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It’s been a couple of days since I posted a little flow chart indicating my perceptions of the NDP leadership candidates so far — over the weekend there was a mix of varied response through comments and emails.

By all means, feel free to make your own rankings and post them as comments!

Here is a quick explanation of the four categories I chose to qualify a more focused appreciation of what I’m looking for in a candidate and what I feel each candidate has to offer.

With the experience I have volunteering for some of the various campaigns, together with what I am personally looking for in a leader, as well as my ideas for who and what would make the most practical leader for the party at this time, I put together a quick flow-chart assessment of how the candidates compare:

Works with others — ability to work with all people, regardless of personal perspectives, towards common and sustainable team goals.

Party Presence — autonomy, respect and integration with and from party colleagues and members.

Media Presence — autonomy, respect and integration with and from Canadian mainstream and grassroots media.

Growth Potential — measure of the individual’s capacity for addition and improvement within the party-NOT specifically the potential of the party to grow with the individual.

 Works With Others – Party Presence – Media Presence – Growth Potential – Overall

Niki Ashton         b               b                      b                       a                     B+

Brian Topp          a               b                      b                       b                     A-

Martin Singh        b               c                      c                       c                      C+

Thomas Mulcair    c               b                      a                       c                      B-

Nathan Cullen      b               b                      c                       b                      B-

Peggy Nash         b               a                      b                       c                      B

Paul Dewar          b              b                       c                       b                     B-

 

Growth Potential

Niki Ashton is the youngest of the remaining leadership candidates and an integral part of the youth caucus. A fiery MP from Manitoba, her reputation is growing within the NDP and the country since the leadership drive began.

Her ability and willingness to speak openly and honestly about any issue has meant that her voice in the house is becoming just as recognizable as her face — also developing a very good working relationship with the press. This becomes extremely important because she has been running her campaign on a fraction of what some of the others have to spend.

Ironically, the front-runner status of Thomas Mulcair and Peggy Nash hurt them in this category. Anything less than a victory in the leadership race will be seen as a defeat, for at least Mr.Mulcair, and it is hard to say that either one of them can grow much more within the party without becoming leader.

Media Presence

If there is one thing that Thomas Mulcair is responsible for over the last four years of NDP successes, it is being the public face of the NDP — at least in Quebec, if not to a certain extent at certain times. Even before this, when he was in Quebec provincial politics, Mr.Mulcair always had a sense for knowing where the cameras were and a very sharp, clear manner of speaking — a good media presence.

While some claim that Mr.Mulcair goes too far in his efforts to court the media, if it’s not the journalists themselves saying that, it’s good for him and the party in terms of their relationship with the working press — the people are a different story.

Party Presence

While all the candidates are well-known and recognized by the party members, some are involved more than others — some with the main caucus, some with the youth wings, the riding associations, or specific dossiers. What was important to me in this category was the level of involvement, not just recognition within the party AND the range of involvement.

Peggy Nash has been a leader in the women’s caucus for years and is widely recognized as being approachable, ready and willing to become involved for any cause of concern for membership. Just as important, any cause that she does support instantly gains credibility among the membership and the Canadian public. I couldn’t find myself saying the same thing about Mr.Mulcair’s relationship with either, even if he is more well-known.

Martin Singh is a tremendous example, living proof that a fifteen-year member of the NDP can and has succeeded as an entrepreneur in this country, hopefully dispelling the myth that NDPers can’t handle money or business. Mr.Singh has definitely increased his presence within the party during his leadership run, to the point where he has become somewhat of a political pop icon in the Canadian public at large. Now, he has to translate this recognition into working on and leading further projects within the party.

Works with Others

Everybody in the running for NDP leadership will have to be able to work with others because that is what the job requires. Brian Topp gets a higher mark then the rest of the field here because he has already shared successes working with and organizing party members in over 10 years’ worth of campaigns.

There is still uncertainty in the NDP national membership as to whether Thomas Mulcair’s primary focus is to lead the NDP or to get himself one step closer to Prime Minister.

Whether these are valid fears or not, Mr.Mulcair does have a perceived history with other members of caucus that the other leadership candidates aren’t carrying. This issue won’t affect the base or loyalty of his supporters, but it will make an enormous difference in the number of people who may avoid marking Mr.Mulcair as a second or third choice on their ballots.

Overall

All factors considered Brian Topp and Niki Ashton got the highest grades in the class, Peggy Nash, just behind the frontrunners and just ahead of Nathan Cullen, Tom Mulcair, and Paul Dewar, while Martin Singh leveled the field.

Although Brian and Niki got the same letter grades (3 Bs and 1 A), I gave the nod to Brian because of his previous experience working at the national level in campaigning, his ability to work with others and his level of financial support, which seems to be second only to Tom’s.

What was not taken into consideration is relative importance of second and third place voting, which may be a big factor for an underdog emerging to lead the pack.

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http://www.fairvote.ca/en/FVC-news/ndp-leadership-candidates-make-firm-commitment-on-fair-voting-reform-three-go-farther