NDP Leader Wab Kinew and wife expecting a baby
The leader of the Manitoba NDP is adding to his party in his own way.
Wab Kinew and his wife, Lisa Monkman, have announced they are expecting a baby in the spring.
He says he is excited to welcome the baby to the family.
Given his new role as leader of the Opposition, Kinew said he won't be taking the traditional paternity leave.
"I think I will have to find a balance there so I don't think it will be a formal paternity leave in the terms of, like, I'll be doing the [employment insurance] thing," he said.
"Depending on when the baby comes I may take some time to just build the relationship and support my wife."
They announced their happy news at a fundraising dinner Thursday night with "a few hundred of our closest friends."
Kinew, who has two boys, told Monkman what to expect as she welcomes her first child.
"When you become a parent, you learn to love in a new way. Your heart, your soul learns to feel a love you didn't know possible before. It's like learning to taste a new flavour for the first time, see a new colour that you've never seen before, hear music you've never heard … it's the best song you've ever heard. It's the best flavour you've ever tasted. It's the most beautiful colour you've seen in your life.
"I'm so very happy that we're going to go on this journey together ... and I can't wait for you to become a mother."
In a release Friday, the NDP said more than 300 tickets were sold to the "packed" Leader's Levee, where Kinew also announced details of a health-care information-gathering tour around Manitoba.
Among the first stops are Winnipeg's Grand Mosque on Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. and the East End Arena and Community Club Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
