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National Post
3 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Chris Selley: Alberta NDP's divorce from the federal party trainwreck is better for everyone
It did not receive much notice in Central Canada, and if it had, it might have been seen as bad news for the beleaguered federal New Democrats. But the Alberta NDP's recent decision to uncouple somewhat from the federal NDP might actually help drag the national party's proverbial Maserati out of the proverbial ditch where Jagmeet Singh left it in a cloud of steam. Article content Article content Article content As schisms go, it's not what you would call violent: Delegates to the Alberta NDP convention in May voted to end the practice by which taking out a membership in the provincial party automatically came with membership in the federal party. Henceforth, provincial party members can 'opt out' of buying into the totalled Maserati. Article content Article content It could well just be symbolism can matter. The NDP has been unusual in this 'one party' approach. Provincial parties called 'Liberal' aren't necessarily affiliated with the federal Liberals (Quebec's are not and British Columbia's were not, notably) and nor are parties called 'Conservative' or 'Progressive Conservative' necessarily part of the same hive mind, never mind the conservative Saskatchewan Party or Alberta's United Conservative Party. The federal NDP are often described by their detractors as fringe or unbendingly 'ideological.' But they have a plenty big enough tent: Under the orange canvas you could find blue-collar workers, Big Labour, university campuses, the idle progressive urban rich, the urban working class, farmers, North-of-60ers, and, for a while, even Quebec nationalists. Article content Article content For all its radical elements, since its Jack Layton-led era at least, the federal party has usually been capable of sorting out these differences and keeping support at a reasonable level. But at this point there just aren't enough people left under the big tent anymore. On April 28 the campers broke hard and en masse for the parties that might wind up governing, and NDP stalwarts were left congratulating themselves on holding a balance of power with just seven measly seats and no official-party status. Article content Article content The way you get people under your big tent isn't to give them everything they want all the time. Conservatives accept (if grudgingly) that the power within their movement oscillates between (very simplistically speaking) old-guard Tories and more Reform party-influenced people. Less grudgingly, because their party exists for no purpose other than to wield power, Liberals accept that they'll have centre-left/nihilist leaders like Justin Trudeau and dead-centre or even centre-right leaders like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Hunt for new NDP leader raises tension before race even begins
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.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Hunt for new NDP leader raises tension before race even begins
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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW '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.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW '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.' Correction — May 31, 2025: 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. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. 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National Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Interim NDP leader pushing for resources after party loses status in Parliament
OTTAWA — The interim leader of the federal NDP says that while the door may be shut to the party being granted official status in the House of Commons, he hopes other parties will grant it resources. Article content Article content Don Davies says that while he has not spoken to Prime Minister Mark Carney, federal New Democrats are having 'fruitful discussions' and looking to see what is possible through the Board of Internal Economy, which manages the House of Commons' resources. Article content Article content 'We've already made some progress,' Davies told reporters on Monday. Article content Article content These 'little privileges,' as Davies puts it, are what the federal party now considers as wins after a general election, where the party was reduced to a mere seven seats, down from its previous 24. Article content It was the worst showing the federal party has had in a Canadian election. The last time it lost official party status was in 1993, when the NDP came away with only nine seats. Article content Besides reeling from the political blow that voters dealt the party, which saw Jagmeet Singh, its former leader, resign after placing third in his riding, the fact that New Democrats are returning to Parliament with only seven seats means it has lost many of the resources afforded to parties based on the size of their caucus. Article content Losing official party status means NDP MPs will be limited in how often they can ask the governing Liberals a question in the House of Commons, and will not automatically be reserved a place on parliamentary committees, where legislation flows before it is passed in the House of Commons. Article content Article content While Davies said on Monday that it was 'possible' for the governing Liberals to relax some of the rules around what constitutes official party status, as has been done at the provincial level across different legislatures, House Leader Steven McKinnon appeared cold to the idea. Article content Davies said the NDP is now looking to see what may be decided by the Board of Internal Economy, which has not yet been struck. Article content 'One of the arguments I've made is we're a national party.' Article content 'We had 1.2 million Canadians vote for us, and it's important that we have the tools we need to function and discharge that responsibility.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside the NDP's last-ditch efforts to save Jagmeet Singh and his riding
In the dying days of the federal election campaign, senior New Democrats made a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save Jagmeet Singh's Burnaby, B.C., seat. Some say it was unwinnable. At least 20 staff from the party's Ottawa headquarters packed the leader's campaign plane just days before the April 28 election, hitching a ride to the West Coast with a mission to door-knock on his behalf. This was after a small team were sent to Burnaby Central earlier in that month. The cross-country venture was a waste of resources when the party was fighting for its life in other, closer races, according to three, frustrated sources within the party, who spoke to CBC News on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Singh placed a distant third in Burnaby Central, losing to Liberal Wade Chang by more than 12,000 votes. The party as a whole lost 17 of its 24 seats. But there were eight other incumbent ridings — where NDP candidates placed second and obtained a greater vote share than Singh — which, sources say, the party had a better chance of retaining. In the riding neighbouring Singh's, New Westminster Burnaby–Maillardville, incumbent MP Peter Julian lost by less than 2,000 votes, for example. Éric Grenier, the publisher of who also maintains CBC's Poll Tracker, also says the party made some bad decisions, and could have placed more effort on other seats like Winnipeg's Elmwood Transcona or Skeena–Bulkley Valley in B.C.'s north, which were also lost. "It is remarkable that the NDP, at the end of the campaign, when things are going as badly as they were, would have poured resources into a riding that should not have been in their top 15 targets in terms of trying to win to get official party status," Grenier said. It shows "a relatively significant misuse of the resources." Grenier says there was no chance that a "better ground game" would have overcome the 24-point gap between Singh and Chang. It is normal for parties to pour significant resources into a leader's riding if they are thought to be in trouble, because leaders can't door-knock in their ridings and run an effective national campaign simultaneously. Not deploying resources could also send the wrong optics that the party is not fully behind its leader. According to the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, Conservatives deployed a team of staffers in Pierre Poilievre's Ottawa-area riding of Carleton riding, which he lost. Jennifer Howard was in charge of the NDP's federal campaign. In an interview with CBC News, she did not dispute that staffers were sent to Burnaby Central, but also said she was "ruthless" with how the party allocated resources. The veteran NDP senior staffer said every effort was made to help in incumbent campaigns, and that Singh's riding did not receive special treatment. Protecting incumbents and battlegrounds On April 10, at NDP national campaign headquarters in Ottawa, staff were invited into a boardroom for what was described in a staff-wide email as an afternoon video screening. It was actually to watch a new political video featuring Singh. In the two-minute video, which was also posted on YouTube, Singh stands before a bronze statue of former party leader Jack Layton in Toronto. "Canada works best when there are enough New Democrats elected to stand up for you," Singh says. Three senior party and campaign officials — national campaign director Jennifer Howard, Singh's principal secretary Anne McGrath and NDP national director Lucy Watson — were there to walk staff through the new political message, which was a pivot from trying to form government, to merely electing as many NDPers as possible. That meant focusing on incumbent and battleground seats, say CBC's confidential sources, who were at the meeting. Those sources expected staff would be spread out across the country to such ridings, but they noticed a heavy concentration on Singh's seat, which surprised them. A handful of staff were sent to Burnaby Central. The party paid for most of the travel, accommodation and food expenses. After a few days of door-knocking and phone canvassing, the sources say it became clear that Singh would likely not win. One source said, at the doors, NDP supporters made it clear that they were flipping to the Liberals or Conservatives. Door-knockers log their interactions, and the data gets fed into the NDP campaign apparatus. Despite the dismal support, headquarters leadership doubled down and sent more staff to Burnaby. The three sources said that the NDP campaign headquarters was emptied on the weekend before election day, which all campaigns tend to do to get out the vote. But most of the NDP's staff, a full-court press of between 20 and 30, were flown to Burnaby in a last-ditch attempt to save Singh's riding. "I don't think it was wise to send all those resources," one source who was on the ground said. "I found myself confused." "It was confusing that we had 24 incumbent seats, but most of us were being sent to Burnaby." Another source, who worked in a non-B.C. battleground riding, says it seemed like a misuse of campaign resources, especially when other ridings could have used more help. "I was really shocked at how much they were spending literally on knocking on doors for people out there and paying for meals and hotels," the person said. All three sources told CBC News the trend is part of a leader-centric approach to campaigning, within all the parties, and which the NDP warned itself against in a debrief of its performance in the 2021 election. "The NDP is more than just Jagmeet," it says, criticizing that election's campaign. Avi Lewis, an NDP candidate who also lost his bid for Vancouver Central, warns against second-guessing campaign decisions in the dying days of the campaign. But Lewis he take issue with the growing concentration of power within the NDP. It was a trend, he said, that began under Layton. "It's too-much focused on a theory of political change that people are looking for one person to save us," he said. "In the wider time frame, I think that's toxic to politics." Grenier, at though, says the NDP's approach to save Singh's seat did not make sense because he probably would not have been able to remain as leader. It seems "a little bit too leader-focused," he said. "Regardless of whether his seat was won or not, he was probably going to be done as leader."
