Jobs, economy winning pitch for next NDP leader

Last year was a near-complete disaster for the federal NDP. But in its leadership campaign this year, the social democrats have the opportunity to build a durable and broad voter coalition as the party for jobs and the economy.

The NDP started 2016 still spinning from its election rebuke, with no clear analysis of what had gone wrong — though “boring” was often mentioned. In April, the party’s convention unceremoniously dumped Tom Mulcair and backed a motion to study the LEAP Manifesto — a document recommending NIMBYism as the “iron law” of energy development.

The national media can hardly be blamed for reporting that a major political party had decided to set its hair on fire. And the NDP did — mercilessly. By September, the NDP was plumbing new depths at about 13-per-cent support.

Around October, the bleeding stopped. Media attention shifted to another party that had decided to set its hair on fire — the Trudeau Liberals, who were fervently pursuing piles of insiders’ cash at the expense of their reputation.

Now, having found some footing and about to launch into a leadership contest, the New Democrats can build the underpinnings of a strong voter coalition by becoming the party of jobs and the economy.

Canada has a sick private-sector economy. There are 30,000 fewer full-time jobs than a year ago but an explosion in part-time work. The average wage fell through much of 2016 and is back to 2014 levels. A credit-fuelled inflation in housing prices has left Canadians with historic levels of personal debt.

Jobs and the economy aren’t topics the Liberals want to talk much about — they haven’t got much to say. They’re stuck on the Conservative playbook of low interest rates, trade deals, privatization and energy mega-projects.

The Conservatives have also been ducking the issues. With Liberals implementing much of their agenda, there’s little to complain about. And, as their leadership campaign shows, Conservatives are more interested in talking about immigrants, refugees, national security, terrorism and morphing into Trump allies. That leaves an opening for the NDP.

And, if they have the confidence to climb through it, they’ll find help from a new generation of economists inspired by the shortcomings of our current liberal economic policies. Joseph Stiglitz — a Nobel Prize winner — Mariana Mazzucato, Thomas Piketty, Mark Blyth and others have put a focus on the problems of low growth, inequality and debt. And these are the problems being painfully felt by the young and working-class Canadians at the traditional heart of any social democratic party’s voting coalition.

The NDP’s leadership campaign should provide an important focus. For each of the candidates, the ability to speak about jobs and the economy is a must. A commitment to assembling a durable economic plan must be essential to winning.

Social democratic think tanks can play a critical role. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Broadbent Institute, Progressive Economics Forum and others provide a place for economic debate and discussion. Those organizations should intensify their debates. Their scholars should pointedly intervene and demand attention of leadership candidates.

New Democrats need to deliver on their promise. Canadians are shortchanged by governments that pander to insiders rather than create jobs and broad-based wealth. Through its leadership campaign, the NDP can assemble a plan for good economics – and brandish it as a powerful strategy for vanquishing bad politics.

Tom Parkin is a former NDP staffer and social democrat media commentator.