Federal NDP candidates for 2019 federal election

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Not the first. The first in Toronto, maybe? Quebec's nomination meetings have been going on for weeks now.

Have those meetings resulted in chosen candidates?

Looks like Svend Robinson is looking for a come back in Burnaby North-Seymour:
https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/543275/svend-robinson-songe-a-... (funny I'm only seeing this on a MTL french newspaper)

..chromium translation

Former NDP MP Svend Robinson thinks of a return

Former NDP star Svend Robinson is thinking of making the leap back into federal politics in 2019 to reclaim her former seat in British Columbia. Whoever had gone into controversy after stealing a ring of prizes wants to get back on track to talk about climate change and the environment.

"I may be running in the next federal election in my former riding of Burnaby North-Seymour, the main site of Kinder Morgan's [Trans Mountain Pipeline], now owned by Liberal Terry Beech," Robinson said. in an e-mail exchange with Le Devoir . Robinson says he recently went door-to-door "and the results are very encouraging." He intends to decide by the end of December.

Robinson was an NDP MP in the House of Commons from 1979 to 2004. He was one of nine NDP members re-elected in the 1993 slaughter, after which the party lost its official party status. recognized in Parliament. In 1988, he made headlines - and his constituency office was vandalized - by admitting his homosexuality and becoming the first openly gay Canadian MP. Resolutely camped on the left, he maintained this art of placing himself at the heart of all the major debates of the day: HIV / AIDS, apartheid, medical aid in dying. He was the one who in 1994 put Sue Rodriguez in touch with a doctor whose identity was held secret and agreed to administer death to him.

Ms. Rodriguez had an incurable degenerative disease and went to the Supreme Court to seek medical assistance in dying. The judges had dismissed her (the decision has since been broken). In helping him, Svend Robinson was illegal.

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The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau became the owner this summer of the existing portion of Trans Mountain in hopes of facilitating the construction of its expansion. The current member for Burnaby North - Seymour, the Liberal Terry Beech, has always opposed this project despite the official position of his party. Mr. Beech won his seat in 2015 with 36.1% of the vote, against 29.6% for the NDP candidate, who came second in a hotly contested three-way fight.

If Svend does get nominated, d'ya think Maclean's will devote another entire issue to campaigning for his defeat?

BetterOnTheLeft wrote:

Looks like Svend Robinson is looking for a come back in Burnaby North-Seymour:
https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/543275/svend-robinson-songe-a-... (funny I'm only seeing this on a MTL french newspaper)

This was reported a couple months ago: Burnaby's Svend Robinson 'seriously' considering return to federal politics

The NDP doesn't deserve Svend Robinson. 

WWWTT wrote:

I don’t see it that way brother Unionist. The return of Svend can shift The NDP back to where it belongs. Unless you’re hoping the NDP fails?

Please don't cross-examine me. Please don't attribute stupid opinions to me. Please don't be provocative. It doesn't work. Here's an example of what I mean:

<<So, if I'm understanding you correctly, WWWTT, you fully agree with the horrible way the NDP treated Svend Robinson over the years? You thought it was a really good idea to relegate him to the back benches just because he presented a constituent's petition calling for removal of references to God in constitution? You must have really cheered when he was fired from his Middle East affairs critic's role for being too supportive of Palestinian rights? I guess you've always just hoped that Svend Robinson fails, right?>>

See what I mean by "cross-examination"? It's unworthy of comrades. Don't do it again. You want my opinion on something? Ask me, "what's your opinion?" Do not say, "so this is your opinion, isn't it?"

Now back to the topic. The NDP is a dictatorial organization that tries to extinguish any glimmer of principled voice or dissent, for fear that the billionaires will punish the party. In other words: They don't deserve Svend Robinson. If he is indeed in a forgiving mood and willing to engage again, then all power and success to him!

WWWTT wrote:

Hi Unionist! I guess you don't know what this symbol means hey ? It's called a question mark. Maybe you prefer the Chinese version 吗。

I guess you didn't notice that all my sample cross-examine questions ended with question marks also? That's the way the thing works, bud.

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The return of more socialists can shift the NDP back to their roots.

Interesting. So the NDP is what it is because the socialists left? Isn't it possible that the socialists left because the NDP turned into a neoliberal party, betraying workers every time it formed the government, breaking strikes, breaking promises, sucking up to power because it only trusted the bankers to re-elect it?

And isn't it possible that when progressive folks hold their nose and try to give the NDP another chance, the Beloved Leader's inner circle strikes their names off as candidates, throws them out of caucus, makes a mockery of democratic process at conventions and the constituency level? You have a cure for that? Be sure to leave your suggestion in the box provided just below this one.

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And ya, I get a sense that you wish the NDP to fail.

Your "sense" is flawed. I want the NDP to succeed in being elected and fulfilling its mandate. Where did you get that "sense" from? Or am I being rude in asking you for, like, evidence?

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If you don't like it that I'm expressing this, I'll just ignore you if you prefer?

No, I'd prefer that we engage in conversation. But if your engagement consists of telling me what I think, putting words in my mouth, sharing with me your "sense" of what I want... then expect a reply in kind.

..i lived in sevnd's riding for a number of years. he intervened for me in a dispute with canada post when i was a postie. he actually phoned the van post office, the shop floor, from ottawa and asked to speak to the gen supervisor with whom i was having the dispute. the supervisor refused to speak to him but it was so awesome of sevnd to do such a thing. the supervisor backed off. i also lived in east van when it was margaret mitchell's seat and later libby davies. also 2 awesome individuals. 

..after libya i refused to vote for libby. how could this happen that she votes for that. well that's how things seems to work in the party. not the other way around. where the party gets radicalized.

..yes i remember mulcair and layton doing exactly that.

My own personal memory of Svend Robinson was at a 1995 NDP leadership debate held in Victoria during the Gustafsen Lake crisis. The media was reporting an impending RCMP raid to 'clear out' the 'fanatics and terrorists' and I asked Robinson if he would advise Premier Harcourt and his AG Ujjal Dosanjh to hold back and prevent the bloodshed.

The answer was a very loud and aggressive 'NO!' followed by an effusive paean to the 'wonderful leadership of Mike Harcourt, and ministers like Ujjal Dosanjh' and smears and slurs of the Secwepemc sundancers.  I particularly remember his praise of the actions of the RCMP against 'the actions of these criminals'. It appears  my own experience was not an isolated phenomenon. The bitter truth about the NDP is that it truly is a No Difference Party, no friend to grassroots people and not to be trusted. 

NDP MP Svend Robinson - 'Human Rights Champion Rejects Gustafsen Inquiry Call

http://sisis.nativeweb.org/gustlake/oct1998.html

This Statement Was Presented on March 20, 2004 at an NDP/Svend Robinson Fundraiser

https://noii-van.resist.ca/indigenous-support/gustafsen/

"We are gathered here to remind everyone about the role of the NDP government in the largest paramilitary operation in Canada...We aim to expose the hypocrisy and double standards of 'progressive' politicians..."

Should Mr Robinson return to federal politics, he should be asked if he still refuses to support any inquiry into government and police actions at Gustafsen Lake and whether he continues to support the blatant extinguishment and termination agenda of BC's 'trick or treaty' process over the legitmate rights of Indigenous sovereignty such as expressed by the Wetsuweten and so massively supported by Canadians. Until this happens and support for Apartheid Israel ends as well, we cannot even begin to consider this a progressive party.

Can't wait to see it quizzical...

I like Craig, but I never felt any strong passion for politics from him. Could be wrong?

WWWTT wrote:

Here’s someone I would like to see go for an NDP nomination. 

Fred Hahn!

I love Fred. He is a good honest man with a heart bigger than Justin Trudeau’s ego. He can easily win any riding association he chose  The NDP would only be so lucky to have one of its best members to represent them!  But I’m afraid that Fred is way to good of a person to ever be a politician.

Cmon Fred, please consider brother!

https://cupe.on.ca/about-us/officers/

 

 

Has anyone, any riding approached him? Anyone know where he lives? Now would be the time for those who are strongly principaled to try and win nominations (I agree with everything you say, I follow him on social media and he's a great voice) ally of Ashton to boot, even more left-wing pressure on the party to run a real left campaign. 

Another person I’d like to see come back is the youngest woman ever elected to parliament, Laurin Liu! I’m sure she can easily win the nomination for Rivière des Mille Iles 

Aristotleded24 wrote:

First I had to put up with Pat Martin, then Falcon-Ouelette, and now this guy?

So what is Falcon-Ouellette like as an MP?

And is Pat Martin done with politics, or is he going to try a comeback?

It will be a contested Nomination in Winnipeg Centre it looks like:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/andrew-swan-leah-gazan-winnipeg-...

Via Facebook:
Leah Gazan Seeking NDP Nomination in Winnipeg Centre
"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — WINNIPEG, JANUARY 19, 2019. Leah Gazan is seeking the NDP nomination to run in Winnipeg Centre in this fall’s federal election. As an an educator, advisor, and media contributor, Gazan has been deeply engaged with issues and organizing in Winnipeg’s core for nearly three decades. In a riding bounded by the Assiniboine and Red rivers, and encompassing downtown to King Edward, Gazan’s breadth of knowledge and experience throughout Winnipeg Centre riding makes her a candidate residents can trust.

“Recently in the news I have heard about growing crime rates, a meth crisis, housing issues, and increasing poverty impacting the peoples of Winnipeg Centre. This is what happens when you neglect the basic human rights of peoples for far too long. It is time that Winnipeg Centre has a leader that will listen to the community with all its knowledge and wisdom, stop stalling and act immediately to ensure all residents can realize their rights to joy. I wish to be that leader.”

Leah Gazan has spent her life working for human rights on the local, national, and international stage. Her recent success includes organizing and traveling across the country to push Bill C-262, the Indigenous Human Rights Act. Passed by the House of Commons in 2018, the act is to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples.

Her contributions in Winnipeg have both shaped our understanding of our collective struggles and strengths, and helped move us towards justice. As president of the Social Planning Council between 2011- 2015, Gazan organized and pushed policy in support of and end to poverty, addressing violence against women and girls, finding solutions for housing insecurity and homelessness, ensuring fair wages, community based actions addressing addictions, and proper supports for mental health. In this role and others, Gazan has worked across communities, in solidarity with labour, communities of colour, disability rights advocates, Indigenous communities, youth and 2SLGBTQ organizers. Serving on the Board of Governors of Red River College, Gazan focused her attention on prioritizing access to education and ensuring students had the proper supports they required to achieve success.

Gazan was a prominent Winnipeg lead during Idle No More, articulating the movement to the Winnipeg public. Her educational work has made special impact in the Winnipeg Mennonite community where she has worked to support dialogue emphasizing education, responsibility, and action towards reconciliation. Gazan also co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at building public will to end violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Gazan is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory."

Aristotleded24 wrote:

Debater wrote:

So what is Falcon-Ouellette like as an MP?

As an MP, he is seen to be doing the right things. He has a very personable approach. The first big issue I had with him was deciding to take on a sitting NDP MP at a time when progressives were concerned about defeating Harper. He can run where he wants, but if defeating Harper is urgent, then why run in a riding where winning won't affect the Conservative seat count? Then he sent out a publication during the campaign claiming to ride a middle ground on the C-51 issue, even though several First Nations leaders have said that that law made criminals out of them. He also attacked the federal $15/hour wage proposal, which while it didn't directly help minimum wage earners, would have put pressure on provincial governments to follow suit. My big issue is that I consider him to be a motivational speaker. By that I mean that sure, he tells an inspiring story, but what is he actually doing?

Debater wrote:

And is Pat Martin done with politics, or is he going to try a comeback?

Let's hope he's done with politics.

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I thought Pat Martin was refreshingly outspoken when he first came to Parliament.  He was very frank and told it like it was.  It made a change from the way most politicians speak.

However, over time Martin became too foul-mouthed and bad-tempered, and had trouble controlling himself.  It's one of the things that may have hurt him in the 2015 Election.

As for this year, since Falcon-Ouellette won the riding by a 2-1 margin over Martin in 2015, I think he is the favourite for now.  But the NDP has a shot based on previous history.

Christine Saulnier, The director of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is running for the Halifax nomination:

https://nsadvocate.org/2019/02/03/news-brief-christine-saulnier-wants-to...

I will just put this out there -- maybe some renewal is not a bad thing. Yes, some of the losses of people will be great, yes the party may win a fewer seats, but new candidates will be found and some will win. It will be a difficult election for incumbants anyway.

I say this due to the serious issues facing the NDP in the last couple leadership races. In 1993 the NDP not only lost party status it began to lose a generation. The terrible drought for the NDP went from 1993 to 2007 with few new MPs coming in to be leadership candidates 10-15 years later. It is the new people who did not come into the party who were not there to replace Layton and Mulcair. What was left of the NDP was mostly people who retired after a couple elections. By 2011, the party did really, really well but it stumbled and in part failed becuase while it had new bright lights it could not keep them without mentors and leadership. It might be a tremendous gift to the NDP if it got say 12 new faces instead of keeping say 20 incumbants. Those new faces will be needed if/when the party grows in the next generation and loos for leadership.

A blip for the NDP almost saved it. In 1997 the party won seats in Atlantic Canada. While it was mostly incumbants elsewhere there were some new faces. Unfortunatley a number lost in the next election and the rest were gone by 2015. It is no accident that many considered that the best hope for the NDP in caucus in 2011-2015 was a Halifax MP.

We can hope for three things this year for the NDP:

1) leadership that becomes competent, inspired and principled (before or after the election- but at least by end of year)

2) That there be several new people elected as a new core group to lead the party in 10-15 years

3) That the party does not lose as many seats as currently feared due to a good platform and campaign - at least holds party status and perhaps does better due to scandals in the Liberal party and weakness in the Conservatives

Even if the last hope is dashed, the first two are essential. To that end some of the people who would retire in the next 15 years could give way - in winnable ridings - to people who will still be here then.

Given that people are working longer and living longer those new people might not need to be all very young either. But a new generation with new people is needed.

Lia Levesque, “NDP welcomes new candidate in Quebec who is ‘not that much’ of a sovereigntist,” Toronto Star, March 13, 2019.

i don’t have much time for The Star’s gotcha game of trying to out ‘sovereigntists’ in the NDP, but I thought this quote was interesting:

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In Ottawa, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said he is very happy to have recruited a candidate of the calibre of Machouf, an epidemiologist who works in the field of public health.

He said her continued membership in Quebec solidaire proves his party is open to people like her who have nationalist beliefs.

i thought the whole kerfuffle about restarting the provincial NDP in Quebec was that it rendered it impossible to remain a member of QS while joining the federal NDP because it was constitutionally required for members to belong to both the federal and provincial parties in any province that had both. Has this changed or is the Party under Jagmeet no longer enforcing this?

I raised the issue in both threads but it was inadvertent- I simply hadn't seen the second, broader thread about the NDP's "Quebec strategy" before I posted in this thread. Frankly though it probably deserves its own thread and I would nominate this old one "Separating the federal and provincial NDPs" for such purpose.

They have called they By-election for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, the party will have a contested nomination, not sure when.  Two high profile candidates are running:
* Lauren Semple, the event director for the last three Nanaimo Pride festivals, a former Nanaimo Pride president, and former riding assistant to Malcolmson; 
* Bob Chamberlin, vice president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and elected chief of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haswa'mis First Nation. 

The Green candidate is filmmaker and formerly rejected NDP candidate Paul Manly. We basically have a NDP vs Green-ish-NDPer. Now this is not the 2015 NDP so I don't think the criticisms here will stick to the party led by Jagmeet then say if Mulcair was still leader.  

https://www.straight.com/news/1218361/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-calls-election-nanaimo-ladysmith-midst-ndp-nomination

Support Kyle Mason for NDP MP in Winnipeg North

He's known for, among other things, helping to start the (now defunct) North End Family Centre, which strove to meet the needs of Winnipeg residents in the North End.

Leah Gazan will be an absolutely superb MP.