Andrew Perez@andrewaperez
I’ve never seen Canada’s @NDP in such dire circumstances in my 25+ years following Canadian politics.
And yet, the party is poised to elect firebrand leftist @avilewis this weekend rendering Canada’s social democratic party even more irrelevant.
Lewis and his band of supporters are anything but moderate Social Democrats — indeed they’re radicals: anti-Canadian energy, anti-Western and anti-Israel verging on anti-Semitic; these are merely some of the adjectives one could reasonably use to describe this iteration of the NDP.
As a partisan Liberal, I couldn’t care less if the NDP are intent on becoming even more irrelevant to debates around politics and public policy at this most crucial time in our history.
But as a Canadian, which I am always first and foremost, I mourn the essential death of the NDP. The party currently plays a critical role governing (mostly responsibly) in BC and Manitoba and forms a compelling Official Opposition in provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The pragmatic “Prairie populism” of Western Canadian provincial New Democrats has always been sensible; but with Avi Lewis at the helm, the federal party is about to take a sharp turn to the radical left leaving a not insignificant rupture between the NDP’s federal and provincial wings.
Canada needs a robust, moderate social Democratic Party — especially in this moment. To fight for the unemployed, labour, the working poor and equity seeking groups that are genuinely struggling in an era of fiscal retrenchment.
But mark my words: an Avi Lewis-led NDP will always prioritize divisive culture wars over fighting for the interests of everyday Canadians — every time. And that’s a real loss for Canada and social democracy in this country. #cdnpoli
