'We lost touch': Former NDP MP Charlie Angus calls election an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party
OTTAWA — Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says he does not intend to run for party leadership, but called the recent election campaign 'an unmitigated disaster' for New Democrats.
Article content
Angus, who did not seek reelection after first entering the House of Commons in 2004, appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to express concerns he has heard from people about U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta.
Article content
Article content
He also shared feedback he heard about the New Democratic Party itself.
Article content
Article content
'The election was a disaster, unmitigated disaster, for the New Democratic Party,' Angus told reporters.
Article content
'I feel two things: One is that people feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group, as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada.'
Article content
The NDP lost 17 seats in the recent federal election, including the seat of its former leader, Jagmeet Singh, who stepped down from his role. It was the party's worst ever showing in a Canadian election.
With only seven MPs, the party was left without official party status in the House of Commons, which curtails the amount of resources a party can receive, making their work in Parliament more challenging. The last time the NDP lost party status was in 1993.
Article content
Angus says he's heard from people who want to see a three-party system in Canada and that 'we need to rebuild the New Democratic Party.'
Article content
He pointed to the Liberals' marquee bill, which proposes ushering in a new approval process to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects, which has been met with concerns from environmental groups and First Nations leaders.
Article content
Article content
That bill, Angus said, was an example of why the country needs a 'progressive left-wing party' at parliamentary committees to ensure that legislation gets passed that serves the country's interests.
Article content
'And right now we've lost that ability, he said.
Article content
'This issue of renewal of the party is super important. But we have to understand that if we are (a) social democratic party, 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.'
Article content
Angus called Davies 'the obvious choice' to serve as the party's interim leader until it holds a leadership race to select a new permanent leader.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
a minute ago
- CTV News
‘That's significant': Battle River-Crowfoot independent candidate comes away with 10 per cent of vote
Pierre Poilievre has secured his ticket back to Parliament, winning Monday's byelection for Battle River-Crowfoot. Bonnie Critchley, who ran as an independent candidate in Monday night's Battle River-Crowfoot byelection, didn't top Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre's 40,548 votes but came in second with more than 5,000. She pulled in just shy of 10 per cent of ballots to Poilievre's just over 80 per cent. 'To get over 5,000 votes for an independent candidate running against a professional politician who's going to go in as a leader of the opposition, that's significant,' said political analyst Lori Turnbull. 'She certainly managed to harness a feeling in the riding that is, I think, directed at someone who was running in that riding, who doesn't live there.' The riding was considered 'safe' for Poilievre to restore his seat in Parliament after losing his Ottawa-area seat during the spring general election. Former MP Damien Kurek, who won with 83 per cent of the vote in the general election, stepped down so Poilievre could run. During the byelection campaign, many wondered whether Poilievre could match the level of support his predecessor received, as some voters were critical of an outsider parachuting into the riding. A campaign brochure for Bonnie Critchley is seen on July 7, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton) After the Conservative Party announced Poilievre won the riding, Critchley spoke with reporters. 'I'm still absolutely ecstatic because my entire purpose from when I started to right now has been to tell Mr. Poilievre that he is not allowed to just walk in and use us as a tool and then disappear back to Ottawa,' Critchley said. 'I've left a very large boot print on the Canadian (political) landscape, on our elections, to say that a nobody from nowhere can stand up and say enough is enough. 'The big parties need to pay attention and actually listen to people because they work for us, not the other way around.' A campaign sign for independent candidate Bonnie Critchley next to signs for Pierre Poilievre and Darcy Spady in Camrose, Alta., on July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken Critchley remained critical of Kurek. 'Mr. Kurek, if he thinks we're going to welcome him back with open arms, he is in for a rude awakening,' Critchley said. Asked if she would consider running again, Critchley confirmed she would. 'This is our riding; this is our home,' Critchley said. 'We are going to keep fighting for it.' Voter turnout was lower compared to the spring general election but higher compared to other byelections. With files from Kathy Le
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Poilievre signals a new tone for return to House
After winning a byelection that will return him to the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre signalled a new tone, including an openness to working with other parties.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Quebec government tries to ease growing tension over forestry blockades
Quebec Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina responds to the Opposition during question period at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, April 8, 2025 THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot MONTREAL — The Quebec government is trying to ease rising tensions between forestry workers and Indigenous protesters who oppose a new bill they say threatens their way of life. Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina and Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière announced Tuesday they were meeting with three Atikamekw communities in Quebec's Mauricie region, roughly 200 kilometres north of Montreal. The region has been the site of recent tense confrontations between protesters and industry workers over a series of blockades that have disrupted operations for some in the forestry sector. 'I am very concerned about the situation,' Blanchette Vézina said Tuesday on X. 'It is essential that we speak calmly and respectfully.' The Assembly of First Nations Quebec–Labrador is expected to meet with the office of Premier François Legault on Wednesday. The conflict stems from a bill tabled in the Quebec legislature this spring that aimed to protect communities dependent on the forestry industry. The legislation would divide public forests into zones designated for conservation, multi-purpose use or forestry. According to the bill, actions that "restrict the carrying out of forest development activities" would be prohibited in the forestry zones, as would conservation measures. Indigenous leaders were quick to criticize the bill, saying it infringed on their rights. In July, the AFNQL announced it was walking away from discussions with the government, who it said had not shown 'genuine political will' to collaborate on the forestry reform. After the bill was tabled, an organization called MAMU First Nation, which describes itself as a group of hereditary chiefs and land defenders, began organizing blockades of forestry roads in the province. The group says the proposed legislation threatens caribou, forest sustainability and traditional Indigenous ways of life. A spokesperson declined an interview request from The Canadian Press. The blockades have led to hostile exchanges between the group's members and forestry workers, both in person and online. Daniel Paré, the owner of a forestry business based in the Saguenay–Lac-St.-Jean region, said he's barely been able to work since the spring and has no money coming in. 'It's really catastrophic,' he said in an interview. 'We're imprisoned in our houses and we can't do anything about it. … We're powerless.' On Saturday, Paré put out a call on Facebook for other affected workers to join him and confront the Indigenous group on Monday at a blockade near La Tuque, Que., though the plan didn't materialize. 'Our goal isn't to wage war,' he said. 'It's just to get along and go to work.' Amid the growing tension, Lafrenière and the Wemotaci Atikamekw Council published statements over the weekend calling for calm. But some are asking the government to do more to end the blockades. "While these actions paralyze our forest economy, isolate families, and threaten the stability of an entire region, the government chooses to remain inactive," La Tuque Mayor Luc Martel said in a social media statement last week. "Allowing the situation to deteriorate is not only a political error, but also a clear abandonment of the people who live and work in this forest." In an interview, AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul said he's concerned about tensions spilling over into violence. But he said the Quebec government has the power to defuse the situation by working with First Nations leaders to modify the bill. Verreault-Paul said the government reached out to the assembly to arrange Wednesday's meeting, and has shown a "general openness" to addressing its demands. Among other things, the assembly has called for the bill's zoning strategy to be scrapped. "It's hard to understand why this process has to be so polarizing and the solution so slow in coming," he said. "So now, it's really about speeding things up. That's the message we're sending." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025. Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
