Who will replace Mulcair? (NDP leadership)

[1ajs]

wonder if rebeca blackie will run?

[Loco101]

I think I've said before that Niki Ashton will likely be the next leader.

She is multilingual, speaks French very well, represents an electoral district in Northern Manitoba that has the highest percentage of aboriginals in Canada.

She is also about 10 years younger than the PM yet she has been an MP for the same amount of time as him.

[CanSpice]

Dredging this thread up from the depths, Peter Julian has announced he's running for leader of the NDP.

[BretttheRiderFan]

I think it's about time a westerner led the party. In fact, none of the leaders since TC Douglas have been from the west!

[GlassCity]

I'm actually excited for this one. I've been going back and forth on joining the NDP for some time, and if the right candidate jumps out I may finally do it. Julian's announcement today was reassuring: universal post-secondary education, putting some life back into social housing and an emphasis on reducing economic inequality. Sounds good to me!

That CBC article says Julian isn't exciting enough, but I don't know who is. How many Canadians know other MPs? I would bet many don't even know their own. I'd never heard of Jagmeet Singh until he came up on another SSP discussion the other day, and he's named as someone who does have that star power. As far as I'm concerned, any candidate has their chance to become exciting, considering they're all basically starting from 0. No one knew who Bernie Sanders was either.

Look forward to this progressing!

[BretttheRiderFan]

I still think somebody from outside caucus, like Megan Leslie, would be perfect. She's a total dynamo and exactly what the future of progressive politicians should look like.

[Stryker]

He mentions building homes?


Seems like basket case economics to me.

The idea any member of the NDP wouldn't be directly focused on some like unviersal basic income seems a bit odd.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

I still think somebody from outside caucus, like Megan Leslie, would be perfect. She's a total dynamo and exactly what the future of progressive politicians should look like.

How is she outside the caucus?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

How is she outside the caucus?

Because she (like every other non Liberal Atlantic Canadian MP) lost her seat in the last general election.

Some very good NDP (and Conservative) MPs were given the boot in the tremendous rush to give Stevie the heave-ho. For example, Peter Stouffer (an NDP MP from Dartmouth) was a universally respected and well liked MP who most definitely did not deserve to be defeated. I may be a Tory, but if I lived in his riding, I would have voted for him - sad.........

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Because she (like every other non Liberal Atlantic Canadian MP) lost her seat in the last general election.

Some very good NDP (and Conservative) MPs were given the boot in the tremendous rush to give Stevie the heave-ho. For example, Peter Stouffer (an NDP MP from Dartmouth) was a universally respected and well liked MP who most definitely did not deserve to be defeated. I may be a Tory, but if I lived in his riding, I would have voted for him - sad.........

Oops. I had forgotten that she was defeated.

[PoscStudent]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I'm actually excited for this one. I've been going back and forth on joining the NDP for some time, and if the right candidate jumps out I may finally do it. Julian's announcement today was reassuring: universal post-secondary education, putting some life back into social housing and an emphasis on reducing economic inequality. Sounds good to me!

I don't really get how as Prime Minister he would do this. The provincial governments are responsible for education so I don't know how he expects to make post-secondary education free.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by PoscStudent

I don't really get how as Prime Minister he would do this. The provincial governments are responsible for education so I don't know how he expects to make post-secondary education free.

There are ways to make it happen if a PM wanted to go that route. Bilateral negotiations and such.

Don't forget health care is primarily a provincial responsibility and we manage to have standards of universality upheld more or less consistently across the country.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Stryker

The idea any member of the NDP wouldn't be directly focused on some like unviersal basic income seems a bit odd.

It could be because it's seen as a provincial matter. The BC Green Party is making it part of their platform for the May 2017 election, for example.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I'm actually excited for this one. I've been going back and forth on joining the NDP for some time, and if the right candidate jumps out I may finally do it. Julian's announcement today was reassuring: universal post-secondary education, putting some life back into social housing and an emphasis on reducing economic inequality. Sounds good to me!

That CBC article says Julian isn't exciting enough, but I don't know who is. How many Canadians know other MPs? I would bet many don't even know their own. I'd never heard of Jagmeet Singh until he came up on another SSP discussion the other day, and he's named as someone who does have that star power. As far as I'm concerned, any candidate has their chance to become exciting, considering they're all basically starting from 0. No one knew who Bernie Sanders was either.

Look forward to this progressing!

I like Peter Julian. He's my MP, I was at the announcement, and even though I'm not the biggest NDP supporter (I donated to them in 2015, nothing in 2016, and now I'm actually a Conservative member so I can vote for Michael Chong) he gave me a big hug at the beginning. He's a really nice guy and quite affable, and really smart as well. That he's bilingual only helps matters, I think.

[Acajack]

In a previous job I rubbed shoulders with a number of MPs from various parties. One of them was Peter Julian. He was a very cool guy. I wish him well.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

It could be because it's seen as a provincial matter. The BC Green Party is making it part of their platform for the May 2017 election, for example.

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't greenbelts the largest contributor of BC's housing shortage.

That's of course ignoring the economics of collasping BC property values.


Regardless I'm confused on the NDP, it seems like they really can't move from populist economic sensibilities.

IT seems to me they could run a hard hitting campaign focusing on political corruption, trade laws, Universal basic income, and other smart policies.

It seems like they are destined to be the party that runs on ideas that nobody else will even consider.

If I were them I'd go more centrist with the idea of being intense in reform while politically neutral in ideology.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by PoscStudent

I don't really get how as Prime Minister he would do this. The provincial governments are responsible for education so I don't know how he expects to make post-secondary education free.

I think if they were smart they'd be more focus on alternative education, simliar to the college of the north atlantic.

Low cost education, that can tie into universities, focusing on things that universities refuse to do at a good cost, or that they simply can't do because of a small geographic footprint.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

I still think somebody from outside caucus, like Megan Leslie, would be perfect. She's a total dynamo and exactly what the future of progressive politicians should look like.

She is originally from Kirkland Lake, ON which is in my electoral district of Timmins-James Bay. She has declined running for leader from what I've read.

If Charlie Angus wasn't our MP, she could run here and would likely win.

[PoscStudent]

Originally Posted by Acajack

There are ways to make it happen if a PM wanted to go that route. Bilateral negotiations and such.

Don't forget health care is primarily a provincial responsibility and we manage to have standards of universality upheld more or less consistently across the country.

Due to what has happened with health care funding I doubt many provinces would agree to providing free post-secondary education out of fear that the financial burden will fall on them. The federal government was originally paying 50% of health funding and I believe they pay about 25% now, and that's even less in some provinces.

Provinces would definitely accept more post-secondary funding but I doubt they'll agree to being required to provide free education.

[ssiguy]

I think the relevant question is not who will replace Mulcair but rather if anyone cares who replaces him.

I think the federal NDP is declining into insignificance. It's had it's 2 biggest chances in the last 2 elections but still couldn't close the deal. The NDP is suffering from changing demographics. The NDP use to have a monopoly on the union vote but no longer, the Liberals have moved further left eating into traditional NDP leftwing votes, and the Green Party is getting the enviornmental vote as well as young people who want true political, economic, and social change who use to vote NDP.

Also after 6 decades, Canadians and most NDP supporters themselves have come to the realization that the NDP will never form government in Ottawa and voting for them splits the centre/left vote to the advantage of the Conservatives. People have always voted strategically but now the ABC vote is stronger than ever due to the PCs going to the Conservatives and Harper's decidedly right-wig governence, and people are flocking to the Liberals.

The NDP is a strong precense in provincial politics in many provinces but federally it looks worn, tired, with no real purpose.