After their Sunday convention, the NDP exposed, perhaps unwillingly, some deep identity rifts within the party over the use of the word socialism. For now, the party will keep the word in their constitution.
And why shouldn’t it?
In a previous article, I wrote that the NDP’s base is now in Quebec, with around sixty or so of its MP’s, the young ones, from the French province. I also said that the youth vote is also the left vote. That when young people, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine, show up at the ballot box, they tend to go against the establishment. In the May elections in Canada, that was against the Conservatives and the Liberals.
Why would the NDP alienate those who helped the party get to where it is, the official opposition?
Fortunately for the NDP, the party delegates voted to keep the word socialist in the party’s constitution. And fortunately for us liberals, this extremism will most likely drive away some of the moderates from the new opposition party.
Therefore, us liberals have to stick to our centrism, accommodate all of those who reject the political extremists currently in Ottawa and embrace moderation.
Also, the party discussed whether or not to leave the door open for a merger with the Liberals. Unfortunately, the delegates were also deeply divided on that question. Some NDP MP’s claimed that merging with the Liberals now was a sign of weakness and that the party does not need the Liberals to form the government in the future. Others suggested that it’s not just about practicality in the face of a Conservative majority government, but its about something more fundamental, that the NDP rejects all Liberal principles.
One NDP delegate put it this way:
“It’s about rejecting everything the Liberal party has stood for Canadians,”. “We have to stand on our own two feet.”
Some, however did not want to rule out the possibility of a merger. Delegates like MP Peter Stoffer from Nova Scotia said:
“To close the door on any discussion with Liberals in the future . . . I think is a tactical, serious mistake. In order for us to gain the next 70, 75, 100 seats to government, ladies and gentleman, an awful lot of Liberals are going to have to vote for us,”
Regardless of their decision, the Liberals will never merge with the NDP. A party as extreme as the Conservatives, just on the other side of the political spectrum, doesn’t deserve to represent a moderate and inclusive liberal constituency.
Unless the Canadian people decide to shift permanently to the left or right political extremes, this Conservative majority and NDP opposition love affair won’t last long.
If it does, however, Canada will become a two party nation just like the United States. And that would be, I think we can all agree on this, a great tragedy.
