An NDP stumble?

The NDP needs to avoid the temptation to leap.

We have a premier in Alberta who, unlike Mr. Lewis and Ms. Klein, isn’t just talking about fighting climate change, she’s actually doing it.

The linchpin of her argument is that greener policies will make Alberta oil more marketable; the province is in a recession.

Everyone within the NDP family agrees that we must move beyond fossil fuels in the long term, but it’s beyond counterproductive to undermine her green strategy.

It’s also dangerous to box the party in so myopically on energy.

Chapter 11 of NAFTA is problematic, arrangements that restrict sovereignty and democracy should be avoided in future trade agreements, and Canada shouldn’t settle every time it’s sued by a corporation, but if taken literally, the manifesto’s promise to “end all trade agreements that restrict etc., etc.” would mean withdrawal from NAFTA.

That would kill countless jobs, make things more expensive and place the NDP in the company of Canada’s two Communist parties and the Canadian Action Party.

Now, the NDP hasn’t adopted the Leap Manifesto, but politically it doesn’t matter. Our opponents — Conservative, Liberal, Wildrose — are gleefully spreading the lie that we have in an effort to pigeonhole us as a fringe party.

Canada needs a strong NDP, otherwise social justice may fall off the radar. The NDP does need to turn Left, but there are more relevant and thoughtful ways of doing that.

So let’s talk about big ideas: guaranteed incomes, free tuition, high-speed national rail, a green Industrial Revolution, expanding labour rights, a strategy for First Nations poverty, a revolution in drug policy, public housing — let’s put everything on the table.

However, we cannot afford to let our opponents (and some media outlets) define us as fringe. As a progressive party with ties to activist groups, we don’t need the guidance of Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein. Let’s listen to the grassroots instead. Chris Gilmore, Islamabad

Re What’s with all the ruckus over the Leap Manifesto,

April 15 Here is a leap for you!

Each rail car of oil carries 680 to720 barrels of oil. The railroads are now allowed to run trains over 100 cars. The refineries on the East coast require hundreds of thousands of barrels per day to operate efficiently. If they can’t get it from Canada, they get it from the Middle East or the U.S. — not areas we have any control over, and most of this oil is supplied by tanker ships unloading at east coast ports. Our prime minister distinctly said that oil by rail is dangerous. We need only look at Lac Mégantic and northern Ontario to see what he sees.

If the NDP were to support the Energy East Pipeline only — no West Coast, no Keystone XL, no other pipelines except Energy East — they could easily cover this flip by saying, “We understand that oil producers will move oil one way or another and that this is good for Canada; we understand that we can’t just switch off our carbon-based economy, it will take years. We want to eliminate oil by rail, we want to support producing and refining Canadian oil in Canada, which supports Alberta and the East Coast refineries; we remain opposed to any other pipelines; we will insist on the utmost controls and safety features on this pipeline; we will remain totally supportive of alternate energy projects and scientific investment in replacing our carbon economy.”

This approach will prove that the NDP does not have its head in the sand and is willing to work to help Canada’s and Alberta’s economies and to reduce and possibly eliminate imports of oil and refined products, keeping the value-added portion of the oil business in Canada.

Here the NDP could still promote the balance of their Leap Manifesto and their drive toward greening Canada and still show that they are relevant and willing to work to promote the good of our country.

Could this happen? They have three years till the next election to make a bold move that will quite possibly make or break their future relevance in Canadian Politics. Bill Paterson, Emsdale, Ont.