Who will replace Mulcair? (NDP leadership)

[Docere]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

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.

The NDP has never had "a monopoly on the union vote." It never came close to winning a majority of union members or blue collar workers, in contrast to more electorally successful social democratic and labor parties in the UK, Western Europe and Australia.

The NDP was never able to follow the example of British Labour and displace the Liberals as the main center-left party.

[Docere]

But it is true that the NDP is at a crossroads. And the party has a difficult balance in appealing to both its traditional blue collar base and an educated urban progressive base (which of course is not new, but will be the source of much tension as it undergoes renewal).

[Docere]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

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.

Julian would also be the first party leader from BC (unless you count Tommy Douglas representing Burnaby and then a Vancouver Island constituency in the 1960s and 1970s).

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Docere

Julian would also be the first party leader from BC (unless you count Tommy Douglas representing Burnaby and then a Vancouver Island constituency in the 1960s and 1970s).

Not true! Sir John A. Macdonald was the MP for the riding of Victoria, B.C. from 1878 to 1882. He also happened to be Prime Minister at the time.

[Docere]

To clarify, I meant the first NDP leader from BC.

The Liberals had a BC leader, John Turner, in the 80s.

[GlassCity]

Jagmeet Singh 'seriously considering' federal NDP leadership bid

Jagmeet Singh's eclectic range of accomplishments include Sikh of the Year, jiu-jitsu champion and Toronto Life magazine's Best Dressed award.

Will he soon try adding leader of the federal NDP to his list?

Singh, 38, is a member of the Ontario Legislature, representing the Toronto suburb of Brampton. According to federal party activists, there's a groundswell of New Democrats urging him to jump into the race to replace Thomas Mulcair.

"It's something I'm really considering quite seriously," Singh said Wednesday in an interview with CBC News.

Party activists first floated Singh as a possible candidate shortly after the NDP leadership review pushed Mulcair out last April. Since then, Singh's public comments have shifted from being "open to" the idea of running, to giving it "serious consideration."

"Initially I thought it was just a bit of a fluke," Singh said. "But now I'm at the point where I'm listening to what folks are saying, I'm looking at what it would look like to run a national campaign, really mulling the idea around and thinking about it in a serious way."

So what's holding him back? Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne's dismal poll numbers seem to be a factor.

"My dilemma is that provincially I think we have an extremely amazing opportunity as New Democrats to form a government," said Singh. "I really see a future for the party doing amazing things provincially and I'm excited by that, so that's part of the reason why I've been a bit hesitant."

Singh is a lawyer and speaks functional French (as well as Punjabi). His lack of a seat in Ottawa doesn't faze his supporters: they merely point out that a guy named Jack Layton was a Toronto city councillor when he won the NDP leadership in 2003.

Party sources say there's a team of experienced campaign organizers ready to work for Singh, should he decide to run...

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...file-1.3982662

[BretttheRiderFan]

News of the federal NDP's death have been greatly exaggerated in the past and are greatly exaggerated now. Four years ago the Liberals were going to die out and become the British Liberals and now they're in a majority again. Nobody foresaw 2011 for the NDP and even fewer foresaw 2015 for the Libs.

[Docere]

Singh may want to run provincially though where he would almost certainly be the top contender, and already have a seat.

[BretttheRiderFan]

So does Singh actually have interesting ideas or any reason we should vote for him?

I mean, other than being young, handsome and brown.

[lio45]

Unless he plans to drop the turban, I don't think he'll be needing that fluency in the second official language anyway.

Would be interesting to see the NDP pick him though.

[1overcosc]

To be honest I'd be disappointed if he jumped ship to the feds. Personally I want to see him become Premier of Ontario someday.

[lio45]

Even if he jumps ship to federal politics, you can have him back in a few years at the latest, given that the NDP will show him the door after the next election.

[PoscStudent]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

So does Singh actually have interesting ideas or any reason we should vote for him?

I mean, other than being young, handsome and brown.

Ideas don't matter when you're attractive.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by lio45

Even if he jumps ship to federal politics, you can have him back in a few years at the latest, given that the NDP will show him the door after the next election.

They don't really have a history of doing that at all. Unless you're Mulcair and were hired to get the party into government. Now that that's off the table they'll likely get back to their traditional ways.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

News of the federal NDP's death have been greatly exaggerated in the past and are greatly exaggerated now. Four years ago the Liberals were going to die out and become the British Liberals and now they're in a majority again. Nobody foresaw 2011 for the NDP and even fewer foresaw 2015 for the Libs.

Your points are well taken but the situation today is far different than it use to be.

Their union support has declined greatly as their bastions of blue collar backing has fallen in tandem with the power of unions. They use to get a lot of the younger vote looking for a option to voice their progressive opinions without going thru the established Liberals and Conservatives but that too has passed them by with the rise of the Greens.

It was often said that "the NDP are just Liberals in a hurry" which in many ways was often true but far less so now as the Liberals have moved further left leaving the NDP with far fewer social policies that it can call it's own. As the population ages, many of those older voters may drift more towards the Conservatives as may many disenfranchised blue collar workers similar of how many blue collar workers in the US left the Democrats for the Republican.

As I said, the demographics of NDP have taken a turn for the worse........the Greens getting the young and environmental vote, the Liberals getting a lot of the traditional NDP socially progressive vote as well as the highly educated, and the Conservatives benefitting from some of the disenfranchised blue collar workers.

I also think that a lot of soft NDP voters are starting to no longer see the NDP as a viable 3rd option as many have basically accepted the fact that the NDP will never get to power in Ottawa or even see it as a protest vote as many of those are going to the Greens.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Your points are well taken but the situation today is far different than it use to be.

Their union support has declined greatly as their bastions of blue collar backing has fallen in tandem with the power of unions. They use to get a lot of the younger vote looking for a option to voice their progressive opinions without going thru the established Liberals and Conservatives but that too has passed them by with the rise of the Greens.

It was often said that "the NDP are just Liberals in a hurry" which in many ways was often true but far less so now as the Liberals have moved further left leaving the NDP with far fewer social policies that it can call it's own. As the population ages, many of those older voters may drift more towards the Conservatives as may many disenfranchised blue collar workers similar of how many blue collar workers in the US left the Democrats for the Republican.

As I said, the demographics of NDP have taken a turn for the worse........the Greens getting the young and environmental vote, the Liberals getting a lot of the traditional NDP socially progressive vote as well as the highly educated, and the Conservatives benefitting from some of the disenfranchised blue collar workers.

I also think that a lot of soft NDP voters are starting to no longer see the NDP as a viable 3rd option as many have basically accepted the fact that the NDP will never get to power in Ottawa or even see it as a protest vote as many of those are going to the Greens.

Your arguments are ones that I've heard a lot and ones I've heard for over 20 years.

Well the NDP did become the official opposition party in 2011 which was something I and many others thought we'd never see and was very recent. So I wouldn't totally count the party out but I will say that the party has very small windows of opportunity from time to time with the right leader and conditions.

[GlassCity]

Charlie Angus (MP Timmins-James Bay) has announced his candidacy, though he hasn't said anything particularly interesting yet. So far, just has broad rhetoric on the environment, Native issues and the 99% but no details.

Guy Caron (MP Rimouski-Neigette—Temiscouata—Les Basques) has also announced his candidacy. He's running on the introduction of a universal basic income.

Hopefully not too many more people run. A Conservative-type race would be pretty boring where you don't really know much about anyone.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Niki Ashton is expected to announce her bid this week.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...415116994.html

[BretttheRiderFan]

Got around to watching the NDP debate (anyone else know this happened today?)

Was relatively impressed with Charlie Angus and Guy Caron. Caron is an economist and seemed least critical of a lot of the typical stuff (trade agreements, resource development, etc). Ashton is basically your standard ideological leftist. Julian...it was a bit tough for me to even gauge where he was on a lot of the questions. Overall, as a blue Grit I doubt I'd ever really consider any of these folks, but Angus seems most appealing to me, Ashton least (by a long shot). Economic inequality the big topic of discussion, seems to be a consensus for all candidates.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by *Stardust*

Niki Ashton. She's bright and sharp as a tack.

Going left isn't going to help the NDP. They will alienate many centrist voters.

She is the most clearly left wing candidate. Her opening statement was proudly proclaiming her status as a "democratic socialist, intersectionalist, eco-feminist" (her words). Even talked about nationalizing and public ownership a couple times during today's debate.