It is always amazing to observe the ignorance of the Canadian left when it comes to Quebec politics. The reasons for this, I believe, are similar to what blocked the English left over Ireland for decades, as well as the French left over their African empire. It is costly in the short term to oppose its "own" imperialism, because it is supported by a very wide popular colonial mentality. But in the long term, it is deadly.
In any case, here we have a NDP campaign that is going nowhere, unfortunately. More than that, the front-runner is now an ex-Liberal Minister who was known for his trade-union bashing and his love of free trade agreements, not to mention his "affair" with Israel (as it has been noted recently by rabble contributors). Mulcair was also not only a staunch anti-nationalist, but he even fought hard against Bill 101 (to protect the French language). Even if people tend to forget things, not many people will give him any credibility when he says that he speaks "for Quebec."
On all these important issues, Mulcair has been a centre-right liberal.
Some Canadians have raised the argument that Mulcair would be able to "secure" the NDP vote in Quebec, so that his leadership would be beneficial for the party. This is very far from reality.
Mulcair had very little to do with the orange wave of last May. Mulcair represents a very strange riding which is called Outremont. It is the home of the wealthy francophones, on the West side, who have been tiring of voting for what became to be known as the party of crooks (Liberals). It is also the home of many immigrant communities and the centre of the orthodox Jewish community which numbers more than 20 per cent of the total population of Outremont. It is a unique feature in Montreal's demographic. This community supports Mulcair for reasons that are far off from any progressive meaning, or from the anti-racist and anti-discrimination battles that abound in the city.
Outside of this perimeter, very few people would support Mulcair.
Some would say that Mulcair has the support of the majority of the Quebec NDP MPs. The fact is that these MPs are mostly politically inexperienced, and without any social base. Before May 2, and the TV appearances of Jack Layton in Quebec, the NDP would not have been able to bring more than 200 people into a room. It had local committees in fewer than five ridings (including Outremont). Currently, some of the most serious NPDers in Quebec have decided to support candidates other than Mulcair.
All in all, Mulcair as the leader of the NDP, would be a disaster in Quebec. The support the party got on May 2 is already melting like snow in the spring. Canadians who still believe in the NDP as a vehicle for change should think about these matters seriously.
Did you really need to attack the people living in the riding?
As mtlr says, many people voted orange in the last election; not all of these votes were for specific candidates. In the riding of Outremont we don't know who voted for Mulcair, who voted for the NDP, and who voted against Harper.
When Thomas Mulcair entered the race to lead the federal NDP I researched him in the Quebec press. In the early days of the campaign many journalists in Quebec focussed on Mulcair's temper. Some said Mulcair would not be a good leader for the NDP because he is not a team player. More than one newspaper reported that Mulcair was convicted of defamation of character and ordered by the courts to pay former PQ MNA Yves Duhaime $95,000.
The first link is to a news report written during the trial. The second link leads to an article written after Mulcair was convicted.
http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2003/10/20031022-0838...
http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2005/03/20050324-2026...
Sorry to make you sad, josh, but I'm the one that has opened a thread on babble to condemn this article, least of all for its lazy and foolish errors of fact about the demographics of Outremont riding, but mainly for its baseless stereotyping of Jews in my riding as being "orthodox" and as "supporting Mulcair" and as doing so for reasons which are "far from progressive". I am thoroughly and vocally opposed to Mulcair's rabid pro-Israel stands and actions. But I will not stand for stereotyping of Jews - neither as controlling Hollywood, nor as voting en bloc for Mulcair.
M. Beaudet is welcome to respond to the charges in the comments above, and/or my charges in the babble thread - or to correct or retract his erroneous statements:
http://rabble.ca/babble/rabble-news-features/rabble-blog-pierre-beaudet-...
You may dispute the way Pierre makes his argument, but I can tell you that he reflects a real sentiment in Montreal and among many progressive circles around Quebec. I don't know about Rabble's supposed pro-Topp bias, but as someone who isn't supporting anyone on the NDP race, I can say that electing Mulcair leader could do harm to building the support of Quebec progressives and leftists. Would anyone else be *better* at keeping Quebec? I'm not sure. But Pierre is right when he says Quebeckers weren't voting for Mulcair when they voted in the Orange Wave, and it isn't clear that he could keep it going.
I will not be supporting Mr Mulcair...he left the Liberal party ...he did not move to the left of the Liberal party...I will be giving my vote to the most left wing candidate...who is.....
The Canadian Left is intentionally ignorant of Quebec so that Quebecers can play no role in the formation and programming of the Canadian Left. The reality is that there are stronger and more ingrained left-leaning ideals and perspectives in Quebec, because of this province's history and culture, then in the rest of Canada combined. (Apologies to BC.)
The colonial mentality is deadly because it ingrains the jingoistic prejudice that colonies, as children, should be "seen and not heard" - this is precisely how the Canadian Left feels about Quebec - and a token slick, big-mouth from Quebec will only change the perception, not the reality; especially if all the people he brings with him to "represent" the people of Quebec are from Ontario, Manitoba or the US. We are already here and we can represent ourselves.
My understanding is that Mulcair didn't have a simple "affair" with the Israeli lobby, he married in and is dependent on the dowry to fund his Prime Minister Drive - leadership of the NDP is reduced to being nothing more than a stepping stone in his personal vision. Not good enough for party members who have been waiting since Ed Broadbent for a chance like this, only to see all the Political Class opportunists come out from under their rocks and try to take it away.
The political class knows that no one can speak "for Quebec" without representing the people of Quebec. But instead of integrating the people of Quebec through a shared and established political vision, the political class in Quebec, through Mulcair, has simply changed the colour of its shirt to Orange and plans to continue the Federal Canadian Political Class vision of separation between State and Electorate - that's the vision that gave us our current Conservative government and the preceding Liberal one (It's also the vision that dictates the US Democrat-Republican system).
The problem with this vision from the Federal Canadian Political Class is the same problem that will cost Mulcair his NDP leadership aspirations. It will never attract support from outside its own base because it is not willing to work with or integrate with anyone or anything outside its own base.
Add to this the recognition from core Mulcair supporters that they will be the ones on the outside looking in if they choose to continue Mulcair's "us or them" attitude within the NDP's own caucus, and you have a candidate whose numbers will only continue to decline the closer we get to the choice of next NDP leader - a leader whom a majority of NDP members agree "must be a unifier".
Mulcair is not the leader the NDP should choose. Does the party want another Bob Rae experience? Mulcair is another Liberal - and he would move the NDP so far to the middle it would accomplish nothing. Cullen seems to be the only one running who is realistic about what is needed. Sadly, the candidates are unwilling to take on the most important issue the country faces: http://nickfillmore.blogspot.com/2012/02/ndp-leadership-candidates-ducki...
Wow, all these internet trolls whose job it is to sit around 24 hours a day and critize anyone who says anything objective about Tom Mulcair makes me realize 1/ how many of these people have nothing to do now that the Liberals, reduced to third-party status, have no reason to keep them on the payroll and 2/ how quickly the NDP will turn into the Old Liberals and the Conservatives if Mulcair is elected leader.
Could this article (website) be any more biased against Mulcair? It is very interesting to see what is going on here. I personally think he is the best man for the job, and would love to read some factual articles on Mulcair and the other candidates on this website. If I want bias there's plenty of other sites to visit.
As a long-term member of one of those (apparently) five riding committees, I'd have to say Mulcair is quite popular. One hard-working member, however, has gone "on strike" over the NDP's spinelessness on Israel. Personally I don't see a saviour in this bunch, but I think Mulcair would be likely to do OK in Quebec.
BTW: If Tom Mulcair wins the NDP leadership - it will be largely because he will probably get the vast majority of vogtes from the 12,000 NDP members in Quebec, maybe Beaudet should write another article on "What French Canadians need to understand about Quebec, the NDP and Thomas Mulcair"
One this is clear about Thomas Mulcaire and beyond dispute: he's strongly pro-Israel. And so by the way, are his Jewish constituents, whether they are religious or not. The mainstream Jewish community is united on one issue: Israel. Does Mulcaire pander to them? No. He shares their illusions. And whether his Jewish constituents may amount to 10% or 20%, they can be counted on to vote and vote for the candidate who is pro-Israel. If anything, Mulcaire has to work harder at proving his solidarity on the issue because unlike the Liberals and Conservatives, the NDP is known to have -- some would say harbour -- those who are critical of what Israel is up to. Libby Davies is one of them. We know that when the B.C. MP was strongly critical of Israel for its blockade of Gaza, it was the MP from Outremont who verbally flogged her in the House for taking the name of the Dybbuk in vain. A Mulcaire victory would mean that all 3 party leaders are strongly pro-Israel. Wow! That's food for thought and more editorial comment. As for Brian Topp, a careful reading of his position on the Middle East leaves one strong impression: Like his mentor the sainted Jack Layton, he wishes it would go away.
This is really weak, Pierre.
I’m supporting Nathan, but I respect Tom – and nobody deserves these drive-by smears
You also you write: “Here we have a NDP campaign that is going nowhere.”
A couple weeks before the May 2 election breakthrough – in this same blog space – you said the same thing about the NDP campaign in Quebec:
“Jack is ill advised to take on the Bloc. First as said before, it will only allow Liberals and the Conservatives to make gains. Second, even if Jack is popular in Quebec, it means zilch in terms of the NDP really ... To conclude, please stop the bullshit! Jack needs to concentrate where the NPD can make real and sustainable gains, in Ontario and B.C.” - Jack and Gilles Down the Hill
wow. and we condemn the "media" for being biased. Having just started reading rabble, I can't get over the absolute bias against Mulcair on this site and the unbiased support for Topp.
Wow !!!!!
I stopped counting the number of misstatements in your article at seventeen.( Sounds like a Janis Ian song.)
This sure shows that Babble is irretrievably biased against Mulcair.
"Mulcair has the support of the majority of the Quebec NDP MPs. The fact is that these MPs are mostly politically inexperienced, and without any social base. . . Currently, some of the most serious NPDers in Quebec have decided to support candidates other than Mulcair.
I think this is overstated.
MPs supporting Mulcair include these 14: Claude Patry, Jonquière—Alma, president of a large union local in Lac-Saint-Jean, one of the star candidates who helped spark the Orange Wave; Robert Aubin, Trois-Rivières, a local star well-respected as union rep for his high school who negotiated four collective agreements (now a full shadow cabinet member); Anne-Marie Day, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, co-chair of the federal NDP Policy Committee and president of the Regroupement des groupes de femmes de la Capitale-Nationale, ran in 2008; Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, Manicouagan, lawyer, Innu band member, well-respected locally; Marie-Claude Morin, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, known there as a community development coordinator and an actress, now Critic for Housing; Manon Perreault, Montcalm, a municipal councillor for seven years, well-known for her work with disability groups; Pierre Dionne Labelle, Rivière-du-Nord, president of the Association des artistes de la musique et du spectacle Laurentides, active in anti-poverty group, called by Françoise Boivin "the best orator in the caucus;" François Pilon, Laval—Les Îles, union local vice-president for seven years, ran in 2004, 2006, & 2008; Pierre Nantel, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, media figure who was a commentator at TVA and Radio-Canada and worked with Cirque du Soleil for twenty years; Alexandrine Latendresse, Louis-Saint-Laurent, worked for Guy Caron in Rimouski and ran in 2008, getting 5,252 votes against Josee Verner, well-known from her career as a child actor; Annick Papillon, Québec, from a political family (her father was the campaign organizer for her Liberal opponent); Réjean Genest, Shefford, produced the website lesbeauxjardins.com, has travelled throughout Quebec as a judge for the Villes, Villages et Campagnes flower contest for 15 years, taught organic agriculture; Sylvain Chicoine, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, who worked two days a week for the union for security guards for six years and member of the union executive; Hélène LeBlanc, LaSalle—Émard, candidate for Projet Montreal for borough councillor, promoted to Critic for Science and Technology.
True, the other 18 are more novices, but Denis Blanchette, Louis-Hébert, ran in 2006 & 2008; Jonathan Tremblay, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, ran in 2008; Jean Rousseau, Compton—Stanstead, ran in 2008; Philip Toone, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, ran in 2000 & 2004; François Lapointe, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, ran in 2009 by-election; Marc-André Morin, Laurentides—Labelle, editor of a Citizens’ Journal, is involved locally fighting to preserve trail areas from development; Djaouida Sellah, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, is President of the Quebec Association of Doctors Graduated outside Canada and the United States; so only 11 are true novices, and some of them have become stars: Mathieu Ravignat, Pontiac, has been promoted to Critic for Public Works and Government Services; Paulina Ayala, Honoré-Mercier, Critic for the Americas; and many others have been active as Associate Critics. There are some coming stars here: Ève Péclet, La Pointe-de-l'Île, an impressive head-table presenter at the Vancouver convention, Amnesty International Chairperson at law school; Jamie Nicholls, Vaudreuil-Soulanges; Tarik Brahmi, Saint-Jean; Matthew Dubé, Chambly—Borduas; Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Sherbrooke; Pierre Jacob, Brome—Missisquoi; Sadia Groguhé, Saint-Lambert; José Nunez-Melo, Laval; Sana Hassainia, Verchères—Les Patriotes.
Wow. If this diatribe had been posted in a discussion board Mr. Beaudet would have been banned.
Your link is to the demographics of the CITY of Outremont. The RIDING of Outremont is much bigger than the city and according to Statscan only 10% of the riding of Outremont is Jewish and another 8% is Muslim.
Oh here comes the disinformation calvary: "minimize", "deflect", "belittle". rabble should consider closing comments on stories about the NDP leadership. I don't know where Beaudet got his stats, but a quick google search: "There is a sizable Hassidic Jewish community, representing about 20% of Outremont's population" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outremont,_Quebec
You conveniently neglect to mention that the Outremont riding also includes the very francophone/bohemian Mile End area and parts of the Platueau Mont-Toyal which was where Mulcair got his biggest majorities and essentially cannibalized almost all of the support that used to go to the Bloc Quebecois. He also won massively in the student areas near U of M. Also, according to Statscan, just 10% of Outremont is Jewish - not 20% - and many of them are mainstream people who are not from the Hassidic community.
If you could get so many facts about the riding of Outremont wrong - it makes me question the credibility of everything else in the article.