I think it would be worthwhile to have a thread compiling/tracking the latest NDP headlines in the news.
I'll start off with a few...
Latest NDP News
Sat, 2019-02-16 09:49
#1
Latest NDP News
Sat, 2019-02-16 09:51
#2
NDP’s director of communications to resign after less than a year in the job
The NDP’s director of communications is one of three party staffers leaving their jobs as leader Jagmeet Singh campaigns for his first federal seat in a British Columbia byelection.
Kerry Pither, a communications specialist who joined Singh’s front office last spring, will resign March 1 to spend more time with her family, said Singh’s chief of staff, Jennifer Howard. Her departure comes after the party’s head of information technology, Jacob Homel, and press secretary Orian Labrèche left their jobs earlier this month, Howard said.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/02/15/ndps-director-of-com...
Sat, 2019-02-16 09:52
#3
Federal NDP not selling with unions, Canadians: labour leader
The federal NDP is struggling to reach members of the labour movement and Canadians in general, says Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/15/federal-ndp-struggling-to-r...
Sat, 2019-02-16 09:54
#4
MP Brosseau says she rejected Liberal overture because NDP is family
Quebec New Democrat MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau says she rejected an overture from the Liberals and will run for the NDP in the next general election.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/15/mp-brosseau-says-she-reject...
Sat, 2019-02-16 12:17
#5
Sounds like things are going swimmingly
Sat, 2019-02-16 14:21
#6
That's because they don't WANT to sell with unions. The establishment wing of the party is terrified of being seen as pro-labour and pro-worker. They're obsessed with winning over "wealthy left-liberals", even thought there is no longer such a thing as a wealthy left-liberal to win over.Federal NDP not selling with unions, Canadians: labour leader
The federal NDP is struggling to reach members of the labour movement and Canadians in general, says Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/15/federal-ndp-struggling-to-r...
Sat, 2019-02-16 14:41
#7
That's because they don't WANT to sell with unions. The establishment wing of the party is terrified of being seen as pro-labour and pro-worker. They're obsessed with winning over "wealthy left-liberals", even thought there is no longer such a thing as a wealthy left-liberal to win over.Federal NDP not selling with unions, Canadians: labour leader
The federal NDP is struggling to reach members of the labour movement and Canadians in general, says Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/15/federal-ndp-struggling-to-r...
In Manitoba, the union establishment and the NDP establishment are joined at the hip. We just had a scandal where a local restaurant chain was exposed as having long tolerated a culture of harassment within its establsihemnt. The problem is that the unions in this province paid more attention to trying to control the NDP rather than the needs of working people in this province. That is why when the Manitoba Federation of Labour screamed about how Pallister would make it harder to join unions, there was a collective shrug because working people in Manitoba have no reason to believe that unions will benefit them in any way. Furthermore, not only did the Manitoba Federation of Labour back an attempt to move away from a one-member-one-vote system, but 3 times they snubbed Steve Ashton when he ran for NDP leadership, even though Ashton was elected off a picket line.
I'm not going to do the false equivalency of unions being as bad and as powerful as corporation. But the truth is that unions are in many respects an "Establishment" that we need to challenge in order do help working people.
Sat, 2019-02-16 15:19
#8
That's because they don't WANT to sell with unions. The establishment wing of the party is terrified of being seen as pro-labour and pro-worker. They're obsessed with winning over "wealthy left-liberals", even thought there is no longer such a thing as a wealthy left-liberal to win over.Federal NDP not selling with unions, Canadians: labour leader
The federal NDP is struggling to reach members of the labour movement and Canadians in general, says Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/15/federal-ndp-struggling-to-r...
In Manitoba, the union establishment and the NDP establishment are joined at the hip. We just had a scandal where a local restaurant chain was exposed as having long tolerated a culture of harassment within its establsihemnt. The problem is that the unions in this province paid more attention to trying to control the NDP rather than the needs of working people in this province. That is why when the Manitoba Federation of Labour screamed about how Pallister would make it harder to join unions, there was a collective shrug because working people in Manitoba have no reason to believe that unions will benefit them in any way. Furthermore, not only did the Manitoba Federation of Labour back an attempt to move away from a one-member-one-vote system, but 3 times they snubbed Steve Ashton when he ran for NDP leadership, even though Ashton was elected off a picket line.
I'm not going to do the false equivalency of unions being as bad and as powerful as corporation. But the truth is that unions are in many respects an "Establishment" that we need to challenge in order do help working people.
Ok. They are ok with being aligned with the labour establishment, but not with any actual interest in helping the working-class fight back against almost the relentless corporate payback campaign which has now gone on for almost forty years.
Wed, 2019-02-20 11:06
#9
NDP candidates push for stronger climate action as Singh supports LNG Canada
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is facing calls from within the party for a stronger stance on climate change as he defends his support of the $40-billion LNG Canada project in northern British Columbia.
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/20/ndp-candidates-push-for-str...
Thu, 2019-02-21 11:06
#10
NDP Quebec MPs Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (Hochelaga), Anne Minh-Thu Quach (Salabarry–Suroît) announce they won't be running for re-election.
https://twitter.com/EricGrenierCBC/status/1098614298115420160
Thu, 2019-02-21 11:16
#11
https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/federal-appeals-court-says-it-cant-...
The NDP cannot turn to the courts to overturn a five-year-old order by a parliamentary committee to repay as much as $2.7 million in expenses the committee said were improperly claimed.
The committee that handles internal House of Commons administration said the money funded NDP offices in three cities outside Ottawa, which isn’t a legitimate use of MPs’ budgets for their parliamentary duties.
The decision is a blow to the NDP, which is struggling financially and would have loved to have the money for its next election campaign.
The Federal Court of Appeal said Wednesday the decision by the board of economy, a committee of MPs that oversees financial administration of the House of Commons, is protected by parliamentary privilege and therefore the courts cannot get involved.
...
Since the last election, the NDP has struggled to raise money and in 2017, the most recent year full information is available, its liabilities exceeded its assets by more than $3 million. It also ran a $1.4-million operating deficit in 2017. Last year the party mortgaged its office building in downtown Ottawa for $12 million to help its cash situation.
Thu, 2019-02-21 11:50
#12
https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/federal-appeals-court-says-it-cant-...
Mighty Middle beat you to the punch yesterday with a new thread. Though I'm not sure if it warrants a thread at this point. Still, just wanted to joke that this "latest news" was a day late. And a few million dollars short.
Fri, 2019-02-22 09:39
#13
Apparently he still needs more time to consult with family and friends before making a decision to run again or not...
Cullen remains uncertain about political future
https://www.bclocalnews.com/news/cullen-remains-uncertain-about-politica...
Fri, 2019-02-22 09:56
#14
Has Jagmeet Singh As NDP Leader Been A Total Flop?
Overall, Singh is a politician atypical of today's era; heavily influenced by social media and using the platform in his outreach. But how effective has that strategy been? If you follow Singh's Instagram (which gets updated with daily storiesas he is campaigning in Burnaby), it's a lot of "hey fam, just chilling with my boyz at (insert name of place here)". If he was a politician from the mid 1990s, it's akin to hearing "Cowabunga, dudes".
It's a lot of flash and little substance, if you ask me.
The strategy of the leader fanning across the country to drum up support while his team remains in Ottawa to 'hold the government accountable' worked in the past with Layton, but in today's breaking news driven environment and social media influence, Singh is having a hard time boosting NDP fortunes, judging by the polling numbers, numerous NDP MPs hanging up their hats and Singh's own struggles in getting elected.
On Monday, voters in Burnaby will decide if Singh's political career is worth a second act. Otherwise if he loses, the NDP may be pulling a page from the Ontario PC party, holding a leadership convention within months of a federal election.
https://www.inbrampton.com/has-jagmeet-singh-as-ndp-leader-been-a-total-...
Sun, 2019-02-24 10:27
#15
How Monday's byelections preview the key themes of this fall's federal election
There's always something to learn from byelections. For starters, Jagmeet Singh will find out whether he has a future as the leader of the NDP tomorrow. ...
There's certainly the potential for some drama Monday night.
Singh is staking his leadership on the voters of Burnaby South, a riding in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The area has voted for the NDP in every election since 2004 and even has a history of electing NDP leaders in need of a seat: Tommy Douglas won here in a 1962 byelection after he failed to secure a seat in his native Saskatchewan. Singh, a former Ontario MPP, is hoping to be offered the same hospitality.
If he doesn't get it, his days as leader of the NDP are likely to be numbered.
...
Expectations are that Singh will win in Burnaby South. His party has poured its meagre resources into the riding and Singh — who has taken up residence in Burnaby — has been campaigning there for months.
There's no telling what impact a defeat there would have on the NDP. It could send the party into a tailspin from which it couldn't recover in time for the fall election. Or the party could install an interim leader with better prospects.
With that kind of uncertainty looming over the party, the New Democrats might be satisfied with a win of any kind. The party needs some good news. If Singh can secure the seat by a comfortable margin, it could be the signal needed to give the NDP hope that the rest of the year will be better.
A squeaker of a win, however, would only mean that a lot of work remains to be done before the NDP starts seeing some light at the end of the tunnel — and the Conservatives start breathing easier.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-federal-byelections-preview-1.5...
Sun, 2019-02-24 10:46
#16
Win some, lose some? Here's what the NDP has at stake in Monday's byelections
For federal New Democrats, it's do-or-die time.
Tomorrow night, party leader Jagmeet Singh finds out if he's secured his first-ever seat in the House of Commons — staving off what almost certainly would be a mortal threat to his leadership.
And while he's waiting to hear the results in the riding of Burnaby South, he'll also be watching anxiously as the returns come in from Outremont, one of three ridings holding byelections Monday night. The riding of York-Simcoe, in the northern part of the Greater Toronto Area, is expected to remain in Conservative hands, but the other two seats are seen as up for grabs.
For Singh, the stakes in Burnaby South are substantially personal: a win there may be the only way to silence the internal grumbling about his leadership that threatens to follow him into a general election campaign.
For the NDP itself, Outremont is symbolic: losing the Montreal-area riding held by former leader Tom Mulcair until his resignation on Aug. 3, 2018, would send a dire signal to voters and prospective candidates alike about the party's ability to hold at least some of the Quebec base that made it the Official Opposition in 2011.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-singh-burnaby-outremont-1.5029903
Thu, 2019-02-28 17:03
#17
Murray Rankin not running.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ndp-mp-murray-rankin-not-running-in-2019...
Thu, 2019-02-28 17:28
#18
A likely Green Party pickup opportunity.
Fri, 2019-03-01 16:22
#19
Nathan Cullen has made it official - he won't be seeking re-election in 2019
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ndp-mp-nathan-cullen-won-t-be-seeking-re...
That makes it 13 MPs from the NDP who will not seek re-election.
Fri, 2019-03-01 16:24
#20
That's what I was expecting. Cullen just delayed his announcement until after the by-elections. He probably knew months ago what he was going to do. Interesting that Cullen was one of the top cheerleaders for Singh - perhaps there's a touch of buyer's remorse?
Who will be the next to announce they're not running?
Fri, 2019-03-01 16:28
#21
my mom is crying over this. so i came to what's up.
wasn't expecting moderate nastiness.
Fri, 2019-03-01 16:42
#22
Here are the 13 not seeking re-election or have left - 13 is one more for Official Party Status In House of Commons.
Fri, 2019-03-01 17:42
#23
Linda Duncan, for me is the hardest to see not seeking re election. She's 69 so it's understandable. Hands down the most underated MP in the last decade! I wish her the best.
Fri, 2019-03-01 18:26
#24
Call me cynical, but if Singh had lost the byelection I doubt we'd be reading this news about Cullen. We'd probably be reading something else about Cullen.
Fri, 2019-03-01 19:28
#25
At this point, Singh HAS to do what the party establishment has been telling him never to do-actually connect with the social movements and make them fully welcome in the party. The people in NDP HQ who do nothing but say "NO!" need to be disregarded, as they not only have nothing to offer, they seem to be working to make sure the party does as badly as possible-I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.
Jagmeet showed he can surpass expectations in Burnaby, now he needs to show, even in a "stay on message" campaign, that he can defy the defeatists and snap back at the sabateurs. Burnaby showed that fire and passion work-now, combine the fire and passion with a real program for real change, an aspirational program, the kind of program that connects with all those who are reaching the conclusion that life needs to change if they are to survive-a group that includes the people who go to Tim Horton's every day, for there's no conflict between living a Tim Horton's existence and dreaming a newer world.
Fri, 2019-03-01 21:21
#26
Bring Back Tom Mulciar campaign just tweeted about Nathan Cullen
It is truly a sad day to lose Nathan Cullen. But as a prominent pundit recently said, Tom Mulcair's return would un-retired a lot of those MPs. The timing of these departures could not be more suspicious.
Fri, 2019-03-01 23:04
#27
It may be a good thing that so many old MPs are not running. It leaves room for renewal and an over all younger demographic. Under Singh or another leader the party needs to be rejuvenated.
I think 90% of the focus has to be on income/wealth inequality but I am in limited agreement that the party as to connect with the movements to some extent.
The NDP doesn't have to adopt the Leap Manifesto but it has to have a significantly better costed plan to transition to green energy. The environmental movement is set to explode. Young adults want action. The NDP should be the undisputed leader on the three main parties on the environment.
PR blah blah blah. Fine, have PR, but I want more. Much more. I am positive that government could be democratized much more than it has been. I want a stronger voice. I want the ability to recall politicians and senators. I want the ability to trigger referendums like in the US.
Sat, 2019-03-02 01:47
#28
At this point, Singh HAS to do what the party establishment has been telling him never to do-actually connect with the social movements and make them fully welcome in the party. The people in NDP HQ who do nothing but say "NO!" need to be disregarded, as they not only have nothing to offer, they seem to be working to make sure the party does as badly as possible-I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.
I'm still not over how on election night in 2015, there were NDP strategists happy and smiling on national TV as the party was experiencing its worst ever seat loss in its history.
Jagmeet showed he can surpass expectations in Burnaby, now he needs to show, even in a "stay on message" campaign, that he can defy the defeatists and snap back at the sabateurs.
How did he surpass expectations? Burnaby is a traditionally safe NDP seat, and as R. E. Wood pointed out, the smallest of victories from any party on Monday night.
Sat, 2019-03-02 03:09
#29
At this point, Singh HAS to do what the party establishment has been telling him never to do-actually connect with the social movements and make them fully welcome in the party. The people in NDP HQ who do nothing but say "NO!" need to be disregarded, as they not only have nothing to offer, they seem to be working to make sure the party does as badly as possible-I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.I'm still not over how on election night in 2015, there were NDP strategists happy and smiling on national TV as the party was experiencing its worst ever seat loss in its history.
Jagmeet showed he can surpass expectations in Burnaby, now he needs to show, even in a "stay on message" campaign, that he can defy the defeatists and snap back at the sabateurs.How did he surpass expectations? Burnaby is a traditionally safe NDP seat, and as R. E. Wood pointed out, the smallest of victories from any party on Monday night.
I based the statement that he surpassed expectations in that by-election on the fact that he started the campaign solidly behind in at least one polls, with members of his own caucus leaking a plan to ditch him if he did, as seemed likely, lose the by-election, and at a time when his party was in a horrible state in national opinion polling, and after years of abysmal NDP showings in every by-election the party contested, even, in at least one case, in a riding the party had won in recent memory.
And yes, it was a relatively narrow victory, but it was a come-from-behind result that hardly anyone expected, it was by a larger margin over the second place party than several polls had forecast. Those were the metrics by which I described Singh's showing as surpassing expectations. Doesn't mean the man still doesn't have significant obstacles to overcome to lead his party even to a respectable showing at the next election, but it does indicate that he can pull things together in at least some crunch situations. This is a sign of potential.
Sat, 2019-03-02 03:12
#30
It may be a good thing that so many old MPs are not running. It leaves room for renewal and an over all younger demographic. Under Singh or another leader the party needs to be rejuvenated.
I think 90% of the focus has to be on income/wealth inequality but I am in limited agreement that the party as to connect with the movements to some extent.
The NDP doesn't have to adopt the Leap Manifesto but it has to have a significantly better costed plan to transition to green energy. The environmental movement is set to explode. Young adults want action. The NDP should be the undisputed leader on the three main parties on the environment.
PR blah blah blah. Fine, have PR, but I want more. Much more. I am positive that government could be democratized much more than it has been. I want a stronger voice. I want the ability to recall politicians and senators. I want the ability to trigger referendums like in the US.
Yeah, it needs to be a lot more than PR and abolishing the Senate...both of which, I think play the role that support for republicanism has played for the Australian Labor Party-tiny pieces of pseudo-radicalism used to excuse the party's timidity and in many cases outright conservatism. A real message of real change is needed...something that can be presented in three or four phrases, or maybe three words, like "Bread, Land, Freedom" was for the Bolsheviks-something concise AND transformative.
Sat, 2019-03-02 08:38
#31
I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.
Nathan Cullen's departure removes one of the voices encouraging the NDP to merge with the Liberals. Not that we'll talk about that now that he's headed for honourable retirement. He's now the pundit class's favourite kind of Dipper: the departing kind whose loss bodes ill for the party.
Sat, 2019-03-02 11:07
#32
He's now the pundit class's favourite kind of Dipper: the departing kind whose loss bodes ill for the party.
100% agreed, and this needs to be repeated because it's what people still don't seem to get.
Nathan Cullen's departure removes one of the voices encouraging the NDP to merge with the Liberals.
I don't agree with this, and the link does not say anything about Cullen supporting mergers. He supported riding-level pre-election agreements. It was the reason I didn't support his campaign for leadership at the time. It's too bad he took that position because I think it knocked him out of contention. That's too bad, because he was probably the only candidate who stood any chance of winning against Mulcair. In retrospect I think he could have been a great leader for 2012.
I guess I can understand why people think a pre-election coalition is just a pre-cursor to merger but that's just an opinion, and I don't think Cullen ever endorsed a merger.
What's important is pointing out the differences between how the media described him as an NDP MP and how they will describe him now.
Most of his fans did not seem to understand that he has been an advocate for centrism in the party. I don't think they will want to hear that now but it is true.
Sat, 2019-03-02 13:34
#33
And yes, it was a relatively narrow victory, but it was a come-from-behind result that hardly anyone expected, it was by a larger margin over the second place party than several polls had forecast.
The widely reported poll below, taken before the first Liberal candidate had to drop out, and before SNC-Lavalin hit the news, shows almost exactly the results from election night. One would have expected these events to widen Singh's margin, but they didn't. So let's call it a "come-from-ahead" victory.
According to a survey by Mainstreet Research conducted Jan. 8 and 9, Singh leads among decided and leaning voters with 38.8 per cent support, followed by Liberal Karen Wang (26.3 per cent), Conservative Jay Shin (22 per cent) and Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson of the People’s Party (8.7 per cent).
Sat, 2019-03-02 14:39
#34
So while he had a strong lead the MSM was still reporting that if he didn't win he would have to resign.
He won. He is the leader of the NDP. He will not be replaced before the next election. So who do you want Canadians to vote for? Scheer or Trudeau or May?
Sat, 2019-03-02 15:47
#35
The NDP are again the magnet for the protest vote of those more interested in tilting at windmills than running the country. More interested in 'redistributing' the wealth of others than creating any of their own.
Its not that the Canadian voter dislikes NDP policies, just that the voter doesn't trust them with the keys to the nation. What the NDP should be doing is replacing the corrupt criminals - the Libranos by offering Canadians an honest centre-left party but that will be too much to ask of the loony fringe who much prefer snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and crowing about not surrendering their various hobbyhorses.
Sat, 2019-03-02 15:49
#36
I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.
Nathan Cullen's departure removes one of the voices encouraging the NDP to merge with the Liberals. Not that we'll talk about that now that he's headed for honourable retirement. He's now the pundit class's favourite kind of Dipper: the departing kind whose loss bodes ill for the party.
I’m pretty sure Cullen never encouraged the NDP to merge with the Liberals. I remember him advocating very strongly for proportional representation that would end many problems including the FPTP problem of vote-splitting.
Sat, 2019-03-02 17:41
#37
Jagmeet showed he can surpass expectations in Burnaby, now he needs to show, even in a "stay on message" campaign, that he can defy the defeatists and snap back at the sabateurs.How did he surpass expectations? Burnaby is a traditionally safe NDP seat, and as R. E. Wood pointed out, the smallest of victories from any party on Monday night.
Aristotle, I agree with you & R. E. Wood. It's baffling that Singh winning in Burnaby South is being portrayed as an extraordinary accomplishment:
1) It was already an NDP riding
2) Federal leaders in our system have many advantages and almost always win their own seats
3) The Greens didn't run a candidate, so Singh didn't have to worry about losing votes to the Greens (which is often a problem for the NDP in B.C.)
4) The Liberals were not able to mount a proper challenge since they lost momentum when their first candidate had to drop out
5) The Conservatives were not able to mount a proper challenge either since Maxime Bernier's party got into double digits
Sat, 2019-03-02 18:22
#38
Engler: Good Riddance to NDP MP Who is Pro-Israeli, Pro-US Empire
http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/rankin-files-neo-con-in-ndp...
"Victoria MP Murray Rankin's recent annoucement that he won't seek re-election is a victory for NDP members who stand for Palestinian rights and oppose regime change efforts in Iran and Venezuela..."
An active supporter of settler-state 'extinguishment and termination' projects in Canada AND Israel. Good he's gone. How long will these pro-Apartheid Zionists be welcomed as 'progressives' in Canadian political life?
Sat, 2019-03-02 19:10
#39
The Greens didn't run a candidate, so Singh didn't have to worry about losing votes to the Greens (which is often a problem for the NDP in B.C.)
Not only that, but the Green vote surged in Outremont despite a lack of any apparent attempt at campaigning or seriously putting in resources, and Outremont was never seriously in play for the Greens. What happens to the NDP when the Greens actually put forth a campaign effort (and they will)?
Sat, 2019-03-02 20:10
#40
The Greens didn't run a candidate, so Singh didn't have to worry about losing votes to the Greens (which is often a problem for the NDP in B.C.)Not only that, but the Green vote surged in Outremont despite a lack of any apparent attempt at campaigning or seriously putting in resources, and Outremont was never seriously in play for the Greens. What happens to the NDP when the Greens actually put forth a campaign effort (and they will)?
Yes, it makes sense that the Greens will now re-double their efforts to take Victoria with Rankin retiring.
With Elizabeth May's base being next door, they will presumably flood Victoria with hundreds of Green volunteers.
They finished 2nd last time, and this gives May the opportunity of finally electing a companion with her to the House.
Sat, 2019-03-02 20:23
#41
The Greens didn't run a candidate, so Singh didn't have to worry about losing votes to the Greens (which is often a problem for the NDP in B.C.)Not only that, but the Green vote surged in Outremont despite a lack of any apparent attempt at campaigning or seriously putting in resources, and Outremont was never seriously in play for the Greens. What happens to the NDP when the Greens actually put forth a campaign effort (and they will)?
Yes, it makes sense that the Greens will now re-double their efforts to take Victoria with Rankin retiring.
With Elizabeth May's base being next door, they will presumably flood Victoria with hundreds of Green volunteers.
They finished 2nd last time, and this gives May the opportunity of finally electing a companion with her to the House.
Finally electing a companion? With a surge in Green Party suppport in Vancouver Island, New Brunswick, Guelph, and PEI, you are setting very low expectations for the Greens next election.
Sat, 2019-03-02 21:51
#42
The Greens have been very successful provincially in recent years, but May has so far been unable at the Federal level to replicate the success of her provincial cousins.
So while the Federal Greens have more opportunities this year with the Liberals & NDP each facing their own challenges, we'll have to wait & see whether the Greens can capitalize on them.
Sat, 2019-03-02 22:37
#43
Ah yes "creating wealth"-which, with reactionaries like you, is always code for "treat CEO's as demigods, give them every bribe they demand, and tell everybody else that job security, decent wages, an economy not based on hollowing out the planet and thinning out the atmosphere are luxuries peasant scum like them-i.e., the majority of the human race-are not entitled to".The NDP are again the magnet for the protest vote of those more interested in tilting at windmills than running the country. More interested in 'redistributing' the wealth of others than creating any of their own.
Its not that the Canadian voter dislikes NDP policies, just that the voter doesn't trust them with the keys to the nation. What the NDP should be doing is replacing the corrupt criminals - the Libranos by offering Canadians an honest centre-left party but that will be too much to ask of the loony fringe who much prefer snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and crowing about not surrendering their various hobbyhorses.
As though catering to the rich has brought anything positive for the many since 1981.
Mon, 2019-03-04 18:51
#44
BTW, nobody wants to replace the Liberals with nothing but a not-corrupt Liberal Party. 2015 proved that that approach can't ever work.
Sun, 2019-03-03 08:45
#45
BertramPotts
hile the Federal Greens have more opportunities this year with the Liberals & NDP each facing their own challenges, we'll have to wait & see whether the Greens can capitalize on them.
The Federal NDP is going to wait and see their vote collapse if they don't start competing with the Greens for climate concsious progressives' votes.
Mon, 2019-03-11 18:08
#46
Boulerice named NDP deputy leader as party tries to woo Quebec voters
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/boulerice-ndp-deputy-1.5051475
Mon, 2019-03-11 21:23
#47
I wouldn't put it past some of them to want the Dippers to fall below party status, then merge with the Liberals and be done with it.
Nathan Cullen's departure removes one of the voices encouraging the NDP to merge with the Liberals. Not that we'll talk about that now that he's headed for honourable retirement. He's now the pundit class's favourite kind of Dipper: the departing kind whose loss bodes ill for the party.
I’m pretty sure Cullen never encouraged the NDP to merge with the Liberals. I remember him advocating very strongly for proportional representation that would end many problems including the FPTP problem of vote-splitting.
Yes this was discussed and people including myself have refered to it carelessly at times.
The merger was for the purpose of an election - he was advocating some kind of shared nomination process for an election to produce a government that would bring in PR solving the problem for good.
Mon, 2019-03-11 21:34
#48
It may be a good thing that so many old MPs are not running. It leaves room for renewal and an over all younger demographic. Under Singh or another leader the party needs to be rejuvenated.
I think 90% of the focus has to be on income/wealth inequality but I am in limited agreement that the party as to connect with the movements to some extent.
The NDP doesn't have to adopt the Leap Manifesto but it has to have a significantly better costed plan to transition to green energy. The environmental movement is set to explode. Young adults want action. The NDP should be the undisputed leader on the three main parties on the environment.
PR blah blah blah. Fine, have PR, but I want more. Much more. I am positive that government could be democratized much more than it has been. I want a stronger voice. I want the ability to recall politicians and senators. I want the ability to trigger referendums like in the US.
I think one of the more things may be the ability for a cuacus to change the leader as they havine in the UK and Australia.
No, I do not support the referenda option. The reason is that short term popularity of a measure should not trump representative democracy which places accountability over time and across initiatives. Imagine a referendum passing that implemented a policy of no more taxes while at the same time as a massive spending boost. We elect people to not only bring in the policies we want but to be responsible that they work in harmony with each other and work over time (at least the lifetime of the mandate). As well, we choose representatives to organize in depth studies so that policies are evidence based. Public polls on many issues would not produce evidence-based, coherent and workable policies over time. As well Referenda open a new level of cost for democracy. A series of Referenda would quickly lead to a situation where only deep politics can influence the process. After a few initiatives, the interests of big money would be the only ones that could prevail in those campaigns. Referenda are very attractive direct democracy -- great sounding -- but in practice they give the power to the most money and take away competent responsible government.
It is valuable to have a secret -- non-accoutnable ballot to choose representatives. It is not as good an idea to have secret ballot non-accountable numerous votes on the issues.
There are limited reasons to bring in referenda: this includes certain issues where there is widespread engagement and knowledge, the issues are well known and the implications hugely significant. Electoral reform, separation, constitutional change. Maybe some other policies that are macro ones like national daycare could be considered but even this is a problemonce you recognize that it is a right. Do you decide rights by popular vote? Money bills are all problematic unless the referendum quesiton includes not just the measure but how it will be paid for - specifically.
Mon, 2019-03-18 10:56
#49
This is a very interesting article with a lot of statistics about the "incumbency advantage" and how the NDP is facing an historically (almost) unprecedented percentage of MP's not running for re-election. Here's a quote and link (there's more at the link):
Near-record ‘incumbency disadvantage’ is yet another headache for Jagmeet Singh’s NDP
But the NDP’s incumbency disadvantage — 32 per cent of incumbents not running — is off the charts for any one party, at least according to Library of Parliament data going back to the 2000 general election.
In the last 20 years, no party has ever had more than 20 per cent of its incumbents decline to stand for re-election. That, as it turns out, was the Conservatives in the 2015 election. Interestingly, the NDP in 2015 also had its highest rate of incumbents not running: 17 per cent who won with Jack Layton in 2011 did not run under Thomas Mulcair’s banner.
A Bloomberg News analysis of party incumbency rates, published in 2015 and which examined data going back to 1945, found only one instance of a party losing more incumbents than Singh and the NDP have this year. That was in 1993 when, according to Bloomberg, 40.8 per cent of Progressive Conservatives elected on Brian Mulroney’s ticket in 1988 opted not to run for Kim Campbell. The PCs, of course, got crushed in that campaign by Jean Chretien’s Liberals and would win just two seats.
... Conversely, looking ahead to the 2019 election, the ‘weak’ incumbency advantage for an NDP already struggling in the polls and struggling to raise money combined with the relatively ‘strong’ incumbency advantage for other parties could be an influencing factor in the campaign to come.
The NDP’s competitors will almost certainly put resources and energy into NDP ridings where incumbents have left, if only because the job of stealing a riding from another party is made easier when no incumbent is there to defend it.
Expect, for example, the Bloc Quebecois will be licking its lips at the prospect of picking up the Montreal riding of Laurier Sainte-Marie, the riding long-held by former BQ leader Gilles Duceppe until New Democrat Helen Laverdiere snatched it away when the Orange Wave rolled across Quebec in 2011. Laverdiere, though, is not running this fall.
New Democrat Fin Donnelly had held the British Columbia riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam since 2009 but is not running this year. That’s a riding the Conservatives can expect to be eyeing, in a part of the Lower Mainland where both Conservative and, before that, Canadian Alliance candidates had some electoral success.
Or think about the riding of Victoria. New Democrat Murray Rankin narrowly squeaked by the Green Party when he first came to the Commons in a 2012 byelection. And now that he’s retiring, the Greens, whose leader Elizabeth May holds the riding right next door, will surely have much higher hopes to win this seat this fall than they would have had Rankin been the incumbent.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5065248/analysis-near-record-incumbency-disad...
Mon, 2019-03-18 18:26
#50
Party renewal isn't just about this election. Of course it would be great to do well in this election but the NDP has bigger issues to tackle. It is a house divided struggling with its identity. Singh may not be the leader that can bring the party together but neither were any of his opponents in the leadership race. I don't see anyone better than Singh in terms of uniting the party.
I know it's difficult to wait for Singh to step up announcements. I'm getting impatient. I still think strategically he is doing the right thing. He is upping his visibility but not too much. His comments on SNC-Lavalin have been good.
If I recall 2015 the parties were quiet on platforms until rumours started to abound that the election was going to be called early. I think that was around May/June and the election was called late July or early August which was considered a long election period. We are still in March.
Singh did start saying more during his campaign for his seat but no one here discussed it. The following is very different from the kinds of things Mulcair used to say:
https://thetyee.ca/News/2019/02/20/Jagmeet-Singh-Lays-Line/
In Singh’s opinion the housing crisis now faced in places like Metro Vancouver and Toronto was caused by “consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments” who refused to invest in new affordable housing supply. Singh proposes building 500,000 co-op and non-market units and using the tax system to rein in the speculators who help drive up prices.
On pipelines he wants a new regulatory regime capable of denying projects that compromise Canada’s Paris climate targets, as well as the principles behind the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He supports the idea of large-scale infrastructure investments, similar to those proposed in the Green New Deal framework, rapidly shifting Canada away from fossil fuels and towards 100 per cent renewable energy.
Singh believes it’s fundamentally unjust that less than 90 Canadian families have as much wealth as everyone in Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island combined. He wants to tax the rich more heavily, specifically by ending the capital gains exemptions and getting rid of the CEO stock option, in order to help close the gap.
“My goals,” Singh said in conclusion, “Are to reduce inequality, to tackle climate change and to build a more just and equitable society.......
I asked him why, given his answers to my questions, his website lacked much substance about the ideas and policies he supports. “There’s a certain amount that people want to know about me as leader,” he replied. “We’re planning on releasing a lot of our details and our platform well in advance of the [federal] election.”
I've been saying for ages that inequality is the key issue preventing progressive action. As long as the rich keep getting richer they will have more and more power. Climate change is the key divider between generations and the boomers are losing power to younger generations that put a much higher priority on the environment. Each successive generation feels more strongly about it. It may or may not help the NDP this election but longterm it is really easy to see that the party that gets out in front of this issue will broaden its support year by year. It has the potential to be a disruptor that crosses partisan lines in terms of its appeal to younger people. Housing crosses partisan lines and impacts almost everyone. He also touched on universal pharmacare.
How he intends to address these issues will be shared through the platform. It is great that Trudeau has required the PBO to evaluate the platforms for fiscal plausibility. He shot himself in the foot on that one. Progressive policies are actually good for the economy.
Wed, 2019-03-20 12:20
#51
Jagmeet Singh has lost another staffer - His press secretary James Smith is leaving for a new job with the B.C. government.
https://www.hilltimes.com/2019/03/20/new-faces-join-pmo-liberal-research...
His twitter account has already been deactiviated