Hunt for new NDP leader raises tension before race even begins

Hamilton Spectator

2 days ago

OTTAWA—On the heels of a devastating election campaign, the New Democratic Party's road to recovery is off to a tense start as party insiders and grassroots activists tilt behind the scenes over the party's next big challenge: Who will replace Jagmeet Singh?
Potential high-profile candidates have signalled a lack of interest and the process of even deciding how to orchestrate a leadership contest is already divisive.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante was being strongly pushed to launch a bid for the job and was widely seen as a big name that can unite the party, but is no longer considering a run.
On a recent podcast, Plante, who's term as Montreal mayor ends in November, was asked if she was ready to announce her candidacy for NDP leader, and joked in French that she 'can announce that I won't be the leader of the NDP.'
A source close to Plante, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, said she was not ruling out an entrance to federal politics in the future, but needed a break from politics after eight years as mayor.
The NDP's federal council is expected to discuss and decide the rules of that race in late June, according to an email from NDP national director Lucy Watson sent to party members Wednesday and obtained by the Star.
But questions over the timeline of the race, the entry fee, and how much power each vote should hold have been a source of contention among New Democrats.
A letter circulating among party members, started by a group of local EDAs, is urging federal council not to rush the process to decide the rules, to have an admission fee that does not 'preclude working class people from entering the race,' to allow a membership sign-up deadline of more than five months during the race, and to commit to a 'one-member-one-vote' principle.
It came after media reports that quoted party insiders suggesting a short race with an entry fee five times higher than the $30,000 required in the 2017 race. Already, the
process to select interim leader Don Davies
has caused some divisions in the party.
'We cannot have a coronation happen. We cannot have a process where internal party movers and shakers, the consulting class, define the terms, create barriers and effectively squeeze out the ability for a very robust process,' said Matthew Green, the former Hamilton Centre MP, as he echoed some of the calls in the letter. 'If this process lacks legitimacy, I think the party puts itself at risk.'
All this politicking comes as the race to replace Singh shrinks. It's a highly-anticipated contest that some have said will be a battle for 'the soul of the party.'
Aside from Plante, former MP Charlie Angus,
another big name
in New Democratic circles and the runner-up in 2017, declared recently he had no plans to enter the race. As did former Toronto city councillor Mike Layton and Public Service Alliance of Canada vice-president Alex Silas when reached by the Star. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and B.C. Premier David Eby have also thrown cold water on any speculation they were interested in the job, though none of those three high-profile New Democrats were ever considered likely contenders.
Former Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley has not expressed any interest in returning to politics and campaigned for Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, who is widely expected to run for leader, during her successful re-election bid. Notley did not return a request for comment.
Another name in the rumour mill is Green, who told the Star Thursday he is not ruling anything out and is willing to support the 'right candidate.' But the former MP also dampened expectations among some New Democrats after telling this newspaper recently
he believes the next leader
should be a 'strong woman.' Some New Democrats see that as an endorsement of Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan, one of the remaining seven New Democrats in Parliament and an influential voice on the left-wing of the party who has not ruled out a run.
'It matters less to me who the next leader is, if the next leader is simply going to duplicate all the past mistakes and personnel of the status quo that got us here in the first place,' Green said Thursday. 'The leadership talk is premature, absent of a really serious discussion around party renewal to ensure that there's a party to run.'
Aside from Green, McPherson, Gazan and longtime activist and filmmaker Avi Lewis appear to be the most likely candidates as of now, though no one has made an official announcement and it's typical for other candidates to emerge.
'It's shaping up to be a battle between an establishment candidate and a left-wing candidate, and everybody is wondering who the left-wing candidate is gonna be,' said one NDP source, who the Star agreed not to name so they could speak freely about the party. 'The field is thinning, but I don't think it's going to end there.'
Lewis, a two-time NDP candidate who's the grandson of former federal NDP leader David Lewis and son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, was an author of the Leap Manifesto, a 2015 policy document pushing for aggressive climate action and other left-wing priorities that led to contentious debates in the NDP.
He has also
publicly warned
against 'former staffers, consultants, former provincial cabinet ministers,' he accused of trying to shape the race before it starts.
'This is a battle for the soul of the party that has made Canada different from the US,' Lewis said in a recent social media post. 'This is a party that was born of the 99%, and will start winning when it belongs to all of us once again.'
McPherson told the Star Thursday that suggestions she is 'the establishment candidate' are 'absurd.' She has yet to commit to running for leader, but said she is being encouraged to run and needs to see what the race looks like before making a decision.
'I'm a New Democrat, but I am a New Democrat from Alberta,' McPherson said. 'I'm more interested in policies that candidates bring forward.'
Asked about the leadership race rules, McPherson said she won't interfere because it's up to the federal council, not MPs, to decide.
George Soule, a longtime New Democrat strategist, said he understands arguments for a longer, less costly race, but noted the Liberal party had a successful three-month race in electing leader Mark Carney.
'Other parties make money off their leaders' races, we lose money,' Soule said. 'I don't know what that balanced number is.'
Watson, the NDP's national director, provided few details about what comes next for the party in its hunt for a new leader, saying, 'We look forward to a dynamic race with an exchange of ideas between candidates and party members about the NDP's path forward.'
David Lewis was the former federal NDP leader and Stephen Lewis is the former Ontario NDP leader. A previous version of this story mistakenly swapped the leadership titles of the two.