Let me do a little speculating again with regard to what will happen with Poilievre next.
First of all, Premiere Carney has already said he would call for a bi-election right away in order for Poilievre to take his seat in the House.
Now that alone should tell you A LOT about what kind of man Carney is. This is definitely not the action of a Politician and while some might suggest he is being naive, it’s clear he is not, as he said, NO GAMES. He is acting in good faith. He is trusting someone.
BUT, what do you think Poilievre will do to reciprocate? If the tables were turned, is there any doubt that Poilievre would have made Carney wait the entire 6 months before he called the bi-election? None at all.
And what of his behaviour as opposition leader? Will that too stay the same? Will he continue with the stupid canned slogans and just oppose and criticize everything because that is what the opposition does? The opposition job is to oppose!
Is there any chance that he could just rise above it all, just a bit and behave like a normal human?
Can he possibly be able to bring himself to work collaboratively with Carney rather than waiting for the first opportunity to topple the Government and try yet again to get elected.
He says he has listened to the people, meaning hopefully that they were not buying what he was selling. Only time will tell.
I agree that in so many ways, Jack Layton was a great leader and the best shot to date the party has had at getting into the PM’s office. Mulcair was too negative and vastly underestimated Trudeau, alienating young voters by putting too much emphasis on “Justin’s” lack of experience. I didn’t warm up to Singh until this last term when he made great strides in achieving important portions of the progressive NDP vision in the form of expanded healthcare and social supports. Seeing that through may have cost the party “bums in seats”, but I believe it was worth it. I watched an interview with your party’s campaign manager and I agree with her that the NDP is values driven and because of that it will resurge once things calm down with our southern neighbours. In closing, I want to give a shout out to Peter Julian who was so exceptional and lost his Burnaby/New West seat. I expect many of his former colleagues in the Liberal Party will also miss him.
I am invisible in a crowd and fine with this. The first time I met Jack, in a crowd, he shook my hand and we chatted briefly. The second time he saw me, he walked up and called me by name.
Beautifully said and so accurate. We need a party infrastructure that can facilitate members seat at the table, and always keep others open for our neighbors. The controlling, top down approach has divided and conquered this social democratic movement. I've been disconnected and disappointed for a while, but knowing the many who have been members for as long or longer than myself, we can rebuild - as long as we centre peoples lived experiences as our calling to justice.
I am a former NDP MLA in the 1972 Dave Barrett government and a socialist. I no longer have a political party. The NDP has become "small l" liberal. The NDP is no longer a movement. How candidates are chosen remains a mystery.
We are facing escalating climate collapse. Poilievre's promises to remove all bans and taxes on climate issues, just like Trump, was too dangerous to contemplate. On my social media platforms I urged people to vote NDP if they had an NDP MP and Liberal if they had a Liberal MP. Unfortunately in many NDP held ridings people split the vote by voting Liberal and electing a Conservative.
The Liberals and Conservatives both serve the oligarchy. To some extent so do some of the once radical trade unions because of the jobs.
What's the point of rebuilding the NDP if it is just going to be Liberal lite?
I remember Jack Layton and the hope he always steered toward. You're very much like him Charlie and I hope you will continue with the NDP, maybe run for leader? We need someone smart, eloquent and speaks truth to power. I fear the CONs will be back in force for the next election given how many did vote for PP this time. It's astounding to me the Liberals did not get a majority in the face of threats from the US and creeping fascism here in Canada. Do Canadians really want a "strong man"? It seems as though there is an appetite for that and it frightens me. I hope Carney does a good job of pushing back Trump, and within Canada of doing more to change the perceptions of the party. I think you would be the man to bring back the NDP and then we will have two parties who have a moral compass rather than one who will take us down a dark path.
I find people who sign up for things like mailing lists, etc. are signing up for a social, educational, and activist experience. In too many places riding associations exist only during election season, and there is no real effort in any NDP email I’ve received to plug political education or activities to seriously organize around a cause. It would be easy for me personally to say that’s just how bourgeois parties are, but perhaps this will spawn some reflection on the party’s future and what it wants to be.
Probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but even though I always vote liberal or NDP at both levels I voted conservative because as a straight white man I no longer feel like there is a place for me on the left. The current iteration of the NDP takes identity politics so far that at its convention it told people like me to go to back of the question line. It also called the liberals sexist for not having enough female candidates--in the middle of the most important election in our history.
Not only is identity politics not going to win over trade unionists, that is a great way to LOSE trade unionists.
I believe in the left economic message of the NDP, but the party has pushed me away and made me feel unwelcome.
No hate here, that's not the way forward. I hear that you feel wronged by the way identity politics have played out, and I understand that it can be frustrating when societal discussions shift in ways that don’t feel fair. At the same time, I see identity politics as a way to make sure historically marginalized groups get a fair shot. Maybe, one day, we can find some common ground in how fairness should work for everyone.
There's no evidence that NDP votes went Conservative in significant numbers.
When a seat flips NDP to Conservative, there's no way to know riding voter dynamic with precision. Anecdotally though, A LOT of former Liberal voters went Conservative.
Looking back to last autumn, it was clear that Liberal voters were turning to the Conservatives in large numbers. This trend was only partially reversed with the leadership change to Carney.
So the big trends were:
Liberal voters going Conservative, (especially in the suburbs and rural areas).
NDP voters going Liberal (in their millions – nearly all of them)
And especially..
Bloc voters going Liberal. (without this trend, PP would be PM).
We've been telling the party this for years and no one seemed to be listening. My riding went to the Liberals but traditional NDP neighbourhoods voted Conservative over the NDP across the board. We need to re-build the party at the community level and the national party has to help or get out of the way.
I was conservative in my youth but as I evolved and matured, I began to see that compassion is much more important than money. I began voting NDP, however Singh lost me last fall when he tore up the supply & confidence motion. To me, it seemed like grandstanding, and appeared like a middle-aged tantrum. He shot himself and the party in the collective foot. Then he boasted about how much the NDP DID for us. They couldn’t do much after that, could they? Huge mistake, and that cost them a lot.
A tsunami starts with a rumbling and shift on the ocean floor. If we want a huge orange wave in 4 years the NDP must start building momentum from that rumbling on April 28,2025.
The NDP has the opportunity to educate, rally and present an alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives when an election is called. This new Liberal term is unprecedented, but no matter how brilliantly PM Carney saves Canada from these dangerous times, the voters will want change. The NDP has to spend the next 4 years laying the groundwork to be that change.
The candidates for MP and MPP should work together with elbows up rallies, church picnics, Labour Day parades… everywhere people discuss things. Sell orange shirts, buttons, bumper stickers with quotes to inspire.
Then, in 4 years when the election is called, the wave will be ready to wash over the land bringing sanity and dignity again.
The biggest factor in this election moving Canada towards a “2-party system” is due to one man - Trump, and, his influence on Conservatism. It has utterly corrupted the entire Republican Party, and I dare say that Canadian Conservatism was fully on board the Trump-train until Trump opened his big fat mouth about the 51st State stuff.
But the real truth remains - many Canadian Conservatives support Trump. I would wager near 50% still. Yes, patriotism went through the roof, but it was capitalized by the Liberal Party, and the “Elbows Up” themes became associated with the anti-Conservative coalition, to the point that Conservatives and their trolls were attacking the actual slogan.
This election proved that MAGA Conservatism in Canada is still dangerously high.
Given everything that Poilievre has said and done this past 2 years, it should have been a total rout.
Danielle Smith is now taking the lead in this Canadian MAGA movement… I am not certain any other Conservative premiers will follow this strategy. We’ll see how Moe responds in the next weeks.
Because of this Trump Conservatism influence, a current loose 2-Party system is both necessary and vitally important until Trump is gone.
I want to remain hopeful that few will be able to perpetuate Trumpism to the same extent once he is gone, and it will wain to manageable levels.
The NDP’s so-called collapse was also vitally crucial to make this election outcome happen. Things happen for a reason! A strong NDP showing would have handed the country to MAGA Conservatism.
The future of the NDP lies in an ability to replace the Liberal Party, and steal enough support away from Conservatives because the NDP would move more centrist, like a Notley AB NDP but on a federal level.
Are you listening Rachel?
This is an 8-yr plan. Trump needs to be gone. Canadian Conservatism needs to return to a more Ford-style, and less Danielle Smith style. So, more Canadian.
This is the only way a meaningful 3+ party system can return in Canada.
Let me do a little speculating again with regard to what will happen with Poilievre next.
First of all, Premiere Carney has already said he would call for a bi-election right away in order for Poilievre to take his seat in the House.
Now that alone should tell you A LOT about what kind of man Carney is. This is definitely not the action of a Politician and while some might suggest he is being naive, it’s clear he is not, as he said, NO GAMES. He is acting in good faith. He is trusting someone.
BUT, what do you think Poilievre will do to reciprocate? If the tables were turned, is there any doubt that Poilievre would have made Carney wait the entire 6 months before he called the bi-election? None at all.
And what of his behaviour as opposition leader? Will that too stay the same? Will he continue with the stupid canned slogans and just oppose and criticize everything because that is what the opposition does? The opposition job is to oppose!
Is there any chance that he could just rise above it all, just a bit and behave like a normal human?
Can he possibly be able to bring himself to work collaboratively with Carney rather than waiting for the first opportunity to topple the Government and try yet again to get elected.
He says he has listened to the people, meaning hopefully that they were not buying what he was selling. Only time will tell.
I agree that in so many ways, Jack Layton was a great leader and the best shot to date the party has had at getting into the PM’s office. Mulcair was too negative and vastly underestimated Trudeau, alienating young voters by putting too much emphasis on “Justin’s” lack of experience. I didn’t warm up to Singh until this last term when he made great strides in achieving important portions of the progressive NDP vision in the form of expanded healthcare and social supports. Seeing that through may have cost the party “bums in seats”, but I believe it was worth it. I watched an interview with your party’s campaign manager and I agree with her that the NDP is values driven and because of that it will resurge once things calm down with our southern neighbours. In closing, I want to give a shout out to Peter Julian who was so exceptional and lost his Burnaby/New West seat. I expect many of his former colleagues in the Liberal Party will also miss him.
I am invisible in a crowd and fine with this. The first time I met Jack, in a crowd, he shook my hand and we chatted briefly. The second time he saw me, he walked up and called me by name.
Thank you
Beautifully said and so accurate. We need a party infrastructure that can facilitate members seat at the table, and always keep others open for our neighbors. The controlling, top down approach has divided and conquered this social democratic movement. I've been disconnected and disappointed for a while, but knowing the many who have been members for as long or longer than myself, we can rebuild - as long as we centre peoples lived experiences as our calling to justice.
I am a former NDP MLA in the 1972 Dave Barrett government and a socialist. I no longer have a political party. The NDP has become "small l" liberal. The NDP is no longer a movement. How candidates are chosen remains a mystery.
We are facing escalating climate collapse. Poilievre's promises to remove all bans and taxes on climate issues, just like Trump, was too dangerous to contemplate. On my social media platforms I urged people to vote NDP if they had an NDP MP and Liberal if they had a Liberal MP. Unfortunately in many NDP held ridings people split the vote by voting Liberal and electing a Conservative.
The Liberals and Conservatives both serve the oligarchy. To some extent so do some of the once radical trade unions because of the jobs.
What's the point of rebuilding the NDP if it is just going to be Liberal lite?
I remember Jack Layton and the hope he always steered toward. You're very much like him Charlie and I hope you will continue with the NDP, maybe run for leader? We need someone smart, eloquent and speaks truth to power. I fear the CONs will be back in force for the next election given how many did vote for PP this time. It's astounding to me the Liberals did not get a majority in the face of threats from the US and creeping fascism here in Canada. Do Canadians really want a "strong man"? It seems as though there is an appetite for that and it frightens me. I hope Carney does a good job of pushing back Trump, and within Canada of doing more to change the perceptions of the party. I think you would be the man to bring back the NDP and then we will have two parties who have a moral compass rather than one who will take us down a dark path.
Your Scottish roots are the mining communities of Scotland who have long fought and died for social justice 🏴🏴🏴🏴
I find people who sign up for things like mailing lists, etc. are signing up for a social, educational, and activist experience. In too many places riding associations exist only during election season, and there is no real effort in any NDP email I’ve received to plug political education or activities to seriously organize around a cause. It would be easy for me personally to say that’s just how bourgeois parties are, but perhaps this will spawn some reflection on the party’s future and what it wants to be.
Probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but even though I always vote liberal or NDP at both levels I voted conservative because as a straight white man I no longer feel like there is a place for me on the left. The current iteration of the NDP takes identity politics so far that at its convention it told people like me to go to back of the question line. It also called the liberals sexist for not having enough female candidates--in the middle of the most important election in our history.
Not only is identity politics not going to win over trade unionists, that is a great way to LOSE trade unionists.
I believe in the left economic message of the NDP, but the party has pushed me away and made me feel unwelcome.
No hate here, that's not the way forward. I hear that you feel wronged by the way identity politics have played out, and I understand that it can be frustrating when societal discussions shift in ways that don’t feel fair. At the same time, I see identity politics as a way to make sure historically marginalized groups get a fair shot. Maybe, one day, we can find some common ground in how fairness should work for everyone.
There's no evidence that NDP votes went Conservative in significant numbers.
When a seat flips NDP to Conservative, there's no way to know riding voter dynamic with precision. Anecdotally though, A LOT of former Liberal voters went Conservative.
Looking back to last autumn, it was clear that Liberal voters were turning to the Conservatives in large numbers. This trend was only partially reversed with the leadership change to Carney.
So the big trends were:
Liberal voters going Conservative, (especially in the suburbs and rural areas).
NDP voters going Liberal (in their millions – nearly all of them)
And especially..
Bloc voters going Liberal. (without this trend, PP would be PM).
Conclusion: Quebec saved Canada.
We've been telling the party this for years and no one seemed to be listening. My riding went to the Liberals but traditional NDP neighbourhoods voted Conservative over the NDP across the board. We need to re-build the party at the community level and the national party has to help or get out of the way.
I was conservative in my youth but as I evolved and matured, I began to see that compassion is much more important than money. I began voting NDP, however Singh lost me last fall when he tore up the supply & confidence motion. To me, it seemed like grandstanding, and appeared like a middle-aged tantrum. He shot himself and the party in the collective foot. Then he boasted about how much the NDP DID for us. They couldn’t do much after that, could they? Huge mistake, and that cost them a lot.
Sounds like you lost yourself. Singh saved the country from a PP majority by tearing up that agreement.
A tsunami starts with a rumbling and shift on the ocean floor. If we want a huge orange wave in 4 years the NDP must start building momentum from that rumbling on April 28,2025.
The NDP has the opportunity to educate, rally and present an alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives when an election is called. This new Liberal term is unprecedented, but no matter how brilliantly PM Carney saves Canada from these dangerous times, the voters will want change. The NDP has to spend the next 4 years laying the groundwork to be that change.
The candidates for MP and MPP should work together with elbows up rallies, church picnics, Labour Day parades… everywhere people discuss things. Sell orange shirts, buttons, bumper stickers with quotes to inspire.
Then, in 4 years when the election is called, the wave will be ready to wash over the land bringing sanity and dignity again.
The NDP lost me when they agreed that a 51% referendum win was enough to secure independence for Quebec.
The biggest factor in this election moving Canada towards a “2-party system” is due to one man - Trump, and, his influence on Conservatism. It has utterly corrupted the entire Republican Party, and I dare say that Canadian Conservatism was fully on board the Trump-train until Trump opened his big fat mouth about the 51st State stuff.
But the real truth remains - many Canadian Conservatives support Trump. I would wager near 50% still. Yes, patriotism went through the roof, but it was capitalized by the Liberal Party, and the “Elbows Up” themes became associated with the anti-Conservative coalition, to the point that Conservatives and their trolls were attacking the actual slogan.
This election proved that MAGA Conservatism in Canada is still dangerously high.
Given everything that Poilievre has said and done this past 2 years, it should have been a total rout.
Danielle Smith is now taking the lead in this Canadian MAGA movement… I am not certain any other Conservative premiers will follow this strategy. We’ll see how Moe responds in the next weeks.
Because of this Trump Conservatism influence, a current loose 2-Party system is both necessary and vitally important until Trump is gone.
I want to remain hopeful that few will be able to perpetuate Trumpism to the same extent once he is gone, and it will wain to manageable levels.
The NDP’s so-called collapse was also vitally crucial to make this election outcome happen. Things happen for a reason! A strong NDP showing would have handed the country to MAGA Conservatism.
The future of the NDP lies in an ability to replace the Liberal Party, and steal enough support away from Conservatives because the NDP would move more centrist, like a Notley AB NDP but on a federal level.
Are you listening Rachel?
This is an 8-yr plan. Trump needs to be gone. Canadian Conservatism needs to return to a more Ford-style, and less Danielle Smith style. So, more Canadian.
This is the only way a meaningful 3+ party system can return in Canada.