10-05-2025
A defeated NDP limps back to Ottawa, confronted with an identity crisis and hopeful to rebuild
Seven surviving NDP MPs are set to return to the House of Commons later this month, reduced not only in number, but in status.
The party's immediate task is to find a new leader to replace Jagmeet Singh, who finished in a dismal third place in his Burnaby Central riding. It will also conduct an internal review to examine how the party did so poorly in the April 28 election.
The results of both will shape the New Democratic Party's response to its larger challenge, which is figuring out what it can do to reclaim a place in Canadian politics.
The debate will focus on the federal New Democrats' longstanding role as the altruists of Parliament, say some key members of the party who argue it is time to be more pragmatic. They want the party to look at what provincial NDP parties have done to form governments in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba and Alberta.
The rebuilding process could take one election or several, says former Quebec NDP MP Matthew Dubé, who was elected during the 2011 'Orange Wave.'
Either way, 'that should be the path that the party's taking, which is the path to form government,' he said. The party should 'take a page out of the playbook of provincial New Democratic parties that have been really successful at not sacrificing their values, but also being pragmatists.'
Under former leader Jack Layton, the federal NDP ascended to Official Opposition status with 103 seats and almost 31 per cent of the popular vote in 2011. Since then, the NDP has been in steady decline. Little more than 6 per cent of Canadians voted for the party this time out.
The caucus that is coming back to Ottawa has an interim leader, Don Davies, but has no recognized party status: That means fewer financial resources, no guaranteed seats on committees and no assurance of time in Question Period. Mr. Davies says his party is in 'very early' discussions with the Liberal government to recognize his party.
And after tearing up the confidence and supply agreement with the governing Liberals last fall, the New Democrats can expect a frosty welcome back from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has already ruled out another deal.
There will be interest in the leadership job, but it's not the most appealing assignment.
'The work is going to have to start at the grassroots across Canada,' BC NDP Premier David Eby said when asked if he was tempted. His answer, emphatically, was 'no.'
'I wish that person the best of luck, but they're going to have to have the commitment to listening and being humble and being willing to examine assumptions in order to ensure that the party meets the needs of Canadians.'
Eighteen New Democrats lost their seats, including Mr. Singh and Brian Masse, who had won Windsor West eight times.
Mr. Davies said they are reviewing what went wrong, but noted a key part was the Trump factor.
'We had a lot of really good policies,' he said. 'I actually think that it was a very exceptional moment in time where Canadians were focused on the impact of a foreign head of state, and that drew attention away from, I think, the strengths that our party was offering.'
When asked if advancing policies such as public dental care was too focused on helping people versus being part of a larger electoral strategy, Mr. Davies said he's proud of that work and that sometimes it takes time to measure political impact.
Jenny Kwan, the NDP MP who held her party's stronghold in Vancouver East, suggested the NDP didn't offer an answer to the concerns of Canadians about affordability, and that the confidence and supply agreement with the Liberals diminished the party's brand.
'The Conservatives were very busy painting us New Democrats as the Liberals' right hand, and that hurt us. There's no question that hurt us' Ms. Kwan said in an interview.
Ms. Kwan doesn't believe the party should move away from its values, however. 'I don't believe that Canadians have rejected the values that New Democrats believe in,' she said. Even if it costs them votes: 'When we see a chance to get things done for people, we do it. We do it without hesitation, because that's why we got into politics to begin with.'
Ms. Kwan has experience with political setbacks. She was one of two New Democrats left standing after the NDP government in B.C. was wiped out in the 2001 provincial election. The BC NDP recreated itself as a more centrist, less ideologically driven party, and eventually worked its way back to power in 2017 with a platform that promised balanced budgets.
The current NDP Premier, Mr. Eby, secured a third consecutive mandate last fall after he abandoned unpopular measures including the carbon tax and decriminalization of hard drugs.
A long-standing tension within the party is whether it is meant to be a vehicle for power, or if it is supposed to be the conscience of Parliament.
While many New Democrats argue both can be true – including Mr. Davies – there is a renewed focus among several prominent party members on taking a more pragmatic approach to Canadians' concerns about pocketbook issues.
'The party needs to really consider who it wants to be,' said Kathleen Monk, who was Mr. Layton's director of communications.
'We need to win power. We need to define ourselves as a political party and not a movement, so that we can help working- and middle-class people. That is how we do it. It is through power.'
That means building a concrete strategy to grow through targeting seats, she said. Under Mr. Layton, the party grew in Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, among other places, she said, and he was willing to work with any party.
Mr. Davies called the party's diversity of opinion a healthy tension.
'Those people [who] are pushing for principle and taking the right position are important voices in our party, but packaging that into a popular, pragmatic offer to Canadians is also critical,' he said.
Brian Topp, a former national campaign director and party president who came second in the 2012 leadership race, says the successful provincial parties all know who they speak for, and that they speak about pocketbook issues those people care most about.
'The federal party has to be like that too,' he said, adding the party wins when it focuses on the right issues, has a likeable leader, and outworks others at the riding level. The NDP must re-engage Quebeckers and working people, he said.
On election night, Mr. Singh was introduced to the podium to give his concession speech by the head of the BC Federation of Labour as a reminder of the party's strong union roots. Labour will have a role in shaping the new version of the NDP.
Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske, who is a New Democrat but says her organization does not align with a specific party, said the NDP needs to put more focus on solutions to workers' issues – including affordability, housing, and health care – and ensure those issues are not lost in the shuffle.
She added that the NDP needs to have as much influence as possible in any Parliament, including the current minority. Mr. Davies says he has not yet spoken with Liberals on potential collaboration.
With a file from The Canadian Press
