REGINA -
The new leader of the Saskatchewan NDP says he does not believe the issue of nuclear power has divided the party.
Dwain Lingenfelter, who won the leadership Saturday, says every NDP leader in the province has supported the development of Saskatchewan's uranium industry in some way.
Lingenfelter says most recently there was support to study the idea of building a nuclear reactor.
He says he too supports that idea, but also believes the party must review its energy policy and consider alternatives.
The comments come after party members passed a resolution stating that an NDP government would not pursue the building of a nuclear reactor, but would look at other energy sources.
Lingenfelter has noted that a couple of hundred people supported the resolution at a convention in Regina, but not all of the party's 13,000 members were in attendance.
Lingenfelter was first elected in 1978 and held various positions within the party and government until he left politics in 2000 to work in the private sector.
He defeated three other contenders by capturing 55 per cent of the votes on the second ballot.
At 60, Lingenfelter is the oldest person ever elected to lead the Saskatchewan New Democrats.
His win comes at a time when the NDP is struggling to redefine itself in Saskatchewan and those within the party acknowledge there are rifts that need to be healed.
