Sunday, September 13, 2009

The NDP: On the Eve of the Campaign


Jack Layton could be forgiven for thinking that leading a federal political party is all about fighting election campaigns and recovering from them. He is about to lead the NDP into its fourth election in just over five years. Over this difficult half decade, Layton has shown himself to be a formidable political leader, improving the standing of his party in each election, and growing in stature with Canadians.

The former Toronto city councilor inherited a party with only 13 seats in the House of Commons and took the NDP to 19, 29 and 37 seats in the three campaigns he has fought. When Layton became leader, the NDP was widely dismissed as a party that didn’t matter any more, with little political clout and with ideas that were stuck in the past.

Now no one dismisses the NDP as a force in national politics. The Conservatives heap abuse on it as a socialist rabble with which no respectable party would associate, all the while hoping it takes enough votes from the Liberals to keep Stephen Harper in power. The Liberals fear the NDP as an alternative to which voters could migrate, as they did so massively in Nova Scotia’s recent provincial election. While Michael Ignatieff assures business that he is safe, he has to keep a wary eye over his left shoulder to make sure that voters don’t start thinking that it’s time for a progressive like Jack to be prime minister.

What does the NDP aspire to in the upcoming campaign? More votes and more seats, naturally. The NDP has always been as assiduous in its pursuit of votes as any party. And the federal party prizes each seat it wins as a jewel in the crown. For the last couple of decades, the party has been run by pros who read polls, earn their living working for the party, in its offices or on the Hill. Not surprisingly, they can’t stand people they perceive as windbag ideologues who are always harping about socialism. These hard-boiled potatoes (hard-asses is a term I would not use although my dictionary says it’s a perfectly respectable label for people who narrow mindedly and meticulously adhere to their agenda) want social democrats to support the party and lay off the verbiage. I agree with one side of that equation. Every social democrat who is able should contribute money, put a sign on the lawn or in the window and canvass a poll in the election this fall.

But let’s not forget the other side. Socialism and social democracy did not spring forth from the mouths of ideologues. The reason tens of thousands of Canadians have worked for fundamental changes for the past three quarters of a century is because capitalism is a system that rewards the rich at the expense everyone else.

As we mark the first anniversary of the Great Crash of 2008, that ought to be more clear than ever. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. The neo-liberal socio-economic model on which both the Conservatives and the Liberals have staked their fortunes, has failed.

Social democrats should not be talking about putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. They should be promoting a vision of a new economy, constructed around the needs and aspirations of people, a vision that respects the environment. That’s not an ideological need. It’s a human requirement. It’s why the CCF and later the NDP were founded in the first place.

We got a very good reminder last week about why Canadian social democrats should not remake themselves as American Democrats. Barack Obama is as good a liberal as you will find. But in his speech to Congress, he dismissed the Canadian health care option and tied his vision of reform to the promotion of competition among health care providers. Without a powerful social democratic movement and party, Canadians would never have moved beyond that gully into which American liberals repeatedly fall.

The hard-boiled ones might be surprised to discover that a very large number of Canadians now are ready to consider a fundamental alternative to a failed system.


9 comments:

Oemissions said...

There are many social democrats that joined the Liberal Party last year with Dion at the helm.
The vision is there, it has been for years and shared amongst many Greens, Libs, NDP and CAP.
That is why a Coalition was so promising.

Anonymous said...

The NDP is a liberal party. If it were a socialist party it would win no seats and have no influence (except on the occasional student association or moribund union local); instead, it would publish a marginal "revolutionary" newspaper, hold an annual "Socialism" conference for students and venerate socialist heros past.

There are several self-proclaimed socialist groups operating in Canada today. Canadians don't join them or support them, despite the fact that they are now only a click away on the web.

The NDP flavour of liberalism is sympathetic to government intervention in the economy and social programs. That's good, but that's all.

What socialists in English Canada should do is stop bothering the liberal NDP and join one of the existing "socialist" groups or form a new one, as Quebec socialist have done, in the form of Quebec Solidaire.

Oemissions said...

We need to reinvent the term "socialist" and "socialism".
There is too much ignorance about this term.
Look how the US Republicans are now playing on it.
As for the Quebec Solidaire, I like it!

Anonymous said...

Oemissions: If you like Quebec Solidaire, why stick with the NDP? Get together with other true socialists, abandon the liberal NDP, and form a new party that resembles Quebec Solidaire. That's what all Canadian socialists should do.

Canada could use a genuine socialist party with a large following and a national profile.

Oemissions said...

I try to vote for the MLA or MP who I think is strong enough to stand on her/his own and shares approaches and policies that I agree with.
Party is secondary.
I know several people who live in Quebec and voted for Quebec Solidaire, not because they are a socialist party but because they liked the approach of the Quebec Solidaire and its grass roots foundation and programs.
Lets not get caught up in ideologies. Lets find a way to
support people who have eco-humanitarian values.
We are running out of time to fool around with more party identity.I can't wait any longer. It takes too long to get somewhere.
Look at the Greens. Years of meetings and planning and not one seat yet.
I don't want the Conservatives to be in power again.

Unknown said...

Very good article. Jack Layton may have his faults, but he's a dedicated Canadian who takes heaps of abuse from the right because he stands up for the little guy/gal. The NDP is fortunate to have him as its leader. I hope he sticks around for a good while yet.

Bill Bell said...

I sense that wealth and power are more and more unfairly distributed in Canada. Does anyone have defensible statistics that would demonstrate that, if indeed it's true, to people without PhDs?

HammertimeGP said...

The NDP is the way of the future and James you correct about Ignatieff he is RIGHT-WING has they come and Canadians have figer him out and will be voting NDP in the next federal election. VOTE NDP yesterday today and tomorrow.

Garin Kilpatrick said...

Well written post James. I know you are loyal to the NDP but I wonder what you think of Iggy as the Liberal Leader and as a potential Prime Minister? Personally I do not think he can do any worse than Dion and I think a well organized campaign behind him could be a threat to all other parties, given his refined oratory abilities. An ideal situation for me would be to see the Liberals and NDP gain ground, but time will tell what the reality will be.