37 Facts About Ryan Meili

Ryan Meili was born on April 11,1975 and is a Canadian physician and former politician from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Ryan Meili previously served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Meewasin from 2017 to 2022 and as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 2018 to 2022.

Ryan Meili has founded a number of health care-related initiatives such as the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health, the University of Saskatchewan's Making the Links program, and the Upstream think tank.

Ryan Meili attended Vanier Collegiate in Moose Jaw before going on to the University of Saskatchewan where he studied Human Anatomy and Languages.

Ryan Meili was arrested during the protest, but received an absolute discharge and had the conviction erased after one year.

Ryan Meili entered the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in September 2000 after his third application, and graduated in 2004.

Ryan Meili completed his residency at the Westwinds Primary Health Centre in Saskatoon in June 2007.

Ryan Meili became head of the College of Medicine's Division of Social Accountability and ran the College's Making the Links program, which coordinated practices for medical students in communities in inner-city Saskatoon, Northern Saskatchewan, and Mozambique.

Ryan Meili acted as a coordinator for the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health, which provided further opportunities for Saskatoon students to gain community-based experience.

Ryan Meili served as vice-chair for Canadian Doctors for Medicare, a national advocacy organization.

In 2012 Ryan Meili published A Healthy Society: How a Focus on Health can Revive Canadian Democracy, a book that explored the concept of the social determinants of health and argued for their role in the political process.

Ryan Meili published an updated and expanded edition of the book in 2018.

Ryan Meili first became a member of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party in 2001.

Party leader Lorne Calvert's retirement in 2008 triggered a leadership election, and in February 2009 Ryan Meili decided to enter the race to replace the former premier.

Ryan Meili was the fourth and final declared candidate in the race, joining former Deputy Premier Dwain Lingenfelter, Moose Jaw MLA Deb Higgins, and former party president Yens Pedersen.

However, although Ryan Meili was perceived as the front runner for the nomination, he ultimately dropped out of the race, citing family reasons, and Naveed Anwar secured the nomination.

Ryan Meili had greater notoriety in the race compared to 2009, and he based his campaign around the ideas presented in his book, A Healthy Society.

When Weir dropped out ahead of the election and endorsed Ryan Meili, he was considered the front runner.

Ryan Meili was lauded for expanding party membership during the race, and in particular for attracting young people to the party.

In 2014 Ryan Meili considered but ultimately declined to seek the federal NDP nomination for the riding of Saskatoon West ahead of the 2015 federal election.

Ryan Meili was successful in securing the nomination and he won the by-election in March 2017.

In May 2017, Ryan Meili announced that he would be joining the NDP leadership race to replace Broten.

Ryan Meili was joined in the race by Wotherspoon, who had finished third behind Meili in 2013 and who acted as interim leader for a time after Broten's resignation.

Ryan Meili ran on a platform including a $15 minimum wage, universal pharmacare, and the banning of corporate and union donations.

Ryan Meili's victory was considered a win for the progressive wing of the party.

Ryan Meili attacked the governing Saskatchewan Party for the austerity they pursued after being re-elected in 2016, which included shutting down the Saskatchewan Transportation Company crown corporation.

Ryan Meili sought to rebuild rural support for the party and to draw a contrast with the governing party by taking a stronger stance on climate change and renewable energy, announcing the Renew Saskatchewan program in the fall of 2018.

Ryan Meili objected to the possibility in light of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan.

Ryan Meili advocated for the creation of a multi-party committee, including both medical and economic experts, to guide the province's pandemic response after its first presumptive case that month, but the idea was rebuffed by Premier Scott Moe.

Ryan Meili focused on reducing classroom sizes and wait times for medical procedures.

Ryan Meili trailed in his own seat at the end of election day, but he ultimately won his seat in an election that saw a record number of mail-in ballots in the context of the pandemic.

Ryan Meili stated that his priority post-election would be continuing to deal with the pandemic, along with re-building the NDP's image.

On February 18,2022, Ryan Meili announced his intention to resign as NDP leader and trigger a leadership race, serving as leader until a new leader, Carla Beck, was chosen to succeed him at the 2022 Saskatchewan New Democratic Party leadership election.

Ryan Meili stated that he felt that, with his medical background, he was needed as an opposition leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, but, as someone who had consistently advocated for robust public health measures it was time for a new voice in the party with the end of such measures in sight.

In 2023 it was announced that Ryan Meili was releasing a new book, published by UBC Press, about the COVID-19 pandemic response in Saskatchewan.

Ryan Meili married pediatrician Mahli Brindamour in 2009, and the couple have two sons, Abraham and Augustin.

Ryan Meili won the 2006 Saskatchewan Health Care Excellence Award and in 2007 was named Saskatoon's Global Citizen of the Year by the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation.