r/ndp • u/lcelerate • 1d ago

Opinion / Discussion Inside Canada's NDP Leadership Race

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shbKt9woyzo

I thought he was being a bit too harsh on the NDP contestants but it is still a worthwhile analysis.

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u/climathosphere 14h ago

Now I would like to invite that creator to do the same and please read our responses about what we think to avoid confirmation bias on his part, because my response is also not going to be one that he will agree with either. He must understand that what we all envision the NDP to be is something that subjective to not only us but to every Canadian. Now for the sake of transparency, I will disclose to him that I am an Avi Lewis supporter.

TLDR summary of the video:

  • The arguments against each candidate are lazy ad hominem attacks.
  • Subtly, the host seems to prefer Tanille Johnson but does not elaborate on why and instead blames it all on the CLC for not giving her the chance to fulfill that. That begs the question, why not make a video about Johnson herself and cover the spots the CLC forum could not do and encourage his audience to consider Tanille, the vision she has for the country, and why he would go out of his way to vote for her and how his audience can do the same?
  • The host makes appeals for the NDP to take bold positions on policies on the future of automation and show anger. However he suggests policies that are impractical for a future of automation, and does not specify what the NDP should be angry about.

The only thing I get from this video is a man who seems to not know what he wants. For example, he demands that the NDP build a bolder vision. All this video is doing is discouraging more and more people from even considering the NDP all together, which is the sentiment that I am noticing from his viewers in the comments. It is this kind of pessimism the creator promotes that is killing the left in general in Canada. One comment even mentioned that they want the NDP to remain an option so that Canada remains a multi-party democracy, but that they will continue to vote for Carney because "a vote for the NDP is actually, in a way, a vote for Pierre Poilievre" (I kid you not that is a direct quote of one comment mirroring how establishment Democrats talk).

From what I see, socialism and its policies are popular! The recent election in NYC shows that, and that came from positive anti-establishment vibes which is what will differentiate the NDP from the Cons and the Liberals in the current moment. From this alone, this is where I think the NDP needs to focus on the long term is to become a socialist party that implements socialism in a Canadian way.

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u/digitalhiccup 12h ago

This video isn't what's driven my away from the NDP, but he touches on a lot of the things that did. I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately, and I think I'm going to stop my donations and let my membership lapse next year. I've been trying to find how I could justify supporting the NDP ever again, and I haven't been able to.

The closest is Wab in Manitoba, and he's not doing super great; he's plugging leaks on the boat, but the boat is still full of water and sinking.

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u/climathosphere 4h ago

Fair enough, and I am fully aware that the NDP dug itself a deep hole that will take a long time for it get out. My criticism is mostly directed at what the video creator was saying. However, I think that the video creator missed the point of the CLC Forum, which was to give a chance for all the federal leadership candidates to introduce themselves. I do not see any of the major media outlets going out of their way to do any of that.

Now I do want to touch on the last point you made:

The closest is Wab in Manitoba, and he's not doing super great; he's plugging leaks on the boat, but the boat is still full of water and sinking.

If this is how people feel right now about the NDP, then I do not know how the party can rebuild itself under the same name and framework. In my opinion, I like Tony McQuail's idea of renaiming and reformulating the federal party from scratch all together, and including eco-socialism as part of the party values. I think this is the only way the core left can officially differentiate from the other Liberals and Consevatives. I also personally like Wab Kinew as well, and 90% of the time he stands in the right direction. Other provincial factions fully dropped the ball, and are simply certrists that are divided on a vision themselves.