I don't agree with everything here, but I do agree we need a longer timeframe. This can't be just about fighting the next election in 2026 or whenever it happens. This is a long-term project that involves totally rebuilding the party and returning it to relevance. That will take many years and a different approach than gearing up to win it all back in the first go around.
Christo, What is your current perspective on the likely timelines of an early election opening? I am starting to believe that part of the difference between the two points of view is that some people think it is coming very very quickly, while others believe there is time to spare before then.
My instinct is that we won't have an election too soon.
1. While Poilievre is coming back to Parliament relatively soon, he's still not in yet, and given that the election is in the summer, he won't *really* be back until October at least. Until then, there's basically no chance of him pulling the plug
2. There is also a chance he faces a defeat in leadership review
3. But the BIGGEST factor is that we now have a Liberal-Conservative 'coalition' government that is quite stable. The Tories are getting the cuts and right-wing policy they desire without having to get their hands dirty. I think they'll let Carney keep doing their bidding.
4. Part of this is connected to the fact that polling looks pretty bad for the Tories. In most polls they've slipped quite a bit. In some they're now down by 10% since the election. If we had one today, Carney would win.
5. I don't think Carney will pull the plug himself until later in 2026 at least, because he wants people to forget about his early right-wing moves
Yeah, the counterargument argues that there will be two budgets in a row containing some of the most right-wing moves from a Liberal government since the last time the NDP lost party status (1993) and the Reform Party became the opposition, and the party needs to be ready to carve out space early opposing those moves.
Another disagreement appears to revolve around whether a leader is needed to bring focus to that work in the public discourse. Comms people seem to think so, while organizers don’t. Interesting.
Lots of good points in here, especially around fund raising. The NDP’s messaging and communications felt very cash-strapped in the last election. Even the greens felt like a “bigger” party with their new branding.
I think the NDP need to aim for a leader who is much more focused on policy that Canadians can get behind. Too often these leadership races seem to be to win the party but not to win elections. In a way, the leadership race is a test to see if the party itself wants to change, and a vote for a policy-focussed candidate could really move things in a new direction. I felt like the Singh era was so focused on his face and voice that the party forgot to tell people what the NDP actually stood for. What’s the NDP vision for Canada? We can’t keep saying the other guys are bad. It’s feeling like everyone except the party insiders understand this.
I don't agree with everything here, but I do agree we need a longer timeframe. This can't be just about fighting the next election in 2026 or whenever it happens. This is a long-term project that involves totally rebuilding the party and returning it to relevance. That will take many years and a different approach than gearing up to win it all back in the first go around.
Christo, What is your current perspective on the likely timelines of an early election opening? I am starting to believe that part of the difference between the two points of view is that some people think it is coming very very quickly, while others believe there is time to spare before then.
My instinct is that we won't have an election too soon.
1. While Poilievre is coming back to Parliament relatively soon, he's still not in yet, and given that the election is in the summer, he won't *really* be back until October at least. Until then, there's basically no chance of him pulling the plug
2. There is also a chance he faces a defeat in leadership review
3. But the BIGGEST factor is that we now have a Liberal-Conservative 'coalition' government that is quite stable. The Tories are getting the cuts and right-wing policy they desire without having to get their hands dirty. I think they'll let Carney keep doing their bidding.
4. Part of this is connected to the fact that polling looks pretty bad for the Tories. In most polls they've slipped quite a bit. In some they're now down by 10% since the election. If we had one today, Carney would win.
5. I don't think Carney will pull the plug himself until later in 2026 at least, because he wants people to forget about his early right-wing moves
Yeah, the counterargument argues that there will be two budgets in a row containing some of the most right-wing moves from a Liberal government since the last time the NDP lost party status (1993) and the Reform Party became the opposition, and the party needs to be ready to carve out space early opposing those moves.
Another disagreement appears to revolve around whether a leader is needed to bring focus to that work in the public discourse. Comms people seem to think so, while organizers don’t. Interesting.
Lots of good points in here, especially around fund raising. The NDP’s messaging and communications felt very cash-strapped in the last election. Even the greens felt like a “bigger” party with their new branding.
I think the NDP need to aim for a leader who is much more focused on policy that Canadians can get behind. Too often these leadership races seem to be to win the party but not to win elections. In a way, the leadership race is a test to see if the party itself wants to change, and a vote for a policy-focussed candidate could really move things in a new direction. I felt like the Singh era was so focused on his face and voice that the party forgot to tell people what the NDP actually stood for. What’s the NDP vision for Canada? We can’t keep saying the other guys are bad. It’s feeling like everyone except the party insiders understand this.