Meili elects not to run in Saskatoon West

Ryan Meili speaks during the Saskatchewan NDP Leadership Convention at TCU Place in Saskatoon on Saturday, March 9, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Two-time provincial NDP leadership candidate Ryan Meili will not run for the federal NDP nomination in Saskatoon West.

Meili, a physician in Saskatoon, cited in a Facebook post Wednesday his work in medicine and his family as reasons he is electing not to run.

He noted how upset his three-year-old son was when he left for a recent two-day trip to Prince Edward Island. Meili made the trip in order to speak on his medical work — something he does about a dozen times per year.

“I’m pretty sure these occasional trips away pose no great risk to our relationship,” the post read. “Being a Member of Parliament, four nights a week in Ottawa for half the year, along with the other travel duties expected for an MP, is another story entirely.”

Meili said he’d been encouraged to run in the new Saskatoon West riding since Nettie Wiebe announced she would not be seeking the nomination. Choosing not to run was not an easy decision, he said. He’s strongly attached to the Saskatoon West area.

“The opportunity to represent Saskatoon West in parliament is very appealing,” he said.

“It’s a seat in which the NDP has a good chance to win, and could be part of a renaissance for the party in Saskatchewan. It’s also a part of the country with great qualities and serious troubles. It should be represented by someone proud of the area but willing to demand better.”

Meili ran for leadership of the Saskatchewan NDP in 2009 and in 2013.

His Facebook post didn’t rule out running in the future — though he didn’t clarify for which position.

“There will be more elections, and I may be a candidate in one of them, but not in 2015,” he said.

Executive director of the United Way in Saskatoon, Sheri Benson, plans to seek the NDP nomination in Saskatoon West.