Peace, order and good government, eh?: In which Tom Mulcair makes it official

Mulcair launches NDP leadership bid with call to ‘do things differently’ Thomas Mulcair is entering the NDP leadership race with strong support from rookie MPs, calling on New Democrats to break with tradition and party elites. The Outremont MP said the NDP must expand beyond its "traditional base" if it wants to replace the current Conservative government, adding that New Democrats must have the courage to "do things differently." The NDP just finished winning the highest share of seats in the House of Commons in its history. So right off the top, I’m not sure that suggesting doing things differently is the correct approach. …he later referred to the example of former Manitoba NDP premier Gary Doer, who stayed in power for a decade with a centrist approach to government. Overall, the message from Mr. Mulcair and his supporters is that the NDP, under his leadership, would bring the party closer to the political centre and away from its union base. Given the way Gary Doer has recently embraced his new role as an uncritical PR representative for the oil patch, I’m not sure that’s a good example to use if you want to appeal to a lot of the…

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