The NDP Leadership Convention

8/2/2019 The NDP Leadership Convention

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TheNDPLeadershipConvention!ExpectationsandReality!

DonCurrie,EditorFocusOnSocialism,ChairCPSMarch24,2012

www.FocusOnSocialism.ca


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CanadiansforPeace&Socialismwww.FocusOnSocialism.ca

Box168SlocanBCV0G2C0

Canada

12503552669

The new Canada that many Canadians hoped might emerge at the NDP leadership

convention requiresmore thananew leaderandan imagechange for theNDPcaucus.A

new peoples vision of Canada is required. The global capitalist depression has caused

millionsto

question

the

viability

of

capitalism

itself.

ThomasMulcair, thenew leaderof theNDPwon theNDP leadershipwithoutenunciating

whatthatnewNDPvisionshouldbe.Failuretodothat inthemidstofaglobalcrisiswasa

mistake.MulcairdidnotchallengePrimeMinisterStephenHarpersvisionof the futureof

CanadaproclaimedatDavosSwitzerlandlastyear.1Thatwasanopportunitylost.

PropelledbyamassmovementamongCanadianurbanand ruralvoterswho rejectPrime

MinisterHarpers support forNATOwarsand financecapitalistdominanceover the state

andParliament,theNDPmaybepoisedtowinpowerinthenextfederalelection.

Such is the growing dissatisfaction among Canadian workers and farmers the NDP is

positionedtowinthenextelectionevenifitretainsitscurrentreformistpolicies.

If that happens the federal governmentwill change from Conservative to NDP but the

fundamental conditions of life of the unemployed, working class and farm families will

remainthesamebecausetheprofitsystemwillnothavechanged.

ThesolidsupportfortheNDPofamajorityofCanadiansvotersofurbanandruralCanadais

notassuredjustbecausetheNDPoppositionspeaksupintheHouseofCommonsonbehalf

ofhard

working

Canadian

families.

That

is

not

a

program

to

change

the

country.

That

is

an

elementaryduty. Thatroleisnecessaryandminimal.Butitisnotenough!

1Hhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/primeministerharperunveilsgrandplantoreshape

canada/article2316795/

www.FocusOnSocialism.ca NDPLeadershipConvention Page2of4


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Appealing for labour and farm votes as a kinder gentler variant of the Liberals or

ConservativesisacommitmenttochangetheguardatOttawa,nottochangethecapitalist

systemin

Canada

or

even

its

worst

features.

TheNDPleadershipcandidatesevadeddiscussingthecapitalistsystemanditscurrentstate

ofcrisisandpredationonCanadaanditspeople.

Canada is a G7 NATO monopoly capitalist state. By definition that means 21st Century

imperialism.PrimeMinisterHarperseekstocynicallydetachhisgovernmentfromthecrimes

ofthesystemheupholdsandpromotes.TheHarperConservativespromotean imperialist

foreignpolicyofsupportforUSNATOIsraeliwarswhichmaybreakoutintheMiddleEastat

anymoment.

TheHarperGovernment is theadvocateandpromoterofa singleenergy resourcebased

economy dominated by big private domestic and foreign investors and profiteers. The

Harper Government promotes free trade dealswith despotic regimes. The Conservative

Governmenthasnoplanstoovercomeunemployment,povertyandracisminCanada.

The Conservatives have abandoned the vision of Canada as an integrated, allsided

industrialized technologically advanced manufacturing and industrialized 21st century

country.PrimeMinisterHarperisopposedtosuchaneconomicplanbecausetheonlywayit

can be realized in practice is under a new socialist government. The NDP long ago

abandonedsocialism.

TheHarperConservativessubordinate thegreatpotential forCanada toonepurpose, the

saleofenergyandothernaturalresourcecommodities,combinedwithbillionsspentonthe

militarizationoftheeconomytoparticipate inUSsponsoredNATOwars.That iswhat the

NDPcandidatesevadedspeakingabout.

NotoneofthecandidatesarticulatedavisionofCanadaasapeaceful, independentstate,

renouncingwar and utilizing its own resources and the immense creative abilities of its

peopletobuildanentirelynewkindofCanada,asocialistCanada.

That could not realistically be expected. However something short of that, that would

openly challenge the dominance ofmonopoly capital over all of Canadian domestic and

foreignpolicycouldhaveandshouldhavebeendiscussed.

TheNDPCaucusgoesbacktoParliamentonMondayMarch26thwithoutadeclaredpolicy

on thevital issuespeaceandwar,and independentplannedeconomicdevelopment. The


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NDPwill limit its role to advocating a reform program to alleviate theworst economic

hardshipsfacedbymillionsofCanadians.Intheabsenceofagreatindependentlabourparty

ofsocialism

of

their

own,

the

workers

and

farmers

will

understandably

support

such

efforts.

Thomas Mulcair has mused about leading the NDP to a rightofcentre position in

Parliamentaryelectoralpoliticswhich incapitalistCanadameans inpracticeawayfromthe

influenceoforganizedlabourandtheworkingclassandworkingfarmers.

Mulcair seeks be to a kinder gentler manager of Canada rather than the architect of

changingit.

Within the narrow boundaries of social reformist class collaborationist politics the just

concluded

NDP

Convention

upheld

the

view

that

image

trumps

substance.

Using

that

measure to determine the outcome of the leadership convention, the NDP hasmoved

furthertotheright.

Tobepopular,theNDPestablishmentwantedthatoutcome.Thatmakesthetaskoflabour,

peaceanddemocraticactivistsmoredifficult.

Playingthemediagamethatpersonalitiestrumpsubstance,the leadershipcandidatesand

theirmanagerssquanderedtheopportunitytospeakovertheheadsofthemediapundits

directly to the Canadian people pledging to fight for a foreign policy of peace and a

domestic

policy

of

planned

economic

development.

All of the leadership candidates, with a national audience watching, muted their open

supportof theextraparliamentaryandmilitantmassoppositionarisingonpicket lines, in

studentdemonstrations,amongfarmers,FirstNationsandthe20%livingbelowthepoverty

line.

TheNDPcannotconfine themassmovementsofthepeople toParliamentarypoliticsand

simplycapitalizeonitinthenextelection.

There is a discerniblemovement among voters for a change in capitalist Parliamentary

politicsthatwillnotbedeniedandmaynotgototheNDPifitcontinuestomoveright.

Theprogressive,awareandresponsibleleftmustgivevoicetothatmilitantmovementand

theopportunityitpresentstoclearlyarticulateaworkingclasssocialistprogramthatopenly

challengesstatemonopolycapital.

Documents

The NDP Leadership Convention