The NDP’s provincial wins in Nova Scotia and Manitoba are proof that, no matter how long or hard the road, victory is never impossible.

New Democrats are in Halifax this weekend and not just for the beautiful setting and vibrant nightlife. We are here for our 2009 National Convention because this city, Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic region are turning to our party more and more.

When we chose Halifax more than a year ago, we could not have hoped for better than arriving just months after the election of Nova Scotia’s first New Democrat government.

Premier Dexter’s victory is an inspiration to New Democrats from Halifax Harbour to Vancouver Bay. But the road to victory in Nova Scotia – just like Premier Doer’s in Manitoba – was long.

They built slowly with good candidates, sound new policies, and focused discipline. Critics often said they had no chance of winning. They say the same thing about federal New Democrats.

But we know that victory will not happen overnight. We are pursuing a similar strategy of incremental growth.

Bastions of strength in Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia will expand. Breakthrough victories in St. John’s, Edmonton, and Montreal at the last election created beachheads that will be the basis for that growth.

Outstanding candidates drove those breakthroughs and, with a fall election a real possibility, we are nominating excellent candidates across the country.

At Convention, we will be taking steps to build a dynamic organization on the ground, based on the Obama campaign’s grassroots organizing and learned from its key architect.

Betsy Myers, a senior advisor to the Obama campaign, will share an inside look at their message strategy. Premiers Dexter and Doer, along with key campaign staff, will talk about their breakthrough victories.

Just as importantly, delegates will debate new policy. Economic recovery is an important theme, but delegates are also considering policies on green jobs, climate change, the arts, and an exciting new small business policy.

New policies fuel the work of our team in Ottawa. New Democrat MPs, including Nova Scotia’s Megan Leslie (Halifax) and Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore), work hard to represent middle-class and working families.

As a result, Canadians are turning to New Democrats. In three elections our vote rose from 1 million to 2.5 million, and our seats from 13 to 37. New Democrats hold ridings from Vancouver Island to the Northwest Territories to St John’s – a nation-wide platform for growth.

New Democrats are serious about victory. Our Convention in Halifax is the next vital step on that road.