The hall, a broken-down theatre in Toronto’s east end called the OperaHouse, was packed with more than 500 people.There were lots and lots of young people, many of them activists from avariety of social movements around town. The energy was electric and itwasn’t the kind of phony cheering that political parties can call up oncue. There was something genuine about it. The event was NDP leader Jack Layton’s nomination meeting and it was a hopeful sign of change in any number of ways.

Change was reflected on the stage. The first three speakersrepresenting the riding and the party were women: local MPP MarilynChurley, former leader Alexa McDonough and House Leader Libby Davies.When Jack spoke he said, “I’m proud to be in a party that welcomesprogressive women instead of driving them out.” Of course, the maleswere also present, with Ed Broadbent, who introduced Jack, getting thesecond biggest applause of the evening. A friend I was with whispered,“See, they still need the patriarchs.” The left of the party representedby Libby and Svend Robinson had pride of place but there was unity and areal enthusiasm from everyone.

While you won’t read it in the newspapers, there are severalprogressive people running and being elected candidates. In Torontothis week Michael Shapcott, a long-time housing activist was nominated in Toronto Centre and Peggy Nash, a feminist leader from theCanadian Auto Workers won the nomination in Parkdale-High Park. KimFry, an anti-globalization activist, is running for the nomination inDavenport. “I signed up some of my anarchist friends in Parkdale tovote for Peggy,” she told me, “and they went to the nomination meetingand just loved her speech. They are totally committed to working forher during the elections.”

Dave Meslin, a young public-space activist who is well-respected in theToronto activist community is an organizer for the campaign. “Jack is bringing people like you and me into the party and it’schanging,” he said when I expressed doubt that the party could reallychange despite Jack’s positive direction.

While the NDP is slowly creeping up in the polls, its membership hasalmost doubled since Jack became leader and the hope, optimism andenergy so necessary to a left-wing party’s ability to mobilize supportis higher than I’ve ever seen it.

What’s more, Jack is bringing some pretty good politics and excellentprocess to a party that has lacked both. In his speech, Jack linked thesponsorship scandal to policy issues like tax cuts. One could even saythat he is making a class analysis of the sponsorship scandal. He said,“The Liberals are lining their corporate friends’ pockets because theythink no-one can stop them. It’s time we broke up this corporate club.”

In what sounded a lot like a stump speech, Jack outlined what willprobably be key election issues. “Who will miss a dozen or so LiberalMPs in Ontario when all they have done is bring us more smog, morehomelessness, more kids without day care and more privatization ofmedicare?” He also said that the NDP’s non-negotiable demand to supporta minority Liberal government would be a referendum on proportionalrepresentation.

There is little question that Jack Layton is bringing a new energy tothe NDP and a singular talent for getting media attention, which iscritical to any improvement in their fortunes. Jack also understandsvery well the importance of a relationship between social movements andthe party that is one of equality and not one where the party just seeksto use social movements to its own advantage. His participation in theanti-war movement last year was exemplary in that regard.

For me, Jack’s strongest quality and the one that gives me the most hopethat he can really change something is his character and his commitmentto positive democratic process. He has not an ounce of the sectarianismand egotistical pettiness that plagues the party and the labourmovement. He values criticism and does not demand the kind of loyaltythat prevents engaged dialogue within the left. Moreover, he is agenuine feminist and values and respects collective process, thecontribution of women and young people.

But electoral politics are an intense game and the pressure of the mediaand the day-to-day demands of Parliament are such that making changewithin the system is tremendously difficult. When you add to that amoribund party that is still dragged down by old-fashioned socialdemocratic ideas of how to organize, the challenge he and otherprogressives in the party face are enormous.

Next week on February 22, the New Politics Initiative, which formed twoyears ago to call for a new party on the left that would promoteparticipatory democracy and a closer and more equal relationship withthe social movements, will have a wind-up meeting. The NPICo-coordinating Committee has decided that there is little reason tocontinue the organization as most of its membership finds enough incommon with the Layton leadership to drop the demand of a new party andput some energy into transforming the old one. An indication ofLayton’s commitment to inclusion is that he will be taking the red eyefrom Vancouver to be able to participate in the discussion.

As an old leftie who has been in and out of the party for 30 years or more,I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Judy Rebick

Judy Rebick

Judy Rebick is one of Canada’s best-known feminists. She was the founding publisher of rabble.ca , wrote our advice column auntie.com and was co-host of one of our first podcasts called Reel Women....