A little more buzz surrounding NDP convention
Federal party leader Thomas Mulcair will address party supporters, who have seen a boost in the polls
If Island New Democratic Party supporters are heading into their leadership convention this weekend with a little more excitement than they had at previous conventions, it’s not surprising. They’re enjoying a bump in the polls and the scheduled speaker is federal party leader Thomas Mulcair, leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament.
With the federal NDP at its strongest ever, Island members of the party no doubt are hoping some of the federal party’s success will be contagious.
It would be an understatement to say the party in this province has had its struggles. With the exception of 1996, when then- NDP leader Herb Dickieson won his West Prince riding, the party has been shut out of a legislature traditionally dominated by the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives.
But as they go into this weekend’s convention to elect a successor for outgoing leader James Rodd, party members have been encouraged by the latest polls. While the Liberals and Conservatives continue to lead public support, the NDP has maintained the 18 per cent support it garnered in the last two quarterly polls conducted by Corporate Research Associates. While some of that improvement has been attributed to the momentum of the federal party, it also has been interpreted by party supporters as a reflection of voter dissatisfaction with the two traditional parties.
Nevertheless, the party faces major challenges if it wants to become a serious contender in time for the next election, scheduled for 2015. Whoever wins this weekend’s leadership contest — Mike Redmond or Trevor Leclerc — will have to confront the two biggies: fundraising and organizing. To mount a credible campaign, a party needs money and people, and it will fall to the new leader to find both. He’ll have to capitalize on the new energy within the ranks to attract workers and candidates and to generate the cash flow the party will need to enter the next campaign with more momentum than it has had in the past. If it wants voters to treat the NDP as a serious alternative, it will have to present itself as one.