The Road Ahead Uncertain for NDP

Parliament promises to be a tough slog for the NDP as the party confronts its future without Jack.

It’s like one of those days when brilliant sunshine alternates with thundershowers; you’re wandering outside, enjoying the fine weather and feeling optimistic, and then suddenly find yourself in a downpour, half-soaked and running for shelter.

That’s very much what the federal New Democratic Party is facing. By the evening of the May 2 election, the news for long-time NDP supporters was very good indeed. The party had gone from having 37 seats in the Commons to having 103 and Official Opposition status. The New Democrats had won 30 per cent of the popular vote. Their popular leader, Jack Layton, who had roared back from prostate cancer and a recent hip operation, conducted a stunning campaign, and, most significantly, wrested Quebec out of the hands of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois.

Did The Globe and Mail stoke latent Canadian nationalism through its coverage of Nycole Turmel's affiliation with the Bloc? Read one expert's view here.

Yet, it’s hard to imagine a bigger setback than the one the NDP faces now: On Monday, Aug. 22, Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer, passing away peacefully at his Toronto home surrounded by family and friends.

And now the New Democrats face a Conservative majority government with which they share few values, and whose modus operandi – let’s not mince words here – is essentially “attack, smear, and destroy all opposition without mercy.” In short, Parliament will be a tough slog for the New Democrats, especially given the fact that 57 NDP members of Parliament are rookies, most lacking any legislative experience.

The NDP faces several challenges this fall. Among the most important is that the Conservatives’ impending “law and order” omnibus bill will have provisions allowing governments to easily access Canadians’ web-browsing histories. The NDP will have to convince the Canadian public that it is not “soft on crime” (expect to hear that phrase ad nauseum over the next few months), but is instead standing up for our basic privacy rights.

The New Democrats are also going to have to deal with the reality of the end of vote subsidies; the Conservatives are determined to end the system, as they have a distinct advantage in fundraising among their own constituencies. In fact, in the middle of writing this article, I received a fundraising phone call from the NDP, anticipating this development.

Deep party fractures threaten the NDP's ability to fulfill its role as an effective Official Opposition. Read more here.

Still, I’m told the NDP caucus is feeling fairly cocky. The New Democrats are quite proud of how they conducted themselves during the NDP filibuster in the brief legislative session in June that dealt with back-to-work legislation directed against striking postal workers. Moreover, they are looking around at their colleagues and are impressed with what they see – a heady collection of youthful energy, on one hand, and solid experience, on the other.

The caucus is a thoroughly diverse group, including not just the usual lawyer and union types, but also small-business owners, people who work in the building trades, musicians, university professors, high-school teachers, actors, IT people, journalists, economists, artists, public servants, HR professionals, a criminologist, a meteorologist, a former diplomat, an agronomist, a carpenter, a nurse, a real-estate agent, a doctor, and, not surprisingly, a gamut of environmental and community activists.