NDP leadership underdog Rob Ashton banking on authenticity in campaign

OTTAWA — British Columbia union leader Rob Ashton says he’s happy to take NDP icon Jack Layton’s mantle of the guy you’d have a beer with , but there’s one important caveat. Article content

“It doesn’t have to be over a beer because we have a lot of people in this country who are in recovery and can’t do alcohol. I’m happy to meet anyone over a coffee, too — I kind of like tea myself,” said Ashton in an interview with the National Post. Article content

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Ashton, a burly career dock worker who heads up the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, said that genuine one-on-one conversations will be key to rebuilding the NDP from the ground up, after the party had its worst result ever in April’s federal election.

“We’ve forgotten how t