logo
NDP choose Vancouver MP Don Davies as interim leader

NDP choose Vancouver MP Don Davies as interim leader

Global News06-05-2025

The federal NDP has selected Vancouver-Kingsway MP Don Davies to serve as the party's interim leader.
It comes as the party gears up to hold a leadership contest to replace Jagmeet Singh, who announced plans to step down following the New Democrats' poor showing in the April 28 federal election.
In a statement, the party said the NDP's Federal Council had made the decision in consultation with its reduced caucus.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'While the recent election results were not what we hoped for, our commitment to building a better Canada has never been stronger,' party president Mary Shortall said in a statement.
'With a renewed sense of purpose, we will hold the government to account and keep fighting for the issues we heard about on doorsteps across the country – public health care, affordable homes, good jobs, and making the ultra-rich finally pay their fair share.'
Story continues below advertisement
Singh had said he would step down as soon as an interim leader was selected. He was among the more than a dozen New Democrats to lose their seats.
The NDP was reduced from 24 to just seven seats, losing official party status in the process, as voters flocked in historic numbers to the Liberal and Conservative parties.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former MP Angus says NDP became too focused on leader, TikTok likes
Former MP Angus says NDP became too focused on leader, TikTok likes

Toronto Sun

time3 hours ago

  • Toronto Sun

Former MP Angus says NDP became too focused on leader, TikTok likes

Published Jun 11, 2025 • 3 minute read NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay Charlie Angus rises during question period, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Ottawa. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The NDP suffered an 'unmitigated disaster' in the last election because it lost touch with its grassroots and became too 'leader focused,' former MP Charlie Angus said Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The longtime NDP stalwart said he toured the country during the election and spoke with many rank-and-file members. He said the party now needs to do a lot of soul-searching to reconnect with that base, renew itself and rebuild. 'People feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada,' he said, when asked about the dismal April election results. 'We have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch and we have to be honest about that.' The NDP saw the worst results in its history in the April 28 election. It won just seven seats, lost official party status and watched then-leader Jagmeet Singh lose his own seat in British Columbia. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Angus did not run in that election after representing the northern Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay since 2004. That riding was recently redistricted and grew significantly in size, and was won by the Conservatives on April 28. Read More Angus said he has not met with Singh since the election. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said later Wednesday that while it was a tough election, he does not think the party lost touch with its supporters. Davies said he will wait to see what the party base has to say about why the NDP lost so badly. 'The key thing is to engage in a really authentic visioning process with our membership to really explore where we've come from, why we're in the position we're in, but more importantly, to chart a better path forward,' Davies said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't want to second-guess what our membership and our grassroots and our progressive allies have to say because there's different opinions on why we're in the position we're in.' NDP MP Leah Gazan said the party needs to study why the campaign ended in such a 'catastrophic result. 'We need an independent post-mortem on the election and I hope that the party takes this very seriously,' she told reporters outside the Parliament buildings on Wednesday. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Angus said the party should be less online and more on the ground. He said the NDP should ditch its virtual meetings — which became commonplace during the pandemic — and pointed out that the party was built from the ground up through simple in-person community events, such as bean dinners. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We became a party very focused on TikTok likes. I'm sure that helps, but TikTok didn't get us elected,' he said. 'We became focused on data. Data is very important. But to be a social democratic movement, you need to go back to reinvigorating the riding associations.' Angus, who said he has no plans to run for the party leadership, made the comments at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, which he called to talk about the upcoming G7 summit Canada will host in Alberta later this month. Angus took shots at U.S. President Donald Trump and the person he called Trump's 'MAGA' Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. He said the Trump administration is an 'authoritarian regime that's on the rise' and poses a threat to Canada. 'We're not talking about creeping fascism here. This is full-on police state tyranny from the gangster president Donald Trump. And this is the man who will soon be crossing our border to attend the G7 meetings in Canada,' he said. Trump recently deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles — a decision made without the governor's consent — in response to protests against immigration enforcement raids. Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists

BC Ferries' plan to build new vessels in China takes heat from both sides of the aisle
BC Ferries' plan to build new vessels in China takes heat from both sides of the aisle

Global News

time5 hours ago

  • Global News

BC Ferries' plan to build new vessels in China takes heat from both sides of the aisle

BC Ferries is taking heat from port and starboard over its selection of a Chinese shipyard to build its next four major vessels. The ferry service opened bidding for its major vessel replacement project to pre-qualified shipyards last September, and on Tuesday announced it had chosen China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai) following a due diligence process. That decision has landed in the choppy waters of a global trade war and a surging 'buy Canadian' movement that was not on the radar last fall. 1:52 BC Ferries contract awarded to Chinese shipyard B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth said Wednesday that while BC Ferries is an independent organization that makes its own commercial decisions, he was 'disappointed (in) the fact that there is not more Canadian content' in the plan. Story continues below advertisement 'Whenever contacts like this are awarded, I want to see as much Canadian and British Columbian content as possible.' BC Ferries is a private company, not a Crown corporation. However, its sole shareholder is the B.C. government. The issue has also drawn fire from the BC Conservatives, who have called for a review of the decision. Leader John Rustad said the decision to source the ferries from China put the province's economy and security at risk, given ongoing trade and tariff tensions with China. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Do we really want Canadian ships built in China?' Rustad said. 'Who knows what that relationship will look like a few years from now.' 2:55 BC Ferries is getting 4 new vessels In announcing CMI Weihai as the builder, BC Ferries cited its strong bid — including technical capabilities, experience and the 'overall cost and value' it delivered. Story continues below advertisement Cost was also front and centre when BC Ferries announced the process. 'What we are not going to do is ask our customers to pay one dollar more than they need to simply because we are picking a local company,' BC Ferries executive director of communications Dave Groot told Global News in a Sept. 27 interview. At the time, B.C.-based Seaspan shipyards said the bid process, which did not include incentives for B.C. or Canadian content, had essentially ruled it out of contention The company acknowledged there was no question that building in B.C. would cost more, but said it would create major economic spinoffs, including income tax revenues from high-paying skilled jobs. Seaspan, which handles highly complex and multi-billion-dollar contracts for the Coast Guard and Canadian Navy, says it is more than capable of delivering the new ferries. 1:03 Seaspan blows horn on BC Ferries' ship-building bidding process 'We acknowledge the need for BC Ferries to get some of these replacement vessels very fast given their aging fleet,' Seaspan senior vice-president and spokesperson Dave Hargreaves said in a Wednesday statement. Story continues below advertisement 'We are hopeful that the B.C. government will work with our B.C. industry team to develop a strategy to build some of the seven vessels, particularly the last two, in B.C. in the future.' Not all reviews of the choice have been bad, however. Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said the Chinese contract is in the best interests of ferry-dependent communities, adding that BC Ferries did years of due diligence and that no Canadian companies entered bids. 2:01 BC Ferries defends shipbuilding bid process 'This is very timely, and it's a good thing to have this happen,' Williams said, noting that there was an urgent need for greater ferry capacity. At this point, I think it's in the best interest of all the people, who rely on BC Ferries … especially up and down the coast in communities that are very reliant upon it.' Story continues below advertisement The list of pressure points between Canada and China is long. China has imposed a variety of tariffs on Canadian goods, including seafood tariffs that have directly impacted B.C.'s fishing industry. Canada has also raised concerns about the country's human rights record and its support for Russia in the war with Ukraine.

Trump's EPA moves to scrap emission limits for U.S. power plants
Trump's EPA moves to scrap emission limits for U.S. power plants

Global News

time7 hours ago

  • Global News

Trump's EPA moves to scrap emission limits for U.S. power plants

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has proposed repealing rules passed under former President Joe Biden to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury and other air pollutants from power plants, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said on Wednesday. The announcement, following through on a promise EPA made in March, is a key step in Trump's broader efforts to unwind environmental regulations he views as unnecessary barriers to industrial development and expanded energy production. 'EPA is taking an important step, reclaiming sanity and sound policy, illustrating that we can both protect the environment and grow the economy,' Zeldin said at EPA headquarters. Electric utilities and miners cheered the move to eliminate the Biden-era rules, which Zeldin said would save companies $120 million a year. Environmental groups slammed the proposal, saying it would cost more than that in damage to the environment and public health. Story continues below advertisement In March, Zeldin announced his intent to unwind three dozen existing agency air and water rules. Wednesday's announcement focuses on carbon emission and mercury regulations and launches the formal process to repeal those regulations. The EPA has already exempted 47 companies from regulations to curb mercury and air toxics for coal-fired power plants for two years, according to a list of facilities published by the EPA in April. That move was intended to prevent power plants from having to retire as the U.S. faces an expected jump in electricity demand linked to a surge in data center construction. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Zeldin said data centers will consume 10% of U.S. electricity supply within 10 years, up from 3 to 4% currently, so more gas and coal power will be needed to 'make America the AI capital of the world.' 1:45 U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPA's ability to regulate carbon emissions Biden's carbon emission rules for power plants would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons by 2047, a crucial part of his administration's fight against climate change. Story continues below advertisement The electricity sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution. Zeldin said the rules, if finalized, would mean no power plant would be able to emit more than it emits today or as much as it did a year or two ago. The proposal has two parts: the first would repeal the carbon pollution standards finalized last year by the Biden EPA calling for carbon emission reductions from existing coal- and new gas-fired power plants. The second, which Zeldin said would save $120 million a year, would repeal Biden's move to strengthen the 2012 mercury and air toxics rule, requiring continuous monitoring requirements. American Lung Association President Harold Wimmer said the mercury limit rollback was 'indefensible from a public health standpoint and a betrayal of EPA's mission.' Shaun Goho, legal director at Clean Air Task Force, said: 'These regressive proposals are bad for public health and bad for climate, all to prop up some of the highest polluting power plants in the nation.' 'Eliminating Biden-era power plant standards will erase $240 billion in climate benefits and $120 billion in public health savings,' said Evergreen Action Senior Power Sector Policy Lead Charles Harper. Alex Bond, director of legal policy at the Edison Electric Institute, said: 'Regulatory flexibility and certainty are critical for electric companies as they work to meet the nation's growing demands for reliable electricity, while also keeping customer bills as low as possible.' Story continues below advertisement EEI said it still supports the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the federal Clean Air Act. National Mining Association President Rich Nolan said nullifying the EPA's two most consequential air rules removes 'deliberately unattainable standards and leveling the playing field for reliable power sources, instead of stacking the deck against them.' U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, a Pennsylvania Republican whose district will have nine new data center projects in coming years, said repealing the power plant rules will enable more gas plants to come online to help power surging electricity demand. 'The simple fact is we need more power on the grid to power all of this,' he said. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Hugh Lawson; editing by Diane Craft and David Gregorio)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store