After a troubled year, NDP ‘see a path forward’
But Singh offers few details on party’s plan
SURREY, B.C. •Amidfundraising woes, poor performances in recent byelections and a lingering feud with a Saskatchewan MP booted from caucus, the federal NDP put on a brave face at a caucus strategy session in Surrey, B.C., this week, where they set the stage for the 2019 federal election.
It was a quiet affair that did not display any of the internal disputes that have dogged the party since leader Jagmeet Singh was elected in October 2017. Instead, the caucus appears to have largely rallied together a year out from the next election, recognizing the effort that will be required first to get Singh elected in a Burnaby South byelection, and then to prevent a catastrophe when Canadians go to the polls next year. The mood, if not optimistic, was “at least hopeful,” according to one NDP source. “They see a path forward.”
Singh and his caucus worked hard during the three-day session to hammer home the message that will likely be a cornerstone of the party’s 2019 campaign: that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promises big but rarely follows through — on health care, the environment, poverty and electoral reform. “People are really struggling in our country,” Singh told reporters as the session came to a close on Thursday. “And we know that the Liberals have said a lot of good things, have talked about helping people out. But at the end of the day, they have not delivered what people need.”
Singh said he recognizes the NDP has work to do to, though he offered few details about what the plan is to reverse the party’s misfortunes. On Thursday, he said the party will focus on “telling stories” of Canadians who are suffering, referring to it as a “change of focus.” Throughout the retreat, caucus members said they’re motivated and ready to fight, with Quebec MP Alexandre Boulerice referring to his colleagues as “warriors in suits.”
“There have been problems in the past. Maybe fundraising wasn’t as expected,” said House leader Ruth-Ellen Brosseau. “But we’re talking about solutions and we’re talking about moving forward … and I’m sure we’re going to be doing a lot better.”
Still, the Surrey retreat comes in the midst of what seems like an endless stream of bad news for the New Democrats. Earlier this month, the party’s annual financial report showed it had raised just $4.86 million in 2017, down from $5.39 million the year before, and had finished the year $3.1 million in the red. The party is polling at less than 20 per cent and has been losing vote share in byelections since Singh took the reins last October, most recently in Chicoutimi, Que., where the party won just 8.7 per cent of the vote in June after winning the riding in 2011 and finishing a close second in 2015.
And to top it all off, the party can’t seem to shake the ongoing drama of Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir, who told the Globe and Mail on Wednesday that he plans to seek the NDP nomination in his riding of Regina-Lewvan once again, despite being kicked out of caucus in May amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Weir’s announcement comes after 67 former Saskatchewan New Democrat MPs and MLAs wrote a letter accusing Singh of mishandling the situation and calling for Weir’s reinstatement. Singh insists his decision is final and Weir won’t be allowed to run for the NDP in the next election.
But for the most part, caucus members were all smiles throughout the retreat, with none of the divisions on display that have occasionally flared up over the past year. Quebec MP Pierre Nantel, who told Radio-Canada a year ago, just ahead of Singh’s election, that his “ostentatious religious symbols” were “not compatible” with Quebec values, was on Singh’s team during a bowling night in Surrey on Tuesday. “I think Jagmeet clearly has taken stock of the work to be done in Quebec,” Nantel told the Post. “He’s listening, in any case. That’s very clear.”
Still, the party that came so close to forming government three years ago seems, today, to have curbed its expectations. “I’m very confident that we’ll be able, in the next election, to considerably increase the number of MPs that we have,” said B.C. MP Peter Julian, whose riding is adjacent to the seat Singh hopes to win.
Burnaby is an “all-in bet,” said B.C. MP Nathan Cullen. If Singh loses, “it’s not fatal, but it’s definitely difficult,” — both for Singh’s political future and the party’s.
Cullen said he’s been encouraged by an “open and honest admission from the leadership of the need for change,” and suggested the party may be able to find an opportunity in its struggles.
“Grandma used to say, ‘Never waste a crisis.’ ”
I THINK JAGMEET CLEARLY HAS TAKEN STOCK OF THE WORK TO BE DONE IN QUEBEC.