Jagmeet Singh now leads the New Democratic Party. All three of Canada's political parties are now firmly in the hands of millennials. Andrew Scheer and Singh are even younger than Justin Trudeau. So what does that mean? Campbell Clark believes that Singh will shake up Canadian politics:
Mr. Singh has the potential to disrupt the patterns of Canadian politics. His candidacy offered the NDP a ray of hope that they could move beyond union workers and urban lefties to appeal to new Canadians and fight for suburban ridings such as those in the Greater Toronto Area. The stalwarts didn't.
Still, that doesn't mean there will be another Orange Crush:
The party is dwindling into irrelevance in Quebec, which was supposed to be the new NDP base. Even a New Democratic MP, Pierre Nantel, questioned whether Quebeckers will accept a turbaned Sikh as a party leader. But Mr. Singh will be new and different, and speaks French well enough: On Sunday, he said he learned the language out of solidarity with people who had suffered the slights of a linguistic minority.
It will be interesting to see what Quebecers make of Mr. Singh. In the meantime, Singh has the potential to do well in the suburbs which surround Toronto. The NDP will look different under Singh. But the real question is this: Will it be different?
For the last forty years, all three parties have been firmly in the grip of neo-liberalism. The financial meltdown of 2008 should have spelled that ideology's doom. But it stubbornly hangs on. In the United States, it refuses to die and lives on in the body of a crazy old man.
Will Singh do more than just make his party look different?
Image: singhstation.net
16 comments:
I was watching a short interview with Singh after his victory, Owen. I was struck by how much he sounds like Trudeau, with the same ready command of platitudes as has our prime minister. I sincerely hope Singh will prove to have more substance than Trudeau, and I will be watching and listening over the time remaining until the next election for indications of such.
Experience has taught us, Lorne, that the faces change but the agenda stays the same. We await the future.
What bothers me though Owen is that Jagdeep Singh had thousands more then the other candidates in new memberships. These new memberships were bought by a group of sikhs. Patrick Brown did the same thing. An eastern asian group bought 40k new memberships to the tune of $400K. The other candidates for the leadership of the conservative party stepped down. Jagdeep Singh new members bought 47k new memberships. I was really surprised to find out that this was legal.
It's hard to know what Jagdeep does think, because his win came from his extra new memberships. The only politician in the house I've heard challenge the neoliberal "trade deals" was Charlie Angus.
I went to the NDP first ballot count, because I wanted to see for myself. I walked away thinking nothing is going to change. To be fair though, that was just what I was feeling.
I observed the same thing that Lorne did in that Singh sounds alot like Trudeau. As you said, "we await the future."
These days, I try not to get very excited, Pam. Talk is cheap. It's what gets done that matters. I'll wait to see what Singh does.
I loathe and love the NDP for spitting the rational vote. Identity politcs are alway in the DNA of voters. If this guy makes Andrew Scheer PM I will want to haunt him. Just like Jack gave space to Harper
A true NDP candiate who was socialist and sensible like Merker would have my vote.
Call me a racist if you like. However anyone who wears their religion on their sleeve to me is major suspect. We got pile drived by Jack Layton and identity politics is what which this guy is playing is not a road we want to go down. Identity politics wins elections but produces
no solutions.
Maybe this guy is different in real life, but if your God says put an rag upon your head
who are you seeking for guidance. Its abhorrent to me.
If Singh follows the centrist path of Layton and Mulcair, the NDP deserves to languish. Did he buy the first ballot win? Well when buses of new supporters show up and they all look like you then people can get a bit wary.
I hope he costs the Liberals a handful of seats in British Columbia but I'll be sticking with the Greens.
Sounds a bit like those "instant Tories" who helped give the leadership to Brian Mulroney, Mound. I'm not rejoicing. But I'm willing to give Singh some time to see what happens.
You assume that someone who is religious will be trying to sell you his or her religion. We long ago rejected that stereotype, Steve. You're still living with it. Do you mean "like Merkel?"
Harper and now Scheer are selling their religion. Merkel I dont know, she is a Christian, but I feel not in the Harper Reform mold.
That may be, Steve, but they're not wearing external religious symbols. You confuse the symbols and the policies. What matters is the policies and whether or not religious dogma becomes part of policy.
True Owen. I will set my prejudice against silly hats aside and hope for the best.
The alarm bells are ringing because Trudeau dropped the liberty file and has left the Cons once again in a perfect position to control Canada, like Bombardier family controls Bombardier.
If the NDP and Liberals split the progressive vote, Steve, the Harperites can -- once again -- come up the middle.
If you can use mass enrollment of members based on either ethnic or any other element of affinity to take over an EDA, then why not a whole political party? Just pick the one where the current lists of active members, and the lineup of people who dress like you and might be eligible for a leadership role, are shortest.
In any case, Jagmeet seems to have exceptional facility in smiling and listing paragraph titles. This may advantage his party by attracting support from the Liberal base. It looks like a winner. After all, who needs the old Bolsheviks and the rest of those not seeking and likely to be thrilled by an emotional connection to their candidates? They couldn't do anything in the GTA. Leave those losers to the Greens.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens to the progressive vote the next time around, John. In the last election, it coalesced around Justin. In the next election it could fragment between the Libs, the Dippers and the Greens. That could make Andrew Scheer prime minister.
I'd really like to publish your comment, Anon. But it needs to be initialed.
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