The NDP needs to hire Paul Krugman to help develop and sell the budget.
Failing that, a close working relationship with the CCPA would suffice.
NDP star candidate recruitment for 2015
Fri, 2011-05-13 03:52
#52
Fri, 2011-05-13 05:50
#53
And I agree with KeyStone with that close working relationship with CCPA and hiring Paul Krugman or Jim Stanford!
Fri, 2011-05-13 07:47
#54
Well, I hope Michael Byers comes back to run in Vancouver Centre next time. We also have some municipal folks in Montreal with strong enough experience to be front-bench contenders, who could run in Westmount VM - Julien Feldman on the school board is one example. I believe Susan Wallace wants to run again in Toronto Centre. Meena Wong could actually make Vancouver South viable for us on a second try, with the Liberals out of the way. And I sincerely hope Jagmeet Singh runs again in Bramalea-Gore-Malton.
We should also be targetting ridings like Scarborough Centre, London North Centre, and Winnipeg South Centre, for example, along with Halifax West, Scarborough-Guildwood and Ottawa-Vanier. And then there are ridings like Ahuntsic, Bourassa and Papineau.
There's really a lot of scope for growth when you think about it, and I'd be interested in hearing who some of the local candidates are who could win those ridings.
Though the thing about the Ontario cases is that the opportunity may come sooner rather than later--provincially speaking. (And within the same boundaries, presuming that the fed boundaries will be affected by redraw by 2015.)
Fri, 2011-05-13 10:41
#55
Oh, and I love the idea of Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond running. Nanaimo-Alberni is the wrong riding for her though. On the other hand ... Saanich-Gulf Islands ;-)
Well, if the NDP wants to be government, it's going to have to win ridings like Nanaimo-Alberni just to be even close
I agree with that for sure. Zeni Maartman was a great candidate, and she got closer this time than we've been since Bob Skelly was defeated in Comox-Alberni in 1993.
And we can find the right kind of riding for Mary-Ellen Turpel too, I'm sure. I've admired her since the 1990s.
Fri, 2011-05-13 11:02
#56
The problem with Nanaimo Alberni ( my daughter lives there) is that there are 2 very different sides to the riding. One side is working folk and mills the other side - rich retirees in Qualicum and Parksville area, many from Alberta bringing their Conservative politics with them.
Fri, 2011-05-13 11:06
#57
Faith, I know that's right. But it seems that folks on the east side of the riding were also getting ticked off on several issues, and being that Zeni Maartman came from that side, she was a good fit for the NDP's chances in the riding overall. Parksville also elects NDP MLA Leonard Krog provincially. It's a tricky riding, but apparently not impossible if you look at last week's results.
Fri, 2011-05-13 11:30
#58
The problem with Nanaimo Alberni ( my daughter lives there) is that there are 2 very different sides to the riding. One side is working folk and mills the other side - rich retirees in Qualicum and Parksville area, many from Alberta bringing their Conservative politics with them.
With BC gaining seats in redistribution, or patterns of population growth within BC, will there be significant changes to ridings on Vancouver Island?
Fri, 2011-05-13 11:45
#59
Some of ythe most overpopulated ridings in BC are actually the vancouver Island seats - so if BC gains 6 seats in the next redistribution - it is almost certain that one or two new seats would be on the island and would be easy pickings for the NDP.
Fri, 2011-05-13 11:50
#60
The NDP needs to hire Paul Krugman to help develop and sell the budget.Failing that, a close working relationship with the CCPA would suffice.
Paul Krugman is American. His analysis of Canadian issues would be limited, at best. That said, developing linkages between individuals in the party and the CCPA would be helpful. I'm sure there probably are some already and they could be helpful in strengthening the economic aspects of the program from a progressive prospective.[/quote]
With BC gaining seats in redistribution, or patterns of population growth within BC, will there be significant changes to ridings on Vancouver Island?
I'm pretty sure BC is going to continue to be under represented federally and is only going to gain two seats in the next redistribution because of the stink that the smaller provinces and Quebec made about BC, Alberta and Ontario gaining 7, 5 and 20 seats respectively. As such while it's possible that part of one (with some creative redistribution) seat could go to the Island, or that the seats on the Island could be redrawn in a beneficial way, I imagine that things on the Island will stay relatively status quo. I would imagine that the two seats will be concentrated where the bulk of the population growth has been: the Lower Mainland (i.e. Greater Vancouver and the lower Fraser Valley).
PS WTF is up with the font? I really don't see any HTML problems so I don't get it.
Fri, 2011-05-13 12:10
#61
Jenny Gerbasi and Dan Vandal in Winnipeg South Centre and St-Boniface respectively.
Fri, 2011-05-13 12:53
#62
What about running Jim Stanford as a candidate in say Oshawa?
I think Jim Stanford is an underutilized resource. He's got a lot of credibility and name recognition already from being in the media for so long. He would make an excellent industry critic. He's also a good speaker, although he would maybe have to tone down his zany sense of humour.
Did anyone catch him on the Lang O'lLeary Exchange?
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/05/12/the-lang-ostanford-exchange/
I think he did really well.
Fri, 2011-05-13 13:48
#63
Faith, I know that's right. But it seems that folks on the east side of the riding were also getting ticked off on several issues, and being that Zeni Maartman came from that side, she was a good fit for the NDP's chances in the riding overall. Parksville also elects NDP MLA Leonard Krog provincially. It's a tricky riding, but apparently not impossible if you look at last week's results.
Leonard used to represent Parksville-Qualicum (1991-1996), but that is a separate constituency represented by a Liberal. The Nanaimo constituency that Leonard represents doesn't even go as far as the north end of Nanaimo, let alone Lantzville and Parksville.
Fri, 2011-05-13 13:51
#64
Some of ythe most overpopulated ridings in BC are actually the vancouver Island seats - so if BC gains 6 seats in the next redistribution - it is almost certain that one or two new seats would be on the island and would be easy pickings for the NDP.
According to one source I've seen, if the redistribution formula is rejiggered, BC would pick up seven seats; and based on the 2006 census, the six Vancouver Island ridings combined have nearly 740% of the population of the average population of one of 43 ridings in British Columbia. Even at +6, those six ridings would have 720% of the population of 1 of 42 ridings. (As a somewhat aside, the seventh VI riding would appear to be be mostly Greater Victoria with non-Nanaimo areas from the two Nanaimo ridings making up the remaining population.)
Fri, 2011-05-13 19:46
#65
Faith, I know that's right. But it seems that folks on the east side of the riding were also getting ticked off on several issues, and being that Zeni Maartman came from that side, she was a good fit for the NDP's chances in the riding overall. Parksville also elects NDP MLA Leonard Krog provincially. It's a tricky riding, but apparently not impossible if you look at last week's results.
Leonard used to represent Parksville-Qualicum (1991-1996), but that is a separate constituency represented by a Liberal. The Nanaimo constituency that Leonard represents doesn't even go as far as the north end of Nanaimo, let alone Lantzville and Parksville.
That's partly correct. Leonard represented Parksville-Qualicum during that period and is originally from Coombs. His newly distributed provincial riding of Nanaimo covers most of North Nanaimo. In fact, there is more North Nanaimo (conservative) than South Nanaimo (socialist) in that riding.
Fri, 2011-05-13 19:52
#66
Some of ythe most overpopulated ridings in BC are actually the vancouver Island seats - so if BC gains 6 seats in the next redistribution - it is almost certain that one or two new seats would be on the island and would be easy pickings for the NDP.
According to one source I've seen, if the redistribution formula is rejiggered, BC would pick up seven seats; and based on the 2006 census, the six Vancouver Island ridings combined have nearly 740% of the population of the average population of one of 43 ridings in British Columbia. Even at +6, those six ridings would have 720% of the population of 1 of 42 ridings. (As a somewhat aside, the seventh VI riding would appear to be be mostly Greater Victoria with non-Nanaimo areas from the two Nanaimo ridings making up the remaining population.)
I've heard Nanaimo Cowichan could be split in two (like it is at the provincial level).
Fri, 2011-05-13 22:08
#67
Jenny Gerbasi and Dan Vandal in Winnipeg South Centre and St-Boniface respectively.
Come to think of it, if the upcoming provincial election's of a "throw the incumbent bums out" nature, there may be a number of soon-to-be-ex-MLA possibilities floating around...
Fri, 2011-05-13 22:09
#68
And this'll definitely rub a lot of Babblers the wrong way, but...what's the likelihood of Tarek Fatah coming back into the fold?
Fri, 2011-05-13 22:18
#69
Faith, I know that's right. But it seems that folks on the east side of the riding were also getting ticked off on several issues, and being that Zeni Maartman came from that side, she was a good fit for the NDP's chances in the riding overall. Parksville also elects NDP MLA Leonard Krog provincially. It's a tricky riding, but apparently not impossible if you look at last week's results.
Leonard used to represent Parksville-Qualicum (1991-1996), but that is a separate constituency represented by a Liberal. The Nanaimo constituency that Leonard represents doesn't even go as far as the north end of Nanaimo, let alone Lantzville and Parksville.
That's partly correct. Leonard represented Parksville-Qualicum during that period and is originally from Coombs. His newly distributed provincial riding of Nanaimo covers most of North Nanaimo. In fact, there is more North Nanaimo (conservative) than South Nanaimo (socialist) in that riding.
Only partly correct because I'm not sure Parksville-Qualicum is exactly the same riding now as it was from 1991-2001. Nanaimo-Cowichan (federal) has a lot more of south Nanaimo than Nanaimo-North Cowichan (provincial) does. I happen to live in both of them. One would have to study the poll results in north Nanaimo to see how Conservative it really is.
Fri, 2011-05-13 22:38
#70
Jenny Gerbasi and Dan Vandal in Winnipeg South Centre and St-Boniface respectively.
Come to think of it, if the upcoming provincial election's of a "throw the incumbent bums out" nature, there may be a number of soon-to-be-ex-MLA possibilities floating around...
But which 'Star' candidates are there who wouldn't be good enough to get re-elected provincially.
I thought the purpose of this thread was to speculate about possible 'Big Name' candidates who might think 2015 would be the time to enter federal politics as NDP candidates.
Let's leave current/former provincial M.L.A.s out of this discussion, shall we?
I was thinking more along the lines of Emily Hunter, daughter of Greenpeace co-founder Bob Hunter. What a great candidate she would make.
Fri, 2011-05-13 22:57
#71
And this'll definitely rub a lot of Babblers the wrong way, but...what's the likelihood of Tarek Fatah coming back into the fold?
I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot poll. He's a loose cannon if ever there was one and I met him once at a function I thought he was totally nuts. He's just one trick pony who will talk your ear off with a two hour monologue about the dangers of Islam not letting anyhone else get a word in edgewise and shows no interest whatsoever in any other topic.
Fri, 2011-05-13 23:00
#72
Getting back to future NDP stars - what about Andrew Ference the hockey player for the Boston Bruins who spoke at the convention in Halifax in '09? He's from Edmonton originally - maybe get him to run in Edmonton East?
Sat, 2011-05-14 00:16
#73
Well, I hope Michael Byers comes back to run in Vancouver Centre next time.
I lived in Vancouver Centre during the election where Byers ran. He seems like a nice enough guy but frankly, his campaign was terrible. Karen Shillington's performance this election was quite impressive - can it just be attributed to the "Orange Crush" though? - as the NDP did not really want to waste any "star" candidates to contest this riding.
Byers is living on Salt Spring Island now I think. Honestly, sure let's run him in another election but not Vancouver Centre. At least not if Hedy is still running - maybe if she retires. If Hedy is still running, find him another riding.
Sat, 2011-05-14 00:43
#74
How about Brian Pincott in Calgary? Any popular Edmonton city councillors who might run?
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:01
#75
Thanks for the background on Nanaimo-Alberni.
I doubt anyone from Bob Hunter's family will ever run for the NDP (long story, filed under: Beaches East-York, provincial by-election). As to Tarek Fatah, I believe he's under treatment for cancer at the moment, and so has some bigger issues on his plate for now.
Can Winston tell use more about the two names mentioned for Winnipeg? I don't recognize them.
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:16
#76
I'm still hoping for Paul Summerville - is there no chance he'll return to the fold?
[url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051205/layton_elex... won't raise taxes, pledges Jack Layton[/url]
In scoring the former Bay Street high roller, the NDP has gained some firepower as it prepares to unleash its economic platform in the coming weeks.
"It's great to have an economist from the Royal Bank on your roster of people that you can draw on when you're putting together your economic platform," said CTV's Rosemary Thompson, who's following the NDP on its campaign trail.
You know, this election isn't even cold yet. The NDP surged forward, electing dozens of unknown novices, based on the public perception of NDP values. Yet already, we have the pundits, ignoring the lessons of history, going right back to the stale tired discredited search for "big names" (translation: names known for something other than humble self-effacing dedication to the public good).
I hope to God you fail - only thus will the NDP succeed.
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:29
#77
remind
personally, i find this whole 'star' thing incredibley offensive.
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:35
#78
personally, i find this whole 'star' thing incredibley offensive.
Thank you, remind, for putting my feelings in much simpler terms.
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:47
#79
Can Winston tell use more about the two names mentioned for Winnipeg? I don't recognize them.
They're the left-wing standard bearers on Winnipeg City Council.
Sat, 2011-05-14 13:55
#80
Getting back to future NDP stars - what about Andrew Ference the hockey player for the Boston Bruins who spoke at the convention in Halifax in '09? He's from Edmonton originally - maybe get him to run in Edmonton East?
Andrew Ference for Parliament? What are you trying to do, wipe out all the NDP gains in Quebec? 
The guy got fined for giving the finger to Canadiens fans - so there is no love lost there.
Okay, if you run him in Edmonton that's fine, but please keep him far far away from Montreal during the campaign.
Sat, 2011-05-14 14:03
#81
personally, i find this whole 'star' thing incredibley offensive.
I guess it depends on what you mean by star - I certainly see Nettie Weibe as a 'star' candidate. I don't really see anything offensive about going out and recruiting someone like her- and many others. People like her, and many others, have a long history of grassroots involvement, but also have a profile beyond that. How is wanting to recruit people like that "offensive'. I really don't understand.
Sat, 2011-05-14 14:15
#82
remind
LTU....the word 'star' is a label that carries classist symbology, and an ideology of entrenched heirarchy...of greater and lesser than people.
...one is recruiting activists not 'stars'.
This not a singing or dance competition.
Nor any competition at all.
Objectifying people because they are known for their actions, takes away from the actions they became known for.
Sat, 2011-05-14 14:15
#83
Yet already, we have the pundits, ignoring the lessons of history, going right back to the stale tired discredited search for "big names"
How would you characterize the recruitment of Thomas Mulcair?
Sat, 2011-05-14 14:19
#84
I was just about the post the same
Sat, 2011-05-14 14:58
#85
How about Trevor Haché in Ottawa-Vanier?
Sat, 2011-05-14 15:01
#86
LTU....the word 'star' is a label that carries classist symbology, and an ideology of entrenched heirarchy...of greater and lesser than people.
...one is recruiting activists not 'stars'.
This not a singing or dance competition.
Nor any competition at all.
Objectifying people because they are known for their actions, takes away from the actions they became known for.
Thanks I understand where you are coming from now. That makes a lot of sense.
Sat, 2011-05-14 19:41
#87
Malcolm
Practically speaking, the recruitment of "big name" candidates has a couple of benefits - partly in terms of the riding where they run, but more particularly in terms of generating a wider buzz.
That said, such candidate should never been given a free pass to a nomination. Neither would I ever want to see a slate of nowt but stars.
Sat, 2011-05-14 20:22
#88
Quite so, Malcolm. No free passes.
Sat, 2011-05-14 20:30
#89
Ottawaobserver I do think that Nanaimo Alberni is winnable. There was some very strong discontent with the present Conservative candidate as a 'do nothing' candidate for the Alberni area. My son-in-law actually thought the NDP had a good chance.
Perhaps unseating a sitting MP was a little too much this time but with stronger resources to throw at the riding I have a feeling it would be the NDP's to take.
Sat, 2011-05-14 23:11
#90
In the next election in 2015 the map in Vancouver Island is likely to be radically redrawn with at least one new seat created. Ideally a Tory "sink-hole" riding could be created that packs all the Tory voting areas of Nanaimo-Alberni in Parksville and Qualicum Beach with the Tory voting areas of North Vancouver Island in Comox - and then the NDP could easily win the remainder of the those seats.
Sat, 2011-05-14 23:31
#91
In the next election in 2015 the map in Vancouver Island is likely to be radically redrawn with at least one new seat created. Ideally a Tory "sink-hole" riding could be created that packs all the Tory voting areas of Nanaimo-Alberni in Parksville and Qualicum Beach with the Tory voting areas of North Vancouver Island in Comox - and then the NDP could easily win the remainder of the those seats.
What are the rules for seat redistrubtion? What stops the Tories from redrawing the seats to give themselves an unfair advantage.
Sat, 2011-05-14 23:32
#92
Yet already, we have the pundits, ignoring the lessons of history, going right back to the stale tired discredited search for "big names"How would you characterize the recruitment of Thomas Mulcair?
Do you and Ciabatta2 seriously read my condemnation of this thread as meaning that if a high-profile person of another party comes to us, we should reject her or him? Mulcair took a courageous stand by leaving the Liberal cabinet. A year later, Layton, a personal acquaintance, said why not join us and make a difference. If you think that was the result of some desperate hunt for celebrities (like this asinine thread), then you have little understanding or respect for either Layton or Mulcair or the electorate of Outremont, who voted for Mulcair based on his personal integrity and the stands he took in 2007 and 2008.
The quest for stars is a denial of what makes the NDP potentially different and attractive to voters. This past election proved that.
If you want star candidates, why not go analyze the sad fate of Senator Larry Smith and get back to me with your conclusions. All the groupies were jumping up and down, cheering (or lamenting) that the Cons would finally get a seat in Montréal. They showed an abysmal failure to understand that we are not impressed by star-studded self-serving aristocratic assholes.
Sun, 2011-05-15 00:44
#93
We can have a mix. Probably be healthier to do so and make us look a bit more moderate for some people who still unreasonably fear us. Some quarters like the GTO and other large cities might prefer a few 'star' candidates. While the great rural areas would prefer more common people.
Sun, 2011-05-15 01:34
#94
What are the rules for seat redistrubtion? What stops the Tories from redrawing the seats to give themselves an unfair advantage
It's not done by the government, but by an independent Electoral Boundaries Commission, which I think is composed of judges.
Sun, 2011-05-15 01:57
#95
In the next election in 2015 the map in Vancouver Island is likely to be radically redrawn with at least one new seat created. Ideally a Tory "sink-hole" riding could be created that packs all the Tory voting areas of Nanaimo-Alberni in Parksville and Qualicum Beach with the Tory voting areas of North Vancouver Island in Comox - and then the NDP could easily win the remainder of the those seats.
What are the rules for seat redistrubtion? What stops the Tories from redrawing the seats to give themselves an unfair advantage.
[b]For the rules,[/b] loosely paraphrasing from the [i]Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act[/i], and for the most part in no real temporal order:
(1) Once the census results are in, each province gets a three-member boundary-drawing commission. The chairperson is chosen from the judges of the province's courts by the chief justice of the province in question; the other two members are residents of that province appointed by the Speaker, and cannot be an elected official.
(2) The Chief Statistician produces a report indicating the respective populations of: Canada as a whole, the provinces individually, Canada according to electoral district, and Canada according to enumeration area (this is a census-y sort of thing).
(3) The Chief Electoral Officer provides a copy of the report to each provincial commission, along with a map showing each province's respective population distribution.
(4) The Chief Electoral Officer calculates, for each province, the number of seats it will receive in the coming representation order, and thereby indicate the electoral quota for each province's districts.
(5) The commission is then tasked with producing a report indicating the populations, boundaries, and names of all proposed electoral districts in the province.
(6) The population of proposed electoral districts should be as close to their province's electoral quota as is possible, subject to the considerations of
(a) communities of interest or identity;
(b) the historical pattern of a district;
(c) the manageability of the geographical size of a district, especially in rural, sparsely populated, or northern areas of a province.
Generally speaking, however, except in the event of extraordinary circumstances (example: Labrador) the population of a proposed district should be within 25% of the electoral quota.
(7) Before the issuance of its report, a province's commission must hold at least one sitting in that province at which hearings of representations by interested persons (ugh, legalese) can be made. It can hold one, or two, or eighty thousand - all that is required is that one sitting be held. The time and place for any and all sittings must be advertised in the [i]Canada Gazette[/i] and at least one newspaper of general circulation in the province at least sixty days before the sitting.
[b]For the anti-gerrymandering argument[/b], I'd assume that the way in which the commission is appointed, along with communities of interest or identity, the historical pattern of a district, the geographical manageability criterion, and the mandated sitting should be able to stop the Tories from redrawing the seats to give themselves an unfair advantage.
Sun, 2011-05-15 02:00
#96
I think a progressive and environmentally-oriented city councillor like Heather Deal or Andrea Reimer would be a great fit for Vancouver Centre. I doubt Hedy will run again in 2015 and even if she does, a strong NDP candidate with profile can beat her next time.
Byers could be a good fit for Saanich Gulf-Islands if May loses her appeal over the coming years.
Well, I hope Michael Byers comes back to run in Vancouver Centre next time.
I lived in Vancouver Centre during the election where Byers ran. He seems like a nice enough guy but frankly, his campaign was terrible. Karen Shillington's performance this election was quite impressive - can it just be attributed to the "Orange Crush" though? - as the NDP did not really want to waste any "star" candidates to contest this riding.
Byers is living on Salt Spring Island now I think. Honestly, sure let's run him in another election but not Vancouver Centre. At least not if Hedy is still running - maybe if she retires. If Hedy is still running, find him another riding.
Sun, 2011-05-15 09:50
#97
I should have avoided the adjective "star" altogether in this thread. I wasn't meaning to imply celebrity, or that some candidates are more equal than others. Merely that there are, outside federal politics, potentially strong members of a future government that the NDP should soon be talking to about 2015.
Sun, 2011-05-15 11:22
#98
remind
Thank you for that Jeff, as really, beyond what I have noted about the label above, they are only "potentially strong" as any another candidate is. And they may be potentially worse than any other person.
If they go into it with an inflated sense of 'star' ego and entitlement, they are worthless to their constituents, and are just useless place holder MP's.
Sun, 2011-05-15 11:49
#99
Northern Shoveler
If they go into it with an inflated sense of 'star' ego and entitlement, they are worthless to their constituents, and are just useless place holder MP's.
I agree completely. I have met a new NDP MP who fits that description perfectly. He was touted as the "star" candidate in the nomination battle.
I also take great umbrage with this idea that the power to nominate NDP candidates should rest anywhere except at the local riding association. That IMO is fundamentally undemocratic. This idea of "superior" candidates being slotted into ridings by a central power is not what the party is supposed to be.
Sun, 2011-05-15 13:32
#100
Perhaps 'Star' should be replaced by the term 'High-Profile'?
Given the NDP's status now as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, I believe we may see several 'high-profile' candidates stepping forward as potential candidates in the next election.
Sun, 2011-05-15 13:36
#101
The NDP has a very strict policy that all nominations are open and that the leader has no power to arbitrarily "name" candidates. Anyone high profile who Layton convinces to run in 2015 will have to win a nomination battle and may well face opposition. Some of you may forget that when Ed Broadbent decided to run for the NDP in Ottawa Centre in 2004 (I think he has to qualify as a "star candidate") - he did not get the nomination handed to him on a silver platter. Paul Dewar (now the MP) opposed him for the nomination and got quite a few votes.
The only time the leader of the NDP can "name" a candidate is in cases where no NDP riding association exists (as is the case in some parts of Quebec) - but I suspect that in 2015 there will be MUCH fewer ridings with no NDP association.