BTW: I know an MP who fits the bill in many ways - at least in terms of being a good person to have in the race - Nikki Ashton. She speaks five languages fluently (her French is actually quite impeccable), she is 29, a woman (obviously), from a remote riding in Manitoba with a very large FN population. I don't know that I see her as a winner - but she would make a good addition to the field.
NDP leadership thread - part 1 of many
Sun, 2011-08-28 12:53
#52
Sun, 2011-08-28 12:56
#53
True! I forgot about Niki. Either her or Megan Leslie should run to represent the young voice and the party renewal. That would be really inspiring and nice to have either one of these two strong women NDP MPs running.BTW: I know an MP who fits the bill in many ways - at least in terms of being a good person to have in the race - Nikki Ashton. She speaks five languages fluently (her French is actually quite impeccable), she is 29, a woman (obviously), from a remote riding in Manitoba with a very large FN population. I don't know that I see her as a winner - but she would make a good addition to the field.
Sun, 2011-08-28 12:56
#54
knownothing
I like Peggy Nash and everything but I fall asleep when she starts talking
Sun, 2011-08-28 12:58
#55
First of all, sorry for my English ;)
Thomas Mulcair. Being from Quebec and having work closely with him when we was in the Liberal cabinet, I can tell how much this man is brilliant and a strong strategist. I always felt and I got some tips that he was a more progressive voice than the average Quebec Liberal cabinet member back then. But at the same time, Thomas was known for having a short temper and little to none patience. He is a strong debater and every single time he is debating on tv, he nails it all the time. He is the second best known NPD member in Quebec (just next to Jack) and a lot of people remembers that he standed tall in front of a Jean Charest premier who was unpopular and not listening to the Quebec population will at that time...
I really don't understand the buzz around Brian Topp. Yes he is a strong strategist, would follow in Jack tradition and he is perfectly bilingual, but having seen him on tv a fee times, I feel like he is missing some charisma and he has no parlimantary experience. Having seen her lots of time on tv over the last week, I get the feeling Anne McGrath could be a stronger voice and a more charismatic person for the role than him. Am I the only one?
Olivia Chow has always been one of my favorite NDP member. There is no question about her values and where she stands for social justice. The fact she is Jack Layton widow could help passing Jack legacy message and goals. Her lack of French is not helping though and sorry, but I think as much as she can get support from being Jack's widow, she might also suffers from the comparaison (that applies to all candidates who will run, but a little bit more IMO to Olivia for that reason).
Peter Julian sounds like an interesting choice: he is smart and charismatic, perfectly bilingual (maybe one if not the most bilingual NDP MP with Peggy Nash) but looking at his resume, I feel like the man is leaning a little bit too much on the left. I really think we must not seek another for Jack Layton 2.0, but one thing for sure, we have to keep the party far from a total lefty ideological one and keep the pragmatic approach with some a little more centered elements in our platform.
Peggy Nash could be a strong candidate: perfectly bilingual, smart, strong support with the unions and women. We totally know where she stands on a lot of issue and she seems like a moderate but definately progressive voice. I would be really interested to see her running for the leadership.
Megan Leslie could be a really nice surprise. She is one of he most inspiring speaker in the house, has the same let's work together approach that Jack has. I don't think her experience is strong enough and even if I think she could consolidate the NPD support, I don't know if she could help it grow more and be seeing as a potential premier.
Other candidates from Quebec: There are not a lot. Guy Caron is for sure one of the strongest new asset in the party. But I feel it's a little bit premature to judge his full potential. Hélène Laverdière is another really strong new MP with a strong background and a real potential cabinet member in a future NDP government, but knowing her personnaly, she has no leadership goal. Roméo Saganash could have be a really good choice, he is a strong negociator, has a really inclusive approach, but he is a really calm and he doesn't sound/look like a passionate debater. Pierre Ducasse was a real surprise back in the 2003 race but I honestly think he did it to put Quebec a little bit more in the NDP agenda, since Thomas Mulcair would have a much stronger appeal in the province, I would guess that Pierre would support Thomas for this same reason. But we never know. Françoise Boivin is one of my favorite NDP MPs, she is smart, a progressive voice and her passion gives her an atypical charisma. I can't see her having a wide appeal though, unfortunately. I don't see any other people from Quebec being a candidate (even Alexandre Boulerice, Nycole Turmel, Robert Aubin, Raymond Côté,...).
There are some names I'd like to get your feedback on, since I don't know them enough:
David Miller, could he really be a candidate? do we know if he ever supported the NPD?
Stephen Lewis, could he also be a candidate? I am pretty sure his age doesn't do any favour though... His speech was such a strong stand for social democracy.
Jack Harris, is he bilingual? Being from NFL, could it be marginalizing the party? He is smart and has a nice political background.
Ray Martin, he may be a little bit old for the job, but there is no question the man has a good politcal background and he is a really strong progressive voice. Having being defeated for the last 3 elections in 3 different Edmonton ridings doesn't do any favour, but I like Ray. what do you think?
Linda Duncan, could she be running? She has a nice background and seems like a smart and composed person. Does she have the charisma to lead?
Rob Moir, a NB NDP candidates in the past. He has a strong economical background but he is also a strong progressive voice and based on clips I've seen of him, he is charismatic.
Is there anyone from the provincial NDP scence that I forgot? In Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, BC, Nova Scotia?
The new NDP leader will have to be bilingual for sure. That eliminates a few strong potential leader: Libby Davies, Robert Chisholm and a few others...
At this stage, a leadership race including the following would be really interesting:
- Thomas Mulcair
- Peggy Nash
- Megan Leslie or Niki Ashton
- Rob Moir or Guy Caron
- Peter Julian
- David Miller??
Sun, 2011-08-28 12:59
#56
I agree, but I feel she is hit or miss, sometimes she sounds a lot passionate than others.I like Peggy Nash and everything but I fall asleep when she starts talking
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:00
#57
Is there any potential star candidate we are forgetting? Someone from another background than federal NDP experience?
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:01
#58
knownothing
I agree, but I feel she is hit or miss, sometimes she sounds a lot passionate than others.I like Peggy Nash and everything but I fall asleep when she starts talking
It is a great quality for a finance minister, but it seems like she is super vague sometimes and too avoiding of the issues
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:09
#59
How's aboput Michaelle Jean?
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:09
#60
How about Louise Arbour? She is an amazing person and she fought for social justice all her life. Her potilical experience would put in shame even some of most experienced canadian politicians. Would it be really weird for someone who has never been a publicly NDP supporter to jump in the race? I know I am day dreaming, but why not? ;)
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:10
#61
FYI donations to leadership campaigns are NOT tax receipt able and have nothing to do with the limits on federal political donations. You can donate as much as you want to a leadership candidate but you get no rebate.
The first half of the first sentence is true: donations to the candidate's campaign for the leadership of a political party are not tax receptiable.
The rest is not correct: there is a lifetime, "once-off" limit of $1100 that anyone can donate to any candidate's campaign for the leadership of any party.
Most candidates for the last Liberal leadership race that Stephane Dion won still have debt, according to an interesting [url=http://www.punditsguide.ca/2010/02/latest-on-2006-liberal-leadership-deb...'s Guide thread[/url]. This needs to be a cautionary tale for anyone seeking the NDP (or Liberal) leadership under the current federal political party financing legislation.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:13
#62
Boom Boom & the grey: Layton didn't suggest a particular time, but rather as soon as possible in the new year.
I was trying to respond to Boom Boom's statement, but Babble cut off my response and I couldn't fix it from that computer. What I wanted to say was that Jack's letter suggested similar timelines to the 2003 race - which started 6 June 2002 and ended 23 January 2003, a span of about seven and a half months. Following those timelines would result in an April leadership selection.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:14
#63
Merci samuelolivier, ce n'est pas nécessaire d'excuser un si beau anglais écrit! D'abord excuse mon français! Comme j'ai commenté beaucoup sur le français des candidats anglophones, laisse-moi dire que même si j'admire Hélène Laverdière, je suis d'avis que son anglais n'est pas suffisamment bon pour être chef permanente. La même chose va pour Nycole Turmel.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:23
#64
Personnality wise, I love the idea. Having been the General Governor of Canada would seen a really weird message to Canadian, coming from the NDP... No?How's aboput Michaelle Jean?
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:23
#65
Ok, I stand corrected. The point i was trying to make though is that limits on donations to leadership campaigns have no connection to the limits on party political donations. Its a whole separate thing - in otherwords even if I had already donated my maximum $1,100 to the NDP in 2011 - I would still be free to give as much as $1,100 to any candidate...
I'm a bit confused by the lifetime limit - that seems a bit crazy. Does that mean that if I were to hypothetically make a $1,000 donation to Mulcair's leadership campaign - that would mean that for the rest of my life I would only be allowed to donate $100 to any individual running to lead any party???
FYI donations to leadership campaigns are NOT tax receipt able and have nothing to do with the limits on federal political donations. You can donate as much as you want to a leadership candidate but you get no rebate.The first half of the first sentence is true: donations to the candidate's campaign for the leadership of a political party are not tax receptiable.
The rest is not correct: there is a lifetime, "once-off" limit of $1100 that anyone can donate to any candidate's campaign for the leadership of any party.
Most candidates for the last Liberal leadership race that Stephane Dion won still have debt, according to an interesting [url=http://www.punditsguide.ca/2010/02/latest-on-2006-liberal-leadership-deb...'s Guide thread[/url]. This needs to be a cautionary tale for anyone seeking the NDP (or Liberal) leadership under the current federal political party financing legislation.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:25
#66
knownothing
Some far-left candidate should run to make whoever is elected look moderate (hopefully they won't be), but who should it be?
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:26
#67
Michaelle Jean would be really great, although I worry about the "sovereigntist" attack that was made on her as she came in to the office of the Governor General. I liked Peggy Nash as Industry critic, thought she was very effective, but have been underwhelmed by her performance as Finance critic. Nash is the strongest female MP for leader, IMV, although I feel like she lacks in the charisma department despite excellent French and high competence. Megan Leslie has charm, smarts, and French; yet I find her very easy to ignore (like Alexa McDonough) because she is too nice and not assertive enough. I hate to say it, but I believe she could improve her performance as an MP by learning to throw a few more elbows. One female MP I really like that is unlikely to get mention is Carol Hughes. She has excellent French, has competence and charisma, a union background like Peggy Nash, and a rare skill at mainstreeting (she is good at going up and talking to people, of all types). That being said, Carol Hughes has not held/been given any serious responsibilities, so I don't consider her a contender. Maybe her weakness is a lack of ambition!
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:32
#68
Jack's letter suggested similar timelines to the 2003 race - which started 6 June 2002 and ended 23 January 2003, a span of about seven and a half months. Following those timelines would result in an April leadership selection.
Very good point.
Niki Ashton. She speaks five languages fluently (her French is actually quite impeccable), she is 29, a woman (obviously), from a remote riding in Manitoba with a very large FN population. I don't know that I see her as a winner - but she would make a good addition to the field.
That's what people said when a rather unknown 36-year-old entered the race for the PC leadership in 1976. He was obviously running with his eye on the next race.
But then he came third on the first ballot, with 11 candidates. On the second ballot three other candidates supported Joe Clark, and he overtook Brian Mulroney. On the fourth ballot Clark beat Claude Wagner. And in the next election he beat Pierre Trudeau.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:35
#69
Merci beaucoup Anonymouse pour ces bons mots. I totally agree with you on Nycole Turmel english and same for Hélène Laverdière. I was wondering I always get the sense that Jean Chrétien's english was okay but not amazing when he started as the liberal leader. Am I right?Merci samuelolivier, ce n'est pas nécessaire d'excuser un si beau anglais écrit! D'abord excuse mon français! Comme j'ai commenté beaucoup sur le français des candidats anglophones, laisse-moi dire que même si j'admire Hélène Laverdière, je suis d'avis que son anglais n'est pas suffisamment bon pour être chef permanente. La même chose va pour Nycole Turmel.
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:38
#70
I am leaning toward Mulcair as well. Someone mentioned they're not sure if he has what we need right now. Right now? I'm thinking about the next election in four years.
I've heard he can be on occasion a bit standoffish in person. But as a friend pointed out, so were many leaders such as Trudeau. I think Trudeau won once or twice :)
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:46
#71
Helene Laverdiere is a wonderful person who I had the pleasure of meeting. I don't have an issue with her English. Her weakness is that she is a rookie in parliament and all her expertise is in foreign plicy as a former diplomat. She could make a wonderful minister of Foreign Affairs someday - but I don't get the impression that she has the necessary grounding in domestic economic and social policy etc....
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:49
#72
Yes it is crazy. No, you are not limited to donating $1100 to only one candidate -- you could donate $1100 to every candidate for the leadership of any party. But you are limited to a $1100 donation to any particular leadership candidate for the remainder of your life.
OK, that's slightly less crazy...but I assume it is a lifetime limit on donations to a particular leadership candidate's campaign. What if for example I donate $1,100 to Mulcair's campaign to win the NDP leadership in 2012 and he loses, but there is a whole new contest for the leadership say in 2018 and he runs again? Am I barred from donating to him again bcause I already gave him the maximum in 2012 or does the limit start over if he is a candidate for a new contest in a new year?
Sun, 2011-08-28 13:52
#73
I'm a bit confused by the lifetime limit - that seems a bit crazy. Does that mean that if I were to hypothetically make a $1,000 donation to Mulcair's leadership campaign - that would mean that for the rest of my life I would only be allowed to donate $100 to any individual running to lead any party???
Yes it is crazy. No, you are not limited to donating $1100 to only one candidate -- you could donate $1100 to every candidate for the leadership of any/every party. But you are limited to a $1100 donation to any particular leadership candidate for the remainder of your life.
That is why this Pundit's Guide thread is worth noting. Maurizio Bevilacqua, IMHO, has the most difficult financial task of any poltical participant in Canada at present -- he has to pay off a roughly $400,000 debt without approaching anyone who has already donated the maximum to his leadership campaign at any point in the past.
Again, this is an important lesson for all leadership campaigns to learn. As the Pundit's Guide host noted, the rules were changed by the Tories in the middle of the 2004 Liberal leadership contest -- and, arguably, once plans were rolling, it was hard to stop them. No one has that excuse any longer, unless the legislation changes. And, for crass political reasons if nothing else, the Tories have no incentive to change these rules until after the leadership contests of the NDP, Liberals, and Bloc are complete. The Tories will replace Stephen Harper one day -- until then, they'll let their political opponents struggle under the current legislation.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:06
#74
A couple of things:
* People can give a maximum of $1100 during the leadership contest, either all to one candidate, or split amongst one or more candidates, and this is a separate ceiling from the ceiling to national parties, and the one to local ridings and/or candidates. The total of an individual's contributions to all the leadership candidates in a contest - over the entire length of that contest, including after the vote itself - cannot total more than $1100. But, for example, people who gave the maximum of $1100 to Michael Ignatieff during the 2006 leadership contest, were still able to give a total of $1100 to candidates for the next leadership contest as well. Remember this was a vehicle that Rocco Rossi was trying to use to raise double the money, by getting people to give to Ignatieff's campaign before the May convention, as well as to the party, and then Ignatieff's leadership campaign would transfer it to the party?
* I don't know who I would pick to run the party at this stage, but one thing I do know is that I want a lot of high quality candidates from across the country, and from a variety of backgrounds, to hear from and learn more about. I want to hear a lot more from Tom Mulcair, and if that CP story is right and if he does decide he wants to run, I want to hear a lot more from Brian Topp. I also want to be surprised by the names and stories of other potential candidates, and I can imagine how interesting and worthwhile the discussion about our way forward will be.
* What the party needs now is to demonstrate the calibre of its bench strength, take the opportunity to consolidate the Quebec gains by selling memberships and building the party infrastructure there, finding the next frontiers for building, and leading a widespread debate and discussion about what the first term of an NDP government would look like.
* We have to resist the tendency to refight the last election. Getting over the top to form government this time means more than simply consolidating Quebec, it means growing in Ontario, and picking off the next tier of seats in western Canada. Remember that it will be fought on new boundaries, and in a different stage of the cycle of a large number of provincial governments.
* In particular, out west one of the keys to building the social democratic movement will be to welcome aboriginal peoples into it, the way Jack has just done with Quebec. Here's a group with a booming birthrate, whose values closely mirror social democratic values. I would like to see at least one first nations or inuit or metis candidate in the race, and if that's not Romeo Saganash (or even if it is, because there's no ceiling on it), Lewis Cardinal who is now chair of the Aboriginal Commission looks to me like the closest thing to a native Jack Layton in terms of his organizational and communication skills, vision, strategic sense and ability to connect with people. One thing I do know is that if aboriginal people, particularly in western Canada and some parts of Ontario, were voting in the same proportions as non-aboriginal people, suddenly a whole new tier of seats comes into play for us.
* Mulcair has been nothing but gracious anytime I've met him, though admittedly those have only been brief encounters; and as everyone has said, his intellect is evident in all he says. I have seen flashes of anger on television, some righteous (remember the early case of his gay constituent who was about to be deported back to a situation where his life would be in grave danger) and some other very partisan swipes. But I saw a different side of him the day he visited the casket in the foyer of the House of Commons this past Wednesday: as sincere and passionate a look of grief as I've ever seen, where he barely held back the tears, and gratefully accepted a hug of comfort from Libby Davies. It made me want to learn more about this complex man. By the same token, while he's understandably spent a lot of time in Quebec recently, he will have to introduce himself to the party in the rest of Canada to a much greater extent.
* I have long wanted to see someone of Brian Topp's intelligence and strategic sense in Parliament, but to this point I've thought of him as too reserved to be interested in a public leadership role. Partly that may be because his role to now has been in the backrooms, where discretion is a big part of the job requirement. The challenge for Brian would be to allow people to get to know him better, in order to win their confidence in his vision of the future. What I was particularly struck by most recently in the very graceful way he handled the enormously difficult job he was just handled, was the way he described what he had learned from Jack. He said that Jack spoke to men of the importance of love, and how they needed to show more of that in their life's work and their relationships not only with women but other men. It left me feeling that he could yet grow into that inspirational part of the job, because his qualifications for the other aspects are pretty exhaustive.
* The party leader is the key party strategist. Leaders without that quality take their parties down in flames (see: Dion, Stephane; Ignatieff, Michael; Day, Stockwell; Clark, Joe; etc., etc.). So to me that is the sine qua non. We can't replace Jack with a replica of Jack, but we need to keep that one key qualification in mind. I think I'll know the right combination of the other skills when I see and hear it after a good leadership campaign, and I want to have a good slate of candidates to hear from and consider.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:17
#75
Boom Boom
I put my faith in the NDP and its supporters to pick the best leader for the party. They have a pretty good track record so far. 
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:20
#76
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:21
#77
OK, that's slightly less crazy...but I assume it is a lifetime limit on donations to a particular leadership candidate's campaign. What if for example I donate $1,100 to Mulcair's campaign to win the NDP leadership in 2012 and he loses, but there is a whole new contest for the leadership say in 2018 and he runs again? Am I barred from donating to him again bcause I already gave him the maximum in 2012 or does the limit start over if he is a candidate for a new contest in a new year?
I should have been more careful with my terms. You are limited to $1,100 for any particular leadership campaign, rather than to any leadership candidate. If Stephane Dion, inexplicably, were to seek the Liberal Party lesdership again, everyone who contributed the maximum to his 2004 run for the leadership would have a new chance to donate to the Stephane Dion Leadership Campaign, Mark 2. But he would stil have to pay off the $40,000 or so left over from his 2004 Leadership Campaign without re-appealing to those who made the maximum contribution to his Leadership Campaign Mark 1.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:30
#78
Here's who I'd like to see run, from the pre-2011 MPs:
Peggy Nash
Charlie Angus (I was assuming he was pretty much bilingual, but that may not be the case)
Megan Leslie (I heard she is bilingual, but I'm not so sure)
In some respects it would be better if Nycole Turmel stayed on longer as interim leader to allow more time to see the new members of the caucus at work.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:32
#79
Lou Arab
I was about to write a long post about on a variety of points, but after reading Ottawaobserver's excellent post above, I can say she took almost all of the points I was going to make.
However, I have a couple of other things to add:
The party learned in 1993 that our leadership is not an entry level position. This is especially true if we are looking for a Prime Minister. I'm ok with new MPs entering the race to raise their profile or particual issues (in fact I'm all for it), as long as they don't win, this time.
While I agree that we want a leader who can win new seats in Ontario and the west, we have to re-enforce ourselves in Quebec. Too many of our MPs were elected without on the ground organizations or even many members in their ridings. Those kinds of wins can easily be erased. This to me gives Mulcair an early edge (but my mind is still very open).
On Mulcair - I too noticed the obvious grief when he visited Jack's casket. He may have a hot temper, but no candidate comes with the full package of leadership skills. I want to hear from MPs about how well they can work with him. I also wonder how much he knows about politics outside of Quebec, and how much he knows and understands the culture and history of the NDP.
I love Charlie Angus, and if he can speak French - I think he could be a real contender for my vote. However, I worry that I'm looking at him as part of the NDP membership, and not seeing him as regular Canadians might see him. Is he someone who only speaks to the choir? As a part of that choir, I'm not sure I'm objective enough to know.
I agree with others who want a wide range of candidates. Let's promote our next cabinet. Let's have 10 teams signing up members instead of three. Let's give younger talent like Nikki Ashton the chance to conduct a 'test run' for the leadership before they go for it for realsies next time.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:35
#80
I agree with others who want a wide range of candidates. Let's promote our next cabinet. Let's have 10 teams signing up members instead of three. Let's give younger talent like Nikki Ashton the chance to conduct a 'test run' for the leadership before they go for it for realsies next time.
And, you can bet I'll be grading them in part on how they handle that debate and competition too. This better not get nasty and personal, or I'll be very very grouchy.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:42
#81
knownothing
I agree with others who want a wide range of candidates. Let's promote our next cabinet. Let's have 10 teams signing up members instead of three. Let's give younger talent like Nikki Ashton the chance to conduct a 'test run' for the leadership before they go for it for realsies next time.
And, you can bet I'll be grading them in part on how they handle that debate and competition too. This better not get nasty and personal, or I'll be very very grouchy.
Yeah I was watching the 2003 convention on CPAC and Blaikie sure came off as a grouch
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:43
#82
Really? I love Bill. Though I suspect next to Jack pretty much everyone who is not that perky could look grouchy.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:45
#83
Michaelle Jean would be really great -
Wow. I hadn't thought of that, but I like it. I'm sure there'd be a lot of ruffled feathers about the unseemliness of such a recent GG entering partisan politics, but I say let 'em ruffle. Hers would be an exciting candidacy and she would make, IMO, a wonderful choice.
For the time being, however, I'm rooting for a Mulcair victory, even though I agree with just about everything said about him both pro and con. I think we'll need a scrapper to see us through the next few years of Harper. Someone Canadians needn't love, as with Jack, but whom they'll come to respect (and Conservatives fear). Right now, of the likely candidates who can consolidate Quebec and bridge to the rest of Canada, I don't see anyone better.
Still, if Jean wants it, I'd be delighted to jump on that bandwagon.
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:47
#84
knownothing
Just seemed like he took it really personally, but i guess it is hard not to
Also, I am a fairly young member and did not see him in his prime in the House so I don't know his history all that well
Sun, 2011-08-28 14:51
#85
Two thoughts:
1) I was very impressed by Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain) during the postal strike debates. Anyone know if she's bilingual? Very media friendly, excellent speaker, possible leadership material.
2) Although Olivia Chow is probably not going to run, and her French is not so strong... I don't think that francophone Quebec would necessarily hold that against her. As someone who was born neither to English nor to French Canada, she may well be seen as a unifying third party who transcends our deeply embedded language politics. I have been told that out of all the environmental organisations in the rest of Canada, the one that gets the most donations from Quebec is the David Suzuki Foundation - because he isn't seen wholly as an extension of English Canada.
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:06
#86
Though re: Jean, she hasn't served the first full year yet of her four-year appointment as UN special envy to Haiti, so I'd say there's a very low probablity of her entering the race. A more reasonable hope may be her recruitment as a candidate in the next election.
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:11
#87
Chris Charlton is bilingual, in German and English. Unfortunately she doesn't have much French.
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:12
#88
dacckon
That article is from Quebecor. I'd ignore it knownothing
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:15
#89
knownothing
That article is from Quebecor. I'd ignore it knownothing
Yeah it sure is bad hey, is that some right-wing media rag in Quebec?
I live in Moose Jaw, SK and I know little of Quebec politics
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:19
#90
Well, KN, who are the potential leadership candidates from Saskatchewan? Could we see Ryan Meili make a federal run? Nettie Wiebe? Any other names occur to you?
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:23
#91
knownothing
As far as I know Meili is out of the picture, even gave up his nomination in Saskatoon Sutherland, Nettie Wiebe seems too old school to me, but I am not privy to inside info, I am helping Noah Evanchuk get elected as he said he will run again next election, he is exactly the type of modern NDPer we need, but there are the former premiers Calvert and Romanow but they are too centrist fot my taste. I hope for a radical leader from Quebec!
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:35
#92
dacckon
I think Quebecor owns sun news.
I prefer we don't get a "radical" leader. I'm looking for someone progressive, pragmatic, and someone who can lead us to victory and not to self-destruction Be sure to click on the link and read about it. That caused the UK labour party to lose the election and spiral right into the hands of Blair. I'd rather avoid that all together and elect someone with the values of Broadbent and Layton.
Sun, 2011-08-28 15:53
#93
knownothing
Is that worse than turning into Tony Blair? I mean we just about voted socialism out of the NDP constitution. The difference, to me, between social democracy and socialism is the social ownership of economic sectors and even monopolies. If you take that out, we are just liberals. I see no difference between social democrats and liberals the only difference being they have not yet been corrupted by governing power in Canada
In Saskatchewan we have efficient profitable crown corps for many sectors there is no reason why that can`t be expanded across the country and in other sectors.
Sure the business community will spaz out but they will do that anyway, we should totally stand by nationalisation.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:15
#94
dacckon
That vote never went through. And it merely represented a change of means if it did, I recall a promise of improving social and economic equality. Personally I use social democracy/democratic socialism as the same, just as they use it in Scandinavia.
I agree with you on crown corps and that they should be expanded if economically viable. But I've always viewed the dogma of "conservative socialism" and "third way" as the same. One says nationalize, nationalize, nationalize, and the result is stagnation. The other says free market, deregulation, privatize; and the result is a recession like in the U.K. because of a lack of regulations. Ed Miliband was elected over his more third way brother David Miliband in the UK and Ed admits that the labour party fell into a dogma that the market would just be fine if left laissez faire. You have blairites actually admiting now that they made the NHS(their public healthcare) too competitive. Tommy Douglas once nationalized things that he later regretted on doing, and later admitted that goverment can't do everything. The market can't do everything either. Co-ops/local goverment also can't do everything. Whats needed is a pragmatic combination.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:18
#95
Northern Shoveler
If there is one name less often floated by pundits I would like to see actively explored right now, it would be Charlie Angus. He brings a very interesting package - represents a rural northern riding, but his history as a musician in Toronto also offers a more urban appeal. At 48, he would present a youthful energetic contrast to the other party leaders. I'm under the impression that he is fluently bilingual - and that his upbringing in a bilingual northern Ontario town means that it a very natural comfortable bilingualism, not the kind of classroom French that we sometimes see in national political figures .
I wondered about that myself but I'm told that his French actually not all that good.
Last time I heard Charlie Angus speak French (several years ago in QP), it was quite weak but at least he had it. The same goes for Nathan Cullen. They may have improved since, but at the time I heard them, they did not have the French to be leader. Both of them are great MPs.
Well when Jack won the leadership his French was minimal. So why does his successor not get the same respect. If they have minimal French they will learn and get better just like Jack did. Instead of picking the best leader the NDP are now reduced to picking the best FLUENTLY bilingual leader.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:22
#96
Is that worse than turning into Tony Blair? I mean we just about voted socialism out of the NDP constitution. The difference, to me, between social democracy and socialism is the social ownership of economic sectors and even monopolies. If you take that out, we are just liberals. I see no difference between social democrats and liberals the only difference being they have not yet been corrupted by governing power in Canada
In Saskatchewan we have efficient profitable crown corps for many sectors there is no reason why that can`t be expanded across the country and in other sectors.
Sure the business community will spaz out but they will do that anyway, we should totally stand by nationalisation.
Some would disagree with you on the difference between Social Democracy and Democratic Socialism and whether nationalization is the only route to economic democracy. In any case, we need to be clear about what we stand for, regardless of what label we or others use to describe us. It is increasingly obvious that capitalism is itself a recipe for social disintegration and environmental deterioration, if not human extinction. Pragmatism has many facets, but needs to be related to long term vision.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:25
#97
I think Nash, Angus or Julian would be excellent choices.
Mulcair is a good choice if you want to go the Blairite route or to engage in merger talks with the Liberals.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:29
#98
knownothing
I think Nash, Angus or Julian would be excellent choices. Mulcair is a good choice if you want to go the Blairite route or to engage in merger talks with the Liberals.
What evidence do you have that Mulcair would push for a merger?
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:35
#99
None. But if there was a move in that direction, he'd be a natural choice for leader.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:40
#100
Mulcair is a good choice if you want to go the Blairite route or to engage in merger talks with the Liberals.
The convention voted not to slam the door in the Liberals' faces. This was very intelligent, since the Angus Reid poll on April 28 and 29, 2011, after the Liberals had slipped to third place in the polls, asked how voters would feel about various scenarios. On “The Conservatives win more seats than any other single party, but the Liberals and the NDP have more combined seats than the Conservatives. The Liberals and the NDP form a coalition government” they found 82% of Liberal voters liked it. Of all voters planning to vote Liberal, only 13% said they would never consider voting NDP.
I love today's Liberal voters, or at least 87% of them. The blue Liberals have increasingly gone; although they may still be in control of the party machinery, so a merger is likely not on.
Sun, 2011-08-28 16:42
#101
Well when Jack won the leadership his French was minimal. So why does his successor not get the same respect. If they have minimal French they will learn and get better just like Jack did. Instead of picking the best leader the NDP are now reduced to picking the best FLUENTLY bilingual leader.
The context is simply not the same. When Jack won the leadership, the NDP was an extremely marginal force in Quebec with no MPs. The NDP now has 59 seats in Quebec (57% of the NDP's elected representatives in Parliament; 79% of the seats won in Quebec). Bilingualism is now a necessity.