OTTAWA—Sensing the same disaffection in Canada that helped lift Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton pulled from the populist phrase book to launch her decidedly left-wing bid for the federal NDP leadership.

The fourth MP to enter the race to succeed Thomas Mulcair kicked off her campaign Tuesday with a speech that denounced “unfair trade deals” and vowed to “challenge the power of Canada’s elites.”

But she made clear that — in her policy proposals and ideological inclinations — she’s more Bernie Sanders than Trump. She described herself as a “proud democratic socialist” who will fight for free post-secondary tuition, institute universal child care, and “nationalize” assets like the deep sea port in Churchill, Man.

“It is time to call out a system that is rigged to benefit the few at the expense of the many. It’s time to take back our country,” Ashton told an assembly of journalists and campaign workers at a downtown Ottawa community centre.

“We must challenge the power of Canada’s elites, the rich and powerful who are benefitting from growing inequality in our country,” she said.

Ashton, 34, ran unsuccessfully for the NDP leadership in 2012, when she argued that the party would be wrong to drift to the centre in an attempt to broaden its appeal. In an interview with the Star on Tuesday, Ashton said the party needs to reconnect with progressive-minded voters who turned out in the last election but didn’t support the NDP.

To do so, she said the party must be “bold” in its proposals to fight climate change, address economic disparities and push for women’s and LGBTQ rights and racial equality.

“There are so many people out there that are fighting for social justice, for environmental justice, and for economic justice in different ways that we’ve lost touch with as a party,” she said.

Ashton blamed decades of cutbacks and misguided trade deals for a host of problems, including manufacturing job losses, a rise in contract work without benefits, record levels of student debt, and “third world” conditions in indigenous communities.

These issues need to be tackled “head on” through strong government regulations to protect the environment, ensuring that large infrastructure projects and airports are publicly owned, and investing in the creation of high-quality jobs and green projects, she said.

“The status quo has gotten us to where we are, the neo-liberal status quo, and what we need is a bold, progressive vision to challenge the system that’s holding us back.”

At the same time, she said that some Conservatives are trying to appeal to people who feel left out of the economy, and that the NDP must offer a hopeful message and position itself as the party for working people looking for a better shake.

“The kind of economic insecurity that we saw in the American election exists here at home, and that’s something that we here in the NDP needs to take seriously, and put forward bold ideas to tackle that inequality,” she said.

Ashton also pledged to pursue electoral reform, extend health care to cover pharmaceuticals and mental health needs, and oppose resource development projects that don’t meet environmental standards or don’t have the approval of indigenous communities.

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The MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski was first elected in 2008, and entered politics to vie for the NDP nomination in her riding at 23, after her local candidate voted against same-sex marriage. She speaks four languages — English, French, Spanish and Greek — and has served as the NDP’s critic for Indigenous Affairs, status of women, youth and employment and workforce development.

Ashton joins fellow MPs Peter Julian, Charlie Angus and Guy Caron in the race to replace Mulcair at a leadership convention in October.

The first debate of the campaign is scheduled for Sunday in Ottawa.

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