The future of the NDP is uncertain.
The race for leadership in the NDP is shaping up to be a highly dynamic, and driven debate between those who are interested in the party being driven by more leftist, class based politics or those who are more interested in the politics of the Jagmeet Singh era– a left of center, “big tent” type of NDP.
Heather McPherson
The assumed front-runner and establishment candidate, Heather McPherson started her bid with what would turn out to be a major sticking point for much of the party. People seem to have given it a shrug, and walked away from the launch feeling disappointed.
Her launch had a clear focus on the idea of being “more inclusive,” and gave a small amount of regard for the cost of living crisis which most Canadians are suffering from. She said she would fight for fair wages, but the takeaway from the launch was her mention of a “purity test” that was pushing people away from the party.
Her messaging around this idea has been messy. Leah Gazan snapped back. “When I hear a leadership candidate suggest that you have to pass a ‘purity test’ to fit into the NDP, I am appalled and deeply disappointed,” she said. The grassroots in the party have been angry and upset about this, with individuals like Matthew Green responding on Instagram with a post pushing back, and the NDP subreddit having many discussions around the subject. Several responses have gone back and forth, with an NDP candidate getting what almost seemed like positive press from the National Post.
This is probably not a glowing endorsement for most NDP voters.
The term “purity test” is long considered a dog whistle by racialized communities. It frames ethics down to an idea of “purity” and plays directly into far right ideas of “socialist, woke politics”. The word “woke” originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a call for awareness of systemic racism and social injustice. By the 1930s–40s it already carried radical connotations in Black political thought.
Communities that have been driven by equity see the idea of “purity tests” as a way to get rid of leftist policies, or socialist politics in an attempt to appeal to the far right by doing away with equity or ethical frameworks to appeal to capital based politics.
It seems that McPherson has alienated the grassroots and racialised supporters of the NDP, and it could be challenging to climb out. I reached out to McPherson’s team with a request for comment, but received no reply.
Her advantage in this race is being a true “party insider.” Her disadvantage is that she seems to be interested in continuing the status quo of the NDP, which is what led them to have the worst election results in their history.
Avi Lewis
Meanwhile Avi Lewis has been called a “champagne socialist” by many online. This is a pejorative label for someone who advocates socialist or left-wing ideas while living a lifestyle that appears bourgeois, privileged, or hypocritically affluent. Nonetheless, his policies have grabbed a lot of attention in the NDP sphere, as his launch video was effective in focusing down on one central theme– affordability.
The Lewis family might be as close as the NDP have to an historical dynasty, with his grandfather having been the Federal NDP leader and his father the leader of the Ontario NDP before becoming a diplomat. Some NDP voters seem torn over this, but many seem to be looking past his name and paying attention to his campaign launch and the focus of the work he’s doing.
Lewis could have one big advantage over the others in the race– messaging. Lewis is a filmmaker and journalist, and has spent his life communicating.
Despite his communication skills, he has still lost two bids to become an MP. Some NDP members have criticized this track record. This is not a criticism rooted in history since the most successful leaders of the NDP lost multiple times before their election.
Tommy Douglas helped to create the federal NDP and was the first leader of the party, but lost his election bid in 1962. He won a by-election in 1963, taking his seat in the house. This was a widely criticized embarrassment at the time. Jack Layton lost in 1993 and 1997 before winning in 2004, and eventually leading the NDP into their best-ever election victory.
Lewis will have to overcome the “champagne socialist” perception if he wants to make headway in the race, but he might be starting on a strong foot with his slick messaging and easy slogans (They are the money, we are the many.)
Rob Ashton
Rob Ashton has excited many NDP voters as well. A practical man with true blue-collar roots, he said something out the gates that may have won him over a ton of leftist voters when he said “eat the rich,” unabashedly signalling some sort of political will– something that is uncommon in politics today. He is taking a class-based approach to his campaign, which is bound to make waves among many NDP voters who are disillusioned with the party.
He doesn’t seem as concerned with some more modern NDP identity politics, and he said in an interview that he will let the NDP inform him how he should react to new pipelines, signalling something that many people are feeling the need for– a more democratic approach to the party. Although to some, it may signal that he isn’t left enough on the environmental spectrum.
One of the challenges that has always been faced by a party such as the NDP is their ability to be a working class party, but often that is at the sacrifice of environmental policy. Their politics around climate have still managed to be better than the Liberals or Conservatives, but when you analyse the policy of western New Democrats, their abysmal track record on climate change is fairly apparent. This comes with the territory of being a labour focused party in provinces where large portions of labour are working on oil rigs, the foresting industry, or fisheries.
Ashton has some major advantages that other leaders don’t have though. First, his working class appeal could be a game changer for the party. When you look like Ashton, a lot of ‘joe-canada’ types likely would see themselves in him. This bonafide working-class man running the labour party could be the exact thing they need to spice themselves up.
He also has significant experience in organizing and speaking, as an operator within a union. Running a union involves management, negotiation, organizing skills that are transferable to political campaigning. It also involves speaking like a regular person, which could be an advantage versus the political class of Lewis and McPherson, who may have trouble appealing to the blue-collar types.
Less suits, more boots.
Others are bound to launch a bid for the NDP as well. Yves Engler, a well known activist, has promised to be launching his policy in the near term, and Tony McQuail is now an NDP leadership candidate as well, though he hasn’t made the waves that the other three have. Engler is working with a large team of activists, and McQuail is a farmer and working class man and has run seven times in Federal races, believing that he can help make a greener planet.
The race is just beginning. I will continue following it and updating you all.
Thanks for the summary. It gives a clear view of the candidates and what they stand for. Whichever one of them is willing to speak out against what is happening to black civil workers will get my full endorsement. Now is the time to make a commitment to ending systemic racism inside our civil service.