The new New Democrats?
The NDP has softened the language about socialism in the preamble to its constitution. This is significant, but it isn’t the beginning of a change. It’s a recognition of change that’s been in train for years.
On economic issues, the differences between the country’s three major parties tend to be minor. All three parties now support trade deals; they quibble only about what they should include. In fact, the NDP, which once swore that NAFTA would be disastrous, has been gleefully calling Conservatives tariff increases “tax hikes.” Which they are, of course, and it’s nice to see the NDP criticizing them.
All three parties support balanced budgets in the main but consider it proper for governments to go into deficits in bad economic times. When it comes to foreign investment, or the merits of progressive taxation, the space between the three parties is thin. On supply management, there’s none at all.
Yes, the NDP’s social democratic tendencies still run deep; one example is their opposition to the privatization of public services. But it’s not as if they were a socialist party last week and a centrist party this week. The evolution has been gradual, and while Tom Mulcair’s election may have confirmed it, he is not its sole driver.
Interestingly, many of the party’s most enthusiastic defenders of strong socialist language are young people; it’s not the old guard hanging on to traditions. If it is to form a federal government, the party might need to hold on to young activists, particularly in Quebec, and its traditional union base, while appealing to centrist voters throughout the country. Or, it might need to jettison one of those groups and hope the gains elsewhere are enough, but that’s riskier than trying to be all things to all people who dislike the Conservative government.
Ideological consensus is not always bad. There are some debates that should be consigned to history — same-sex marriage, for example, and the benefits of free trade. But there are still contentious issues where the parties could distinguish themselves by taking firmer stances. If the three parties become distinguishable mainly by the colours of their pins, there won’t be much substance left to debate. And politics in this country is likely to get even sillier and nastier than it is now.