the new boss is picked.

NDP president Kathleen Connors said that the party is still working out all the details right now, but they hope to have the process finished by the end of March.

The pressing concern is a provincial election which could be called by Premier Paul Davis at any time between now and October. There's also a federal election scheduled for October of this year, which is a potential factor because the province's two New Democrat MPs are widely seen as potential leadership candidates.

St. John's South-Mount Pearl MP Ryan Cleary couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday as he was home sick with the flu.

St. John's East MP Jack Harris wasn't doing interviews either, but he issued a statement applauding Michael's work as New Democrat leader.

"As a former party leader I know the hard work involved, and I have admired the dedication and passion that she has brought to the job. I am also proud of the party's success under her leadership. I also know the decision to leave is a tough one and she has shown courage in doing so," Harris said in his statement, emailed to journalists.

"During her tenure, she has shown stalwart and fearless leadership in the House of Assembly and in public and been ceaseless in promoting the values of social justice and prosperity for all which New Democrats hold dear."

Apart from the New Democrats who already hold some sort of elected office, there's a wide array of public speculation, but for the most part it's not much more than that so far.

One person who was definitely making it known that she's considering a run is former St. John's city councillor Sheilagh O'Leary, who ran for the New Democrats and lost in the district of Virginia Waters last spring.

O'Leary also heaped praise on Michael's leadership, but at the same time, she said a change was in order.

"Is it necessary? Obviously," she said. "The polls are speaking. The public is speaking. It is obviously a time to embrace change, there's no doubt about it."

O'Leary said despite losing her spot on city council and failing to win the byelection, she's hungry to get back into public service. She said she's just not sure whether the NDP leadership is the right avenue.

Labour organizer Lana Payne said that she's focused on her work with Unifor, and will not run for the NDP leadership.

Former Fish Food and Allied Workers president Earle McCurdy responded to a Telegram email saying that he isn't ruling out a run for the NDP leadership either.

"The vacancy just came up this morning," he said. "I would need time to think about it before doing something so dramatic.