For the first time, power politics are in the forefront as Nova Scotia New Democrats consider their choices at the party's leadership convention this weekend.
The nearly 600 delegates who are expected to crowd into a hall at Dalhousie University to choose one of five candidates to succeed Robert Chisholm are going to be looking for the person who can take the party into government.
Fresh in their minds will be the party's recent roller-coaster ride. The NDP came within one seat of taking power in the 1998 election but faltered with a lacklustre campaign in 1999 and ended up sharing opposition duties with the Liberals as the Tories cruised to victory.
Mr. Chisholm announced he would retire last fall, saying he wanted to spend more time with his young family.
The fact that five people want the job -- sitting MLAs Maureen MacDonald and Kevin Deveaux, former MLAs Dr. Hinrich Bitter-Suermann and Helen MacDonald as well as former provincial union head Dave Peters -- is a clear indication that more is at stake than just leading the province's social-democratic front. Each one wants to be premier.
"These people obviously believe that they can lead us to the next step of forming government and that's the number-one challenge the person will have to face," MLA Bill Estabrooks said in an interview. "The fact is that we are in a position where we can take a run at being the government and not just the conscience of the province."
That was not the case at previous NDP leadership conventions when Alexa McDonough (in 1980) and Mr. Chisholm (in 1996) both won easily.
Ms. McDonough, now the federal NDP leader, said that under Mr. Chisholm's leadership the party has 30 per cent of the vote in the province compared to 15 per cent when he took over.
"The party is stronger than it has ever been . . . the challenge now is to move the NDP from a solid opposition role and into government," Ms. McDonough said.
Acadia University political science professor Agar Adamson said the NDP members are convinced they can capitalize on the provincial anger roused by deep spending cuts on health and education imposed by the Tories earlier this year.
"They feel that the Tories have stumbled quite badly during their first year in office and if the Tories don't pick up, they'll have to go the maximum five years before the next election," he said.
Adding to the NDP optimism is the fact that the Liberals have yet to set a date for a convention to select a successor to former premier Russell MacLellan, who stepped down last month.
At the same time, some NDP delegates are disappointed that campaign strategists seemed to rein in Mr. Chisholm during the 1999 election and didn't allow him to talk passionately about issues such as unemployment and health care. They may steer away from the caucus MLAs and look to outspoken outsiders such as Dr. Bitter-Suermann or Mr. Peters.
Most pundits agree that the race for the NDP crown is too close to call, partly because none of the five candidates have a high public profile.
Prof. Adamson sees Halifax-Needham MLA Maureen MacDonald as the favourite. A former social worker and professor, she is the best known of the candidates and the convention is being held in her home city.
She is up against one of her colleagues, lawyer Mr. Deveaux of Eastern Passage.
Former Cape Breton MLA Helen MacDonald is expected to attract a significant number of votes from her part of the province.
But what no one can predict is how many voters will be attracted to Dr. Bitter-Suermann, a transplant surgeon and former Tory MLA who crossed the floor to the NDP in 1998, then lost his seat in The delegates will vote this afternoon and at least two ballots are expected before a winner is declared.