Back in January, I thought we'd get to 150 threads by convention day. I think we'll be lucky to hit 140.
Step your game up, guys. Someone call one of the candidates the "c" word or something.
Alright, Mulcair is a... Canadian, oh yeah, that's right I said it and I'd say it again ;p
I have a lot of respect for Langdon, so this one's important to me.
After long consideration, I have decided to vote for Tom Mulcair as federal NDP Leader. The Conservative government, I believe, is a real danger to the freedoms and economic future of the great majority of Canadians, and Tom Mulcair has shown that he understands the urgency of party unity and reorganization in order to replace the Harper regime with an NDP government. As an economist (and former Finance Critic for our federal NDP caucus), I have been impressed by Tom's understanding of economic and environmental policies -- and by his strength in fighting for the priorities that matter to people even if that has required personal sacrifice. Tom's strong record on women's rights also matters to me. And as the former MP for a strong trade union constituency, I am influenced by the widespread trade union support that Tom has received.At this critical time in Canada's history, with such serious threats to our societal values of fairness and democratic liberty, New Democrats and Canadians need a new leader with drive and commitment, energy and depth, experience in governing, and the passion and patience to make change happen. During this long campaign, Tom Mulcair has shown that he is that leader.
http://www.thomasmulcair.ca/site/supporters/?loc=COMPLETE&lang=en
This definitely looks good. We can learn some things about political success from the strategies used by the NPD in Quebec during the last election. And don't anyone tell me we don't need a localized campaign in BC, because you are talking through your hat if you do. The last time I looked the Cons had 21 seats and we only had 12.
http://www.thomasmulcair.ca/site/2012/03/20/mulcair-to-launch-338-fund/?...
On the heels of a convincing NDP by-election victory in Toronto-Danforth, Mulcair spoke about some of the strategies the party employed in Quebec to produce the party’s historic election breakthrough last May: “We did two things in Quebec during the last election cycle that can easily be adapted and put to work for our party across Canada.”
“First, we had not only party organizers, but also media, communications and policy advisors on the ground in Quebec―not just in Ottawa. That allowed us to better understand the day-to-day concerns of the public, but it also allowed us to speak out on local and regional issues that involved the federal government even if they weren’t the stories people were paying attention to in Ottawa.”
“We also made sure that, no matter how few resources we had, no riding was allowed to go completely uncontested. Even in cases where we didn’t have a candidate until after the election was called, we had basic campaign materials ready to go.”
Nathan is going to do better than most realize on Saturday.
http://www.punditsguide.ca/2012/03/money-momentum-and-mudslinging-mark-f...
Alright, Mulcair is a... Canadian, oh yeah, that's right I said it and I'd say it again ;pBack in January, I thought we'd get to 150 threads by convention day. I think we'll be lucky to hit 140.
Step your game up, guys. Someone call one of the candidates the "c" word or something.
That's fine, up to a point...
But did you know that [b]Mulcair is also a French national!?[/b]
That means that when he becomes prime minister, he would still be subject to conscription into the French military, in the event of an invasion by (say) Germany trying to collect on French national debt.
Will he stay in Sussex Drive, or do his duty and become a Légionnaire?
I'm telling you, there are so many issues that haven't been explored yet, it's simply irresponsible to close the voting so quickly.
If I take out a membership on Sunday, can I vote retroactively?
Does anyone have a link to the balloting rules?
I think we'll make you an ex-officio member Unionist.
I have a lot of respect for Langdon, so this one's important to me.
After long consideration, I have decided to vote for Tom Mulcair as federal NDP Leader. The Conservative government, I believe, is a real danger to the freedoms and economic future of the great majority of Canadians, and Tom Mulcair has shown that he understands the urgency of party unity and reorganization in order to replace the Harper regime with an NDP government. As an economist (and former Finance Critic for our federal NDP caucus), I have been impressed by Tom's understanding of economic and environmental policies -- and by his strength in fighting for the priorities that matter to people even if that has required personal sacrifice. Tom's strong record on women's rights also matters to me. And as the former MP for a strong trade union constituency, I am influenced by the widespread trade union support that Tom has received.At this critical time in Canada's history, with such serious threats to our societal values of fairness and democratic liberty, New Democrats and Canadians need a new leader with drive and commitment, energy and depth, experience in governing, and the passion and patience to make change happen. During this long campaign, Tom Mulcair has shown that he is that leader.
http://www.thomasmulcair.ca/site/supporters/?loc=COMPLETE&lang=en
For those who remember the 1989 leadership convention and his time as an MP, Steven Langdon was considered to be strongly on the left of the party. Good endorsement for Tom.
Good overview.
http://tcnorris.blogspot.ca/2012/03/ndp-leadership-race.html
Another interesting finding is the continued strong performance of the NDP. One might think that a leaderless party, with a largely untested caucus, that had vaulted to unimaginable heights, putatively on the charismatic authority of the now departed Jack Layton, would have fallen back to Earth. The fact that they remain squarely in second place, well ahead of the still hapless Liberal Party, and within striking distance of the Conservative Party, suggests that this interpretation was flawed. ... the stable strength of the NDP under such inauspicious conditions suggests this movement to the NDP was far more than Jack-o-mania. The real forces lie in understanding the new salience of income inequality as an issue (reflected in the relative income characteristics of NDP versus Conservative supporters) and a longer term shift to a more polarized ideological landscape.
This is why I smirk every time people say the Orange Wave was an Orange Blip.
Mulcair announces The 338 Fund...
[quote]The Greater Toronto Area could be ground zero for the next NDP Orange Wave. That was the message today from NDP Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair as he announced that, if elected Leader of the NDP, he will create a new party fund aimed at ensuring the NDP can compete with the Conservative Party in every riding and region of Canada.
The new fund―dubbed "The 338 Fund" (pronounced The Three Thirty-Eight Fund)―would aim to raise $3.38 million over the next three and a half years to help replicate the success of the NDP's Orange Wave in Quebec by ensuring the NDP is active in every riding across the country.
On the heels of a convincing NDP by-election victory in Toronto-Danforth, Mulcair spoke about some of the strategies the party employed in Quebec to produce the party's historic election breakthrough last May: "We did two things in Quebec during the last election cycle that can easily be adapted and put to work for our party across Canada."
"First, we had not only party organizers, but also media, communications and policy advisors on the ground in Quebec―not just in Ottawa. That allowed us to better understand the day-to-day concerns of the public, but it also allowed us to speak out on local and regional issues that involved the federal government even if they weren't the stories people were paying attention to in Ottawa."
"We also made sure that, no matter how few resources we had, no riding was allowed to go completely uncontested. Even in cases where we didn't have a candidate until after the election was called, we had basic campaign materials ready to go."
"In the last election the Orange Wave started in Quebec and swept across Canada, but it crested here in Toronto. In the GTA, we won ridings where we had a presence on the ground, but the Orange Wave petered out in ridings that were awash in a sea of blue and red lawn signs. We can't let that happen again. We can't let that happen in any region of the country."
How about a list of politically incorrect words they've used during hockey games or other sports activities since, oh, let's say, birth?
I must of admit I'd be kind of interested if they did something like that while playing hockey pre-birth. But only if they were playing centre.
"[/quote] Hoodeet (JW)
Trying hard to do my part: Sissies of the world, unite.
Would anyone dare call Mulcair a sissy?
Would Baird, Kenney and Harper go ballistic if anyone even suggested they were sissies?
I believe they are not supporters of hate speech laws. For them there is no such thing.
Someone else's turn.
I voted Mulcair, Cullen, Sagenesh, Ashton, Nash, Topp. I see all the criticisms above but felt Tom (like he is my personal friend or something, lol), was the best choice. But Nathan I think would be a real strong choice if Tom couldn't carry it. Sagenesh, I just felt he is an undiscovered opportunity with a great story. Topp, well if he stopped Dewar or Singh, if that is who were left, I could barely live with it. But it'd be better then having the party led by a guy who can't speak French.
Could we fucking quit with the bullshit sissy crap please? I know it is endlessly hilarious up there on planet privilege, but some of us have seen the blunt end of this nutty thing called patriarchy, and it is none too funny.
Thanks!
You should hear what Niki Ashton was calling people 20 years ago.
You should hear what Niki Ashton was calling people 20 years ago.
I'm responding to what people are fucking indulging in right this fucking moment. Ironically and oh-so-archly – with sophistication beyond my humourless feminist comprehension, I am sure.
Thanks.
Tom Mulcair received a number of good Ontario endorsements this morning:
Two sitting Ontario MPPs, Michael Prue (Beaches) and Teresa Armstrong (London Fanshaw),
Two former MPPs, Oduardo di Santo and Davis Warner (also a former Speaker)
Two former MPS and federal leadersship candidates: Steven Langdon and John Harney.
It is noteworthy where past NDP leadership candidates have come down. Here is my count which may not be precise:
Mulcair: Harney, James Laxer, Lorne Nysrom, Ian Waddell, Langdon = 5
Topp: Broadbent = 1
Nash: McDonough =1
Non-alligned: Dave Barrett, Audrey McLaughlin, Svend Robinson, Bill Blaikie, Joe Comartin =5
Deceased: David Lewis, Frank Howard, Simon DeJong = 3
Left the party: Howard McCurdy =1.
Seems to me you left out one deceased who finished second against Broadbent. Also another obvious one. Although I don't know why you included deceased in the first place. Also Pierre Ducasse has endorsed Nash I think.
It is noteworthy where past NDP leadership candidates have come down. Here is my count which may not be precise:
Mulcair: Harney, James Laxer, Lorne Nysrom, Ian Waddell, Langdon = 5
Topp: Broadbent = 1
Nash: McDonough =1
Non-alligned: Dave Barrett, Audrey McLaughlin, Svend Robinson, Bill Blaikie, Joe Comartin =5
Deceased: David Lewis, Frank Howard, Simon DeJong = 3
Left the party: Howard McCurdy =1.
This list leaves off Pierre Ducasse, who has endorsed Nash, as well as various other past candidates who have not endorsed. Here's what I believe is a complete version which includes all candidates who received votes at a convention:
Mulcair: James Laxer, John Paul Harney, Lorne Nystrom, Steven Langdon, Ian Waddell = 5
Nash: Alexa McDonough, Pierre Ducasse = 2
Topp: Ed Broadbent = 1
Unaligned: Douglas Campbell, Audrey McLaughlin, Dave Barrett, Svend Robinson, Marcel Hatch, Bill Blaikie, Joe Comartin, Bev Meslo = 8
Deceased: Tommy Douglas, David Lewis, Frank Howard, Rosemary Brown, Simon de Jong, Jack Layton = 6
Left Party: Howard McCurdy, Roger Lagasse = 2
Deceased and Left Party: Hazen Argue = 1
Hoodeet (JW)I'm responding to what people are fucking indulging in right this fucking moment. Ironically and oh-so-archly – with sophistication beyond my humourless feminist comprehension, I am sure.
Thanks.
Ah, a self-styled humourless Feminist. I suggest you check this out and have a laugh-- the practical political use of humour:
commondreams.org/further/2012/03/20-0
It shows one way in which women in Virginia have been responding to the patriarchy's arrogance on women's reproductive health.
We need more creative resistance in Canada - not leave it all to This Hour...
(Off-topic, I know, but I felt stung and unappreciated in my sophomoric humour. I'll work on improving level of sophistication.)
wow just wow
Sarah Campbell endorses Niki Ashton (a bit late, but nice to see a little "youth solidarity.")
KENORA- Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell has endorsed Niki Ashton to be the next NDP Leader, describing the Churchill MP as a breath of fresh air who can reinvigorate Canadian politics." Niki inspires me to believe that Canada can change for the better," said Campbell, "and I believe she can inspire others as well. Young people in Canada are looking for someone to believe in, someone who makes politics relevant to them. And Niki can do that."
The Northern Ontario MPP noted that Ashton is the candidate who best understands the regions where the NDP needs to grow in order to form government. "There are a number of ridings where the Aboriginal vote can change the outcome," Campbell pointed out. "Niki has a history of working with First Nations leaders. She also knows how to get elected in a northern rural riding. And she has a plan to win in Western Canada."
Campbell also cited Ashton's respect for the diversity of opinions in the party on various issues. "Niki understands that principled and progressive people can honestly disagree," said Campbell. "She listens to different points of view. She has an appreciation for the realities of different regions, the needs of people in both rural and urban Canada. If we want to take the next step, we have to be able to listen to people who haven't always voted for us in the past, and Niki can do that."
"I'm honoured to have the support of a dynamic young woman leader like Sarah Campbell," said Ashton. "Sarah represents the new face of our party, young women and men inspired by Jack Layton's message that we can have a new kind of politics. She's living proof that Canadian politics is changing for the better!"
Campbell concluded by appealing to New Democrats to embrace the next generation. "The status quo isn't working. If we're going to engage people who don't currently vote, we need the courage to try something new. We need to believe that a 33 year old woman can be Prime Minister!"
http://www.nikiashton.ca/?p=435
FWIW, I believe the NDP is most imperiled by Cullen.
If Mulcair turns out to be the sum of all Broadbent's fears, he'll still be just one person, and the party won't bend to his will easily. Cullen, though, could charm the base out of its senses, and intentionally or not he could wind up as our own Peter MacKay, and at our most unlikely historical moment. (Just the time when we might have our guard down.) Add to that his gushing of being post-partisan, uanabashedly pro-business and his antipathy to "separatists" and a Cullen victory would be our worst post-convention hangover ever.
FWIW, I believe the NDP is most imperiled by Cullen.
If Mulcair turns out to be the sum of all Broadbent's fears, he'll still be just one person, and the party won't bend to his will easily. Cullen, though, could charm the base out of its senses, and intentionally or not he could wind up as our own Peter MacKay, and at our most unlikely historical moment. (Just the time when we might have our guard down.) Add to that his gushing of being post-partisan, uanabashedly pro-business and his antipathy to "separatists" and a Cullen victory would be our worst post-convention hangover ever.
I'm actually inclined to agree with JeffWells here. I think I've said before that if I was shown a list of the seven candidates back in August, I would have probably ranked Cullen first (and Mulcair second), but I think a Cullen victory would be extremely dangerous at this point.
It's interesting to note that a lot of people who have been very condemnatory of Dewar over his French have given Cullen a free pass on that issue. Cullen's French is better than Dewar's, but it's not that much better—and it's certainly not sufficient for a party with most of its seats in Quebec.
And Mr. Mulcair would try to reopen Canada’s existing international trade agreements, as well as add to the Investment Canada Act, in ways that would favour the interests of labour unions.
If you could provide a reference for that, it would be helpful. I say this because when I read his policy backgrounder on jobs and the economy, where he spoke of trade, he seemed to drop the NDP's past commitment to renegotiate chapters 6 and 11 of NAFTA (and he spoke highly of the original FTA w/ the USA). Generally, I find he speaks highly of NAFTA with language about how it has actual environmental protections in it, saying we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater (IE, we should not reopen it). He spoke of ensuring that future trade agreements would be negotiated with both environmental and labour rights in mind, but he did seem to drop the NDP's past commitments on chapters 6 and 11 of NAFTA. From his backgrounder,
Demonstrate leadership on the world stage in advocating that all future trade agreements include enforceable labour and environmental protections, and ensure existing trade agreements are not abused to attack Canadian industries or undermine our sovereignty.
the other thing about cullen that frightens me immensely is that he hasn't at all been vetted. is he deeply in debt? has he had legal trouble, related maybe to fraud? has he made controversial statements in the past? is he married? does he have juvenile deliquent children or ex-wives (or ex-boyfriends)? we know all about tom and topp, we know quite a bit about peggs and dewar, we even know a lot about singh and ashton, but cullen is just this enigma. aside from all the great (and for me, fatal) points that jeff raises, there's this horrible gamble of selecting the unvetted candidate. he could become this horrible albatross.
Well let's take our natural resources for example. Apart from his concern over environmental issues Mulcair wants us to keep the good-paying manufacturing jobs in Canada such as Quebec has done with the furniture indusry. In other words let's stop the short-sighted process of selling off our resources and then buying them back after they have been manufactured elsewhere.
There are probably links to this out there, I don't have any, but have heard him discuss it in a small group during the leadership campaign.
My own view is that reopening trade agreements can be tricky and just because it is reopened does not necessarily mean we will win what we want. There is always the possibility we could end up worse off.
the other thing about cullen that frightens me immensely is that he hasn't at all been vetted. is he deeply in debt? has he had legal trouble, related maybe to fraud? has he made controversial statements in the past? is he married? does he have juvenile deliquent children or ex-wives (or ex-boyfriends)? we know all about tom and topp, we know quite a bit about peggs and dewar, we even know a lot about singh and ashton, but cullen is just this enigma. aside from all the great (and for me, fatal) points that jeff raises, there's this horrible gamble of selecting the unvetted candidate. he could become this horrible albatross.
None of this information exists? I find that surprising. Someone must at least be working on some sort of profile somewhere, one would think.
But you're right - it definitely would be nice to know some more about him.
I assume there is a leadership vetting proces in place and all candidates have already been screened
Good, most of us agree then.
n/m
In other words let's stop the short-sighted process of selling off our resources and then buying them back after they have been manufactured elsewhere.
It is only short-sighted on Canadians part who do not fight for manufacturing here. There is some sorta disconnect in people's minds about manufacturing jobs I think. I would like to hear any party have a coherent message about manufacturing in this country.
Well how do you define value-added because that seems to be part of the economic buzz lingo these days?
the other thing about cullen that frightens me immensely is that he hasn't at all been vetted. ..he could become this horrible albatross.
really? are you seriously serious? or just foolin around? or is this just another Conservaytive tactic used by another NDP leadership candidate's backroom?
Nathan must be doing really well.
the other thing about cullen that frightens me immensely is that he hasn't at all been vetted. ..he could become this horrible albatross.really? are you seriously serious? or just foolin around? or is this just another Conservaytive tactic used by another NDP leadership candidate's backroom?
Nathan must be doing really well.
Indeed. And the statement that he hasn't been "vetted" is nonsense. Of all the leadership candidates, he's been an MP the longest.
but he hasn't been subjected to the sorts of background digging that the other potential winners have. old statements, etc. it's a fact.
About Nathan
"I am running to lead the federal NDP because there is a moment of opportunity in federal politics unlike any other seen for a long time and we must seize it together." - Nathan Cullen
Nathan Cullen’s life and political experience has made him understand there is more that unites Canadians than keeps us apart. While he is the longest-serving MP running for leader, his road to Parliament took him about as far away from Ottawa as you can get.
This road helped him learn Spanish and French.
Nathan grew up in Toronto and attended university in Peterborough and Waterloo, Ontario. After graduating, he worked abroad, in Africa and South America, helping communities come together—by establishing women’s shelters, financial services and the basic infrastructure most Canadians take for granted.
After returning to Canada, Nathan settled in Smithers, a town of about 6,000 people in beautiful northwestern British Columbia. There, he started a successful small business that took him across B.C., working with First Nations, government, not-for-profit organizations and other businesses. Through this, he learned the value and effectiveness of working together to create solutions.
In 2003, Nathan decided he’d heard enough from his local Conservative MP. So he ran for the NDP in the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley, which is about the size of Norway. He won the 2004 election—making him the only leadership candidate to defeat a Tory MP. By working with others, and taking a new approach to politics, Nathan has increased his margin of victory in each of the three elections since.
In Parliament, Nathan enjoys a reputation of being able to work with MPs of many political stripes. The NDP’s former environment and natural resources critic, he introduced the bill that led to the only serious, all-party discussion of a real plan to fight climate change.
When the NDP became the official opposition, Nathan was named chair of the Commons committee on ethics.
Nathan lives in Smithers, with his wife Diana, and twin sons, Isaac and Elliot.
Obviously Cullen hasn't been as closely vetted as other candidates. That's typical for candidates with "late momentum".
I think it's fair to say people ought to take that into account if they're considering casting a late vote for him. I would argue that Mulcair is the only candidate that has been vetted as fully as he would by the Conservatives were he to win, and that's a point in his favour.
At the same time, I don't think we seriously need to worry about the kind of extreme issues outlined above. Cullen has most certainly been vetted to a sufficient degree to preclude him having those kinds of ridiculous skeletons in his closest. Besides, those who know him seem to find him to be a thoroughly decent guy to the point that I doubt he capable of most of the transgressions mentioned.
a campaign blurb is hardly a vetting, hahah
the other thing about cullen that frightens me immensely is that he hasn't at all been vetted. is he deeply in debt? has he had legal trouble, related maybe to fraud? has he made controversial statements in the past? is he married? does he have juvenile deliquent children or ex-wives (or ex-boyfriends)? we know all about tom and topp, we know quite a bit about peggs and dewar, we even know a lot about singh and ashton, but cullen is just this enigma. aside from all the great (and for me, fatal) points that jeff raises, there's this horrible gamble of selecting the unvetted candidate. he could become this horrible albatross.
Wow! Just WOW!!
What a lot of crap to suggest that Nathan has not been as throughly vetted as each and every other candidate in the race.
Your insinuations are absolutely out of this world.
Nathan has been an NDP MP longer than any other candidate and yet you think he has been "less vetted" than the others?
I think your post stands out as the most cynical trolling to yet appear on the leadership threads.
Much of our salacious insinuations could be addressed if you took five minutes to read up on the candidate, rather than wasting your time and our patience with this sort of unfounded insinuations.
You should be ashamed of yourself!!!
twin sons who are what now 1 year old?
nice really nice this fuckity fuck smearing going by members of the same team no wonder Canadians hate politics
a campaign blurb is hardly a vetting, hahah
No, but obviously you are too lazy to even bother doing a cursory investigation of a candidate before raising all sort of nonsensical allegations and insinuations. You have demonstrated an appalling lack of personal accountability.
So you think that casually throwing out those insinuations is funny? What are you? A ten year old?
twin sons who are what now 1 year old?
nice really nice this fuckity fuck smearing going by members of the same team no wonder Canadians hate politics
Guarenteed I won't hang around here after the leadership race. (If I last that long)
Herschel Hardin author of the classic A Nation Unaware also ran for the leadership. I saw him at an event for Peggy but have not heard if her endorsed someone or not.
I think that running for MP several times usually leads to a pretty thorough and decent vetting. I think Topp and Mulcair have been vetted more in the sense that we've seen the Conservatives show their hand on how they might attack them. But I think Cullen is vetted enough. If you're uncomfortable with the idea that you don't know what's lurking in his closet, then you can swallow your pride and go with the liabilities we do know about for Topp and Mulcair.
Remember that no candidate is perfect, and the Conservatives will attack them no matter what. So we shouldn't be looking for a perfect NDP saint who can't be attacked. We should look for someone who knows the attacks that are coming, and can intelligently deflect them. That was Jack Layton -- massage parlor, housing co-op, caviar socialist and all. The right wingers will distort anything, and Jack knew how to pierce right through that fog.
Quizzical on manufacuturing employment Peggy Nash released a policy paper early on that adresses the subject in the context of innovation.
What and where has Nathan Cullen gone on about "separatists"? That is new on me.
