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National Post

'We lost touch': Former NDP MP Charlie Angus calls election an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party

Article content 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.