Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
News

New NDP Caucus Chair Not Worried about Lack of Leadership Candidates

‘Interesting’ members to step forward, Daniel Blaikie says.

Jeremy Nuttall 24 Jan 2017TheTyee.ca

Jeremy J. Nuttall is The Tyee’s Parliament Hill reporter in Ottawa. Find his previous stories here.

image atom
No worries about lack of NDP leadership candidates, says new caucus chair.

New NDP caucus chair Daniel Blaikie says he’s not worried that no leadership candidates have stepped up to replace Tom Mulcair as Parliament resumes Monday.

Blaikie, MP for the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Trascona, was elected caucus chair Tuesday as New Democrat MPs started a three-day meeting to prepare for the new Parliamentary session.

“I’m quite confident by the time we have that debate we’re going to have interesting candidates in the race,” Blaikie told reporters in Ottawa. The first leadership candidates’ debate is schedule for March.

But the leadership vote is not going to take place until October, he noted. Prospective candidates are holding fire so as not to get involved in a long, drawn out campaign, suggested Blaikie, known as the son of long-time NDP MP Bill Blaikie and the candidate to win by the narrowest margin — 61 votes — in the last election.

Blaikie said the lack of a permanent leader isn’t an issue for the NDP.

Before the Christmas break, the Liberal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were being hammered over ethics concerns related to so-called cash for access fundraisers.

In December The Tyee published a series of stories about a private fundraiser for the Liberals featuring Trudeau, wealthy members of the Chinese community and officials from the Chinese government.

But Blaikie said he isn’t concerned the NDP’s lack of leadership candidates could prevent the party from making the most of a government that has never been more vulnerable.

“I don’t agree with the premise of the question cause I know for a fact there are people out there looking at it,” Blaikie responded.

Burnaby South MP Kennedy Stewart said he suspects the Liberals were relieved when the Christmas break came.

Stewart said the government’s pre-Christmas approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion has undermined support in B.C., where the Liberals gained 15 seats in B.C. in the 2015 election.

“The lustre of Trudeau has worn off and the public is now looking at his decisions,” he said. “Why he’s not really having town halls or announcing them on the West Coast is because he betrayed British Columbians.”

Stewart said there is “a lot of anger” in B.C. toward the Liberals.

NDP trade critic Tracey Ramsey said the party needs to focus on job creation and protecting Canadian interests as President Donald Trump launches his protectionist agenda.

Ramsey said the Liberals seem to have no plan about how to grow the country’s workforce.

“We’re here pushing for solutions and pushing the Liberals to be progressive on these issues,” Ramsey said.  [Tyee]

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll