NDP Leadership Convention 2017

[lilTommy]

Looks like there is another Candidate that has stepped in; Ibrahim Bruno El-Khoury

http://ipolitics.ca/2017/04/06/fifth-candidate-registers-to-enter-ndp-leadership-race-to-replace-mulcair/ - paywall article.

Found a blog as well - http://ibelkhoury.blogspot.com/2015/08/publications.html

[lilTommy]

Looks like Singh is inching closer... gah this is excrutiating... to entering the race

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jagmeet-singh-ndp-leadership-announcement-1.4096068

I follow him on social media, and he's been all over the country; he was working BC during the election and in Manitoba (endorsing Kinew an ManNDP leader).

My feeling is, he will poll well, but in the end won't win for various reason ( think Angus is in the best overall to win)
This exposure will help the him and the ONDP, I expect he will feature more prominently around Horwath during the election especially in the GTA/urban cities.

[lilTommy]

Jagmeet campaign launch on right now. This is going to be huge, folks.

From what I understand, Jagmeet is Obama-level charismatic, and has pretty good campaigning skills, right? He sounds like an excellent candidate, though not without his flaws (he appears to have a taste for the expensive).

I wouldn't say he is quite at the level of Obama, but he is definitely Obama-esque. I don't know if this is a flaw or not, but he is definitely a certified hipster.

Meaning he can play Trudeau's game but better. He'd appeal to that young urban social liberal, left-liberal voter. I just can't see any other candidate appeal to this group. Angus and Ashton can appeal to parts but not the same. Singh social media game is huge.
Vice - https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/jagmeet-singh-is-finally-here-to-save-the-ndp-leadership-race-from-irrelevance?utm_source=vicetwitterca

His French is pretty good actually for someone in Southern ON (from this mild franco-ontarian), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM_QuN2IFZA&feature=share not the best, still an anglo accent but he's trying with that inflection.

[lilTommy]

Looks like another entry into the race... David Berlin
"...editor of the Literary Review of Canada, co-founder of The Walrus Magazine. He has published and edited several books including “ What’s Left: The New Democratic Party in Renewal (2001)”"
http://davidberlin.ca/

I feel at this point, your late to the game.

[lilTommy]

Ruth Ellen Brousseau is endorsing Guy Caron

Caron has had a few former MPs endorse him as of late too; Jean Crowder and Chris Charlton

[lilTommy]

Sheri Benson, MP for Saskatoon West endorsed Ashton. I believe that is her first caucus endorsement?

Wayne Marston, former MP for Hamilton East - Stoney Creek endorsed Angus

[lilTommy]

Jagmeet just scored his first Quebec MP endorsement, a big one too, Hélène Laverdière. She was considered a high profile candidate in 2011 as a former diplomat, then known for defeating the BQ Leader Gilles Duceppe not once but twice.

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/politique-canadienne/201707/17/01-5116862-npd-jagmeet-singh-recolte-lappui-dune-premiere-deputee-du-quebec.php

[lilTommy]

It Looks like Jagmeet has another MP endorsement now, BC's Jenny Kwan, I can't see if this is official or not though? I only have the link from Jagmeet's team so...

http://www.jagmeetsingh.ca/join_jenny

[lilTommy]

Caron just scored some major Northern Ontario support:

Howard Hampton, former Ontario NDP Leader (MPP for Kenora-Rainy River, federal 2015 Candidate in Kenora), and Shelley Martel, long time NDP MPP for Sudbury East then Nickel Belt (former Ontario Cabinet Minister)

[lilTommy]

Charlie Angus was endorsed by various labour leaders.
http://www.timminspress.com/2017/08/11/charlie-angus-is-endorsed-by-labour-leaders

He also received the endorsement of a second MP, Carol Hughes of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing. he is now tied with Caron and Ashton on MPs endorsements. Ashton got he seconf by Georgina Jolibois from northern Saskatchewan. Singh has seven MPs supporting him.

Angus just scored huge, David Suzuki has endorsed him.

[lilTommy]

I'm a bit surprised since a couple of months ago Ashton and Julian were clear on their opposition to pipelines and Angus was more vague.

Here is Suzuki's reasoning - http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/08/14/david-suzuki-endorses-charlie-angus-as-next-ndp-leader_a_23076971/

[lilTommy]

UFCW endorses Singh.

124k members eligible, up from 41k. Most in BC/ON.

I suspect Jagmeet Singh wins on the first ballot

Interesting is that membership was about 128K for the 2012 leadership, and then shrunk to 41K after 2015 losses. Is this increase in membership driven mostly by net-new members or mostly lapsed members from the  NDP opposition days?

The only Increases came in Ontario and NFLD, but really it's ON, with 15K new members. 

[lilTommy]

Alexa McDonough former Party Leader from 1995-2003 has endorsed Caron

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/30/guy-caron-gets-backing-of-former-ndp-leader-mcdonough.html

first former leader of the federal party to make an endorsement (I don't think Mulcair will, that could be seen as the kiss of death); no word yet if we will see Ed Broadbent or Audrey McLaughlin endorse anyone (only other living past leaders of the federal party) another possible "big" endorsement would be from Olivia Chow, who would be seen as making this-would-be-jack's-choice kind of endorsement simply because not only being married, Chow and Layton were politically joined at the hip.

[lilTommy]

Anyone remember Pat Stogran? who was in the NDP leadership race for about a hot minute then had a tantrum at the party?... He just endorsed Charlie Angus. Good?, bad?

[lilTommy]

Bloc leader Martine Ouellet suggests Jagmeet Singh is too religious for Quebec

Kind of weird to see Singh attacked like Stockwell Day. Stay classy Bloc.

It's very interesting to see the Bloc attack Singh over his religion because he wears a turban, but you don't hear a peep from the about Andrew Scheer's religion even though Scheer is an ultra religious catholic who opposes gay rights and is anti-abortion...but I guess as long as Scheer doesn't put anything in his head, no one cares about his religion

Bingo! The likes of Scheer and Trost are huge zealots, constantly throwing their religion in people faces demanding puritan christian policies, but don't wear anything overtly religious.
Singh and lets extend this to current cabinet ministers Navdeep Bains and Harjit Sajjan (both Sikh) have not ever tried to use their Sikh believes to oppress or even forced their beliefs on others (from my knowledge but THAT would have made news), BUT hey they look different so bring the hate on.

[lilTommy]

Jagmeet Singh is the new Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, on the 1st round of voting, with 53.8% of the vote

Jagmeet Singh: 35,266 (53.8%)
Charlie Angus: 12,705 (19.4%)
Niki Ashton: 11,374 (17.4%)
Guy Caron: 6,164 (9.4%)

TOTAL # OF VOTES CAST: 65,782
REJECTED BALLOTS: 101
TOTAL # OF ABSTENTIONS: 172

Singh did better in the first round then most thought, solid first round win; Angus did worse then thought, less then 20% and Ashton did better almost tying Angus (19% and 17%) Caron did as expected, around 10%

I believe there were more first round voters then in 2012 as well, I believe the votes cast were 62K

Personally I had Ashton #1 Singh #2, purely for policy reasons (Her greater focus on government ownership, taxation, childcare plans) But I knew she would not win, she is not as likable to those outside of the left-left sphere. Singh brings left policy cred and the much needed charisma and social media presence... the NDP needs a leader who can such the wind out of Trudeau personalist government.
Singh needs Ashton,Angus and Caron to now step up in the house, along with others in the House. Singh will have to spend the next two years working grassroots rebuilding the party, expanding it in particular Quebec and Rural/Regional areas.   

[lilTommy]

The only breakdown I see is the % of members who voted by province:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/by-the-numbers-a-look-at-a-breakdown-of-the-ndp-leadership-vote-1.3615945#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=eJFK4NP

Alberta -- 43 per cent of 10,188 members
B.C. -- 51 per cent of 31,974 members
Manitoba -- 39 per cent of 10,134 members
New Brunswick -- 49 per cent of 737 members
Newfoundland and Labrador -- 36 per cent of 1,260 members
Nova Scotia -- 45 per cent of 3,595 members
Northwest Territories -- 82 per cent of 56 members
Nunavut -- 81 per cent of 21 members
Ontario -- 59 per cent of 52,200 members
Prince Edward Island -- 74 per cent of 140 members
Quebec -- 66 per cent of 4,907 members
Saskatchewan -- 49 per cent of 8,083 members
Yukon -- 38 per cent of 503 member

[lilTommy]

A lot of my NDP friends are hopping mad about Terry Milewski's interview of Singh.  Milewski says Singh  initially demanded to see the questions in advanced to which Milewski refused and Singh decided to go ahead anyway.  Milewski is tough and arrogant and for not being afraid to confront the people in power, but many felt his interview was race-baiting.  I haven't yet watched the interview.

I have, Singh did pretty well i thought... what I think most people had issue with was Milewski was basically asking Singh to apologize for the Air India bombing, since the suspected bomber was Sikh... for context Singh was 6 years old in 1985. He pressed Singh about, paraphrasing, "is it right to have this bomber held up as a hero, etc" Singh at one point told him to basically "shut up and let me finish my sentence" obviously with more tact then that, but Milewski wanted a Yes or No and Singh, rightly, was giving context to his answer, which was any terrorism is wrong but trying to give a more robust answer about false religious hatred. Try and find it.
Giving more context Milewski was all over this story back in the day when he was in BC with the CBC there.
 

[lilTommy]

An end note here, the NDP just gained two new supporters, well Niki has... Niki Ashton just posted to facebook that she has gave birth to twins.