NDP-Liberal Merger Talk Just Won't Die

Pat Martin says he'll run for the leadership of the NDP on a proposal to merge the two parties. Others wish he would just merge his lips together.

Remember all that NDP-Liberal merger talk going on during, and just after, the election? Well, thanks to a couple questionably timed comments from Liberal MP Denis Coderre and, as of yesterday, NDP MP Pat “Dial-a-Quote” Martin, speculation is swirling that the two opposition parties might be better served by getting hitched. Martin said he'd run for the NDP leadership on a proposal to merge the two parties if none of the other candidates think it's a good idea. Coderre, also known for being a tad loquacious, floated the idea earlier this week before interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae shot down the idea. Likewise, none of the other major voices in the Layton-less NDP (president Brian Topp, Thomas Mulcair, Libby Davies) have come out in support of a merger, and Martin, well, has a habit of his words getting him into trouble. Regardless, though, at least some members are getting a discussion on the issue started. It sure worked for Stephen Harper a decade ago when the Progressive Conservatives were in tatters and members of the Canadian Alliance were just a bunch of pitchfork-wavin' Albertan populists.