Ovide Mercredi elected president of Manitoba NDP – CBC

Mar 07, 2015

The NDP have just elected the party’s first aboriginal executive president.

Ovide Mercredi was elected the party’s new president Saturday afternoon on day two of the NDP’s annual convention in Winnipeg.

Mercredi, who was strongly endorsed by Premier Greg Selinger, trounced incumbent Ellen Olfert and beat out 18-year-old NDP provincial council member Tyler Duncan for the position.

As of Saturday, 919 delegates had registered at the NDP leadership convention — a number that is expected to balloon on Sunday, when the vote for a new leader of the party will take place.

Mercredi served as the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 1991 to 1997.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ovide-mercredi-elected-president-of-manitoba-ndp-1.2985855