Altemeyer quits as NDP caucus chair two days after summit on suspended MLA

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This article was published 11/01/2017 (2913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just days after the NDP caucus decided against booting suspended MLA Mohinder Saran out permanently, its caucus chair announced he is stepping down from the position.

Rob Altemeyer, a former backbencher and MLA for Wolseley, told caucus Wednesday he wants to spend more time with his family and focus on his constituency.

He claims that his decision to resign was only “indirectly” connected to the Saran, the MLA for The Maples who was suspended in November following allegations of sexual harassment from a staff member.

“I wouldn’t have felt good leaving as caucus chair prior to helping caucus reach its decision on the issue,” he said.

“I wanted to step down for a while, but when that issue arose, I was like, ‘OK, I have to stick around.’ So it is only indirectly related in that I would have stepped down sooner.”

The party executive and New Democrat MLAs met for more than six hours Tuesday to decide Saran’s future with the party.

Ultimately, the caucus chose to keep Saran around, but he remains suspended while he embarks on “a path to reconciliation.” Few details were offered on what that entails, other than Saran having to apologize to both the complainant and caucus.

As caucus chair, Altemeyer has been the lead spokesman on the issue and spent almost 20 minutes attempting to explain the Saran decision when the meeting ended late Tuesday afternoon.

“You are there to do the best job to communicate the group’s decision. If people disagree with that decision, well that is politics, that is democracy. I don’t have a problem with that,” Altemeyer said, adding the determination was unanimous.

He said given the “time pressures” he is facing — which include preparations for his wedding next month — he didn’t feel he could remain as chair to see the reconciliation process unfold. He said the position added about two hours to his workday.

“It is both personal and professional. Here at work we have a government that is going to bring in its climate-change plan, and I am the lone (sustainable development) critic,” he said. “Plus I am getting married, so I have stuff to do.”

He said he has no desire to become the party’s leader.

“You will not see my name on the leadership ballot,” he promised.

In a letter sent Wednesday to NDP MLAs, Altemeyer said he hopes a new chair can be chosen at the next caucus meeting on Feb. 8.

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca