New NDP Leader, a Moderate?

The New Democratic Party of Canada has just concluded its leadership convention in Toronto. Thomas Mulcair the avowed moderate in the race, has won the leadership on the fourth ballot with a vote count of 57%. Prior to winning the Leadership Mulcair was the first NDP member to be elected in the Province of Quebec in 2007, foreshadowing the ‘Orange Wave’ of 2011. The long and winding leadership contest to replace the late Jack Layton was described as a contest between the old guard of the party and Mulcair’s lurch to the political center. Candidates like Brian Topp, Paul Dewar and Peggy Nash all from a union background, advocated staying true to the party’s social democratic base while Mulcair was seen as a moderate and centrist. Many described the struggle as a choice between remaining ideologically pure (if politically naive) and becoming centrist enough to be electable for government.

The NDP’s membership apparently chose electability over purity, in hoisting Mulcair into the leadership throne. Mulcair being the only real bilingual candidate as well as being a native Quebecker may well have the best chances of keeping the the 59 seats the Dippers won in the last election. The fact that he is reported to be the most moderate of the field may also serve to expand the NDP’s reach outside of its traditional bastions of support, namely manufacturing workers neighbourhoods. His decidedly pro-environment stance may serve the NDP well in consolidating the vote in environmentally friendly BC and Quebec. However Mulcair seems to be affected by a somewhat pronounced case of antagonistic personality. His forceful ways may raise the ire of Canadians as it is one of their biggest issues with the current Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It remains to be seen if Mulcair can muster enough economic and political moderation out of his party to win seats in vote heavy Southern Ontario. While not explicitly objecting to non-renewable  resource extraction, his pro-Kyoto and pro Cap and Trade stances wont sit well with Prairie voters.

What remains unclear is whether Canadian Politics generally has come out a winner from this. Will the victory of a ‘moderate’ at the NDP usher in a new era in Canadian politics resembling the current make up of British politics? Will the Tories and Dippers represent the new dueling political oligarchs? Has the once hegemonic Liberal Party ceded its place as Canada’s traditional centrist option? The remaining years of this current government will help answer these questions. As the Liberals finally determine whether Bob Rae will be their next leader or not, Canada’s three main federalist parties will jostle for position for Canadian’s voting hearts. These are interesting times for Canada as its politics continue a period of flux started with the dismantling of the Progressive Conservative Party in the early 1990’s, continued with the rise and fall of the Bloc Quebecois and now characterized with the potential ascent to government of the New Democratic Party.