NDP Leadership Convention 2017

[MaxQue]

He is staying till a new leader is picking, but he can't stay 2 years as a lame duck. Should resign and name an interim.

Given how it went last time, that's a bad idea.

[MaxQue]

Linda McQuaig.

No. Just no.

[MaxQue]

Linda McQuaig.

She speaks no French GONG!

From wiki: In the 1970s McQuaig and four friends co-owned a house they called The Pit in Toronto's east end, where they hosted frequent house parties and dinners for friends in academia, media and the arts. In 1976 she lived for a year in Paris, where she learned French...

Who cares? She is toxic outside GTA.

[MaxQue]

People should stop wasting time suggesting public intellectuals with zero political experience as leadership material. It's simply not going to happen.

But, Michael Ignatieff...

Oh, nevermind.

And besides, effectively only sitting MPs qualify for the leadership race. The NDP's poll numbers are so low that even if an MP resigns, chances are good the Liberals will win the byelection and lead to further turmoil.

Wouldn't stop a small candidate, like Ducasse in 2003 or Singh last time.

[MaxQue]

I don't think Angus speaks French.  

Learning wouldn't be that difficult, there is a significant number of Francophones in his riding and is right next to Québec.

Wikipedia says he lives in Cobalt, which is very English-speaking, but a 20 minute ride would lead him to Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Québec.

[MaxQue]

I really doubt Cullen will run because he knows he is far too like Mulcair for the state the party is in now.

I'm not sure what that means. Much of the objection to Mulcair was his personality, lack of ability to nber a team player and lack of charisma. Cullen would remedy that since he comes across as a genuinely nice guy and seems to work well with others.

12 years ago Alexa McDonough was pressured to quit ostensibly because she was flirting with Blairite "third way" social democracy. but in reality i think people just thought she was a bore. Jack Layton was even more centrist ideologically but no one cared because he had a pleasing personality  

Jack certainly wasn't the centrist candidate in 2003 (I am sure you're aware of his reputation at Toronto city hall at the time)... he did move to centre the longer he was leader though.

Who was the centrist candidate?
Blaikie or Nystrom?

[MaxQue]

In my local news, the Abitibi-Témiscamingue MP, Christine Moore, is not closing the door on running in leadership race.

[MaxQue]

I'm obviously not Canadian and very far from being an NDPer, but...wouldn't Nathan Cullen an extremely logical choice, if he runs? I've also heard next to no speculation about Topp, who came in a very strong second last time, though I suppose now isn't the time for the NDP to choose someone who isn't an MP, considering how few places there are where a by-election would be safe for them.

He said he is not running and is obviously very happy as chief of staff of Alberta's Premier.

[MaxQue]

Barrett was an idiot, like everyone believing in socalled "Western alienation".

[MaxQue]

Didn't you also say that when I pointed out that Linda McQuaig learned French in Paris in the mid 1970s that she had forgotten all of it.  Ruth Ellen Brosseau taking French immersion in elementary school would have been about 15 years prior.  It's entirely possible she had similarly forgotten all of it.

Yes but after having been "accidentally elected" REB had 4.5 years in which to focus 100% on being the MP for a totally francophone riding and immerse herself in the language...and realistically since Berthier-Maskinonge is 99% French - every time she set foot in her riding it was an immersion exercise. But as an MP she just needs to talk to constituents about how to apply for a passport and have the odd meeting with a local mayor. She doesnt have to do a two hour debate in prime time in French with other party leaders who are native speakers of French or be grilled by national media on the latest controversies. She was able to take years learning French away from any national scrutiny.

Whoever becomes the next federal NDP leader is going to have to hit the ground running immediately. It would be an 18-hour a day job even for someone who was perfectly bilingual from the start...so where would the time be for CRASH French lessons? And the expectation is that a candidate to lead a national party is perfectly bilingual the day the day declare their candidacy...not "gee my French is REALLY rusty, but I promise that if you make me your leader I'll take some Berlitz courses in time for the 2019 election"

Having seen her on TV since then, she clearly needs no more courses. She is pretty much bilingual.

And she had to deal with unilingual mayors (a lot of them) and unilingual constituents. And to do a 3 months campaign in French.

But, yeah, it's one leadership election too early.

[MaxQue]

I have to wonder that if the Official Languages Act had not been passed in the early 70s if so much emphasis would be placed on a leader's knowledge of French.

Was it like this prior to 1972?

I have to wonder whether if the Official Language Act had not been passed Quebec would even still be a part of Canada

As someone from Quebec, most likely, perhaps as early the first referendum in 1980.
There is also a significant risk that the PLQ Allaire didn't cause ADQ splinter, but rather a pro-independence PLQ and a federalist-anglophone splinter instead.

In any case, Quebec would have been out by 1995.

[MaxQue]

Did the delegates pass the resolution to put having the Turks and Caicos join Canada as part of the NDP platform?

Like 90% of the resolutions, it didn't reached the floor, I would suppose.

[MaxQue]

His pro-Russia, anti-Ukraine positions won't help him either.

[MaxQue]

I strongly suspect any MP voting against abortion would lose any spokesperson role in the party and most likely fail to be reselected by local NDP members when the next election comes around (it's what happened to the MP who voted against gay marriage).

[MaxQue]

Well, if he did work on his French, why not?

[MaxQue]

I saw youtube clip of Charlie Angus speaking French and it was painful...his accent was so awful that listening to him was like listening to fingernails scratching a blackboard...sorry but this will not cut it. Its a pity because he has a lot to offer otherwise.

Charlie Angus = GONG

He represents a Francophone riding in Ontario, and they didn't seem to have an issue with it.

I mean, if you can call a 30% French riding "Francophone".

It's actually about 44% Francophone, and I was confusing it with the provincial Timmins - James Bay, which includes Kap and Hearst.  That riding is over 50% francophone.

Where are you getting that information?

The riding is actually 32% French (30% was a back of the envelope calculation) if you do the math: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED2013&Code1=35107&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Timmins&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1

If you're looking at knowledge of official languages, French is at about 44%.  When you look at language most often spoken at home, and/or mother tongue, the number goes down to 30%.

It should also be noted that because of the huge land mass, the way that the boundaries were cut, and the Aboriginal populations, the number looks smaller than it should be.  Could you imagine telling someone in Val D'or (Quebec) that their riding is only 60% Francophone?  They feel much more Francophone than the numbers indicate.

If someone wants to try, I'm avaliable. Well, as the name of the riding indicates, it's a mix of various areas, which consider each other separate (and have quite different realities, honestly).

[MaxQue]

I saw youtube clip of Charlie Angus speaking French and it was painful...his accent was so awful that listening to him was like listening to fingernails scratching a blackboard...sorry but this will not cut it. Its a pity because he has a lot to offer otherwise.

Charlie Angus = GONG

He represents a Francophone riding in Ontario, and they didn't seem to have an issue with it.

I mean, if you can call a 30% French riding "Francophone".

It's actually about 44% Francophone, and I was confusing it with the provincial Timmins - James Bay, which includes Kap and Hearst.  That riding is over 50% francophone.

Where are you getting that information?

The riding is actually 32% French (30% was a back of the envelope calculation) if you do the math: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED2013&Code1=35107&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Timmins&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1

If you're looking at knowledge of official languages, French is at about 44%.  When you look at language most often spoken at home, and/or mother tongue, the number goes down to 30%.

It should also be noted that because of the huge land mass, the way that the boundaries were cut, and the Aboriginal populations, the number looks smaller than it should be.  Could you imagine telling someone in Val D'or (Quebec) that their riding is only 60% Francophone?  They feel much more Francophone than the numbers indicate.

If someone wants to try, I'm avaliable. Well, as the name of the riding indicates, it's a mix of various areas, which consider each other separate (and have quite different realities, honestly).

Nonetheless, the population centres in the ridings are quite more Francophone than the riding demographics would have you believe.

There are more Christians than Jews in Thornhill, yet people call it a Jewish riding. 

The point is, you can still label a riding, or city, by a name that identifies a large group of its people (even if they fall below 50% in the area, or is not the largest group) if it has a significant population. 
Timmins-James Bay is a Francophone riding in Ontario.

I'm aware of that. It was a reference to me being in and from Val-d'Or.

[MaxQue]

This is wise. Assuming Hatman still identifies as  United, we're still technically members of the same religion... which makes it useless for demographics and projections

I'm Catholic, so add 3 (and it makes it even more useless).

[MaxQue]

Ah, Justin Trudeau's puppet.

What are the odds he says to vote Liberal to beat Conservatives in 2019?

[MaxQue]

Having a bilingual leader in all parties was a most for the 3 last decades, I don't see why that would change (unless we want to give credibility to Anglophones public servants protesting than bilinguism is fascism and discriminatory).

You want to become Canada PM? Take intensive French courses right now.

[MaxQue]

"Jesus announces run for NDP Leadership"

.... Does he speak French fluently? No? DISQUALIFIED.

Speaking some amount of French is important, that's clear, but to be completely disqualifying or qualifying candidates as Leader based on that sole attribute, even if it is important, is reckless.

Canada is a bilingual country. Do you wish for Quebec independance? That would the result of yout utterly ignorant proposal.

[MaxQue]

In regards to other Federal NDP leadership non candidates, when Charlie Angus stepped down from his positions in consideration of running for leader, Ruth Ellen Brosseau replaced Angus as Caucus Chair and Romeo Saganash replaced Angus as critic for Indigenous Affairs.  Both Brosseau and Saganash had previously indicated they were considering running to replace Mulcair.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/angus-leadership-run-1.3863515

Of all the names who had been initially mentioned but not mentioned lately, I believe that leaves just first term M.P Daniel Blaikie as unaccounted for.

I don't know if Saganash was seriously considering. One year ago he said he would leave federal politics at the end of his mandate.
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/757129/saganash-romeo-quitte-vie-politique-npd

On Les coulisses du pouvoir year in review tv show, two of the three panelists picked for the Political mistake category, getting rid of Mulcair at the NDP convention.   

Last time I saw him (before the 2015 election), he was adamant he would never run for leadership ever again.

[MaxQue]

I'm not Canadian and it's difficult to imagine the circumstances under which I would vote NDP, but I rather liked Ashton during the last leadership race; seems she's the only repeat candidate, which is odd after having such a large and seemingly talented field last time around.

Topp: Was Chief of Staff of Alberta Premier, left in December to "put his family back together", said he would never again run for leadership.
Cullen: Bad timing (his twins are 6), but might run in later races.
Nash: Lost her seat
Dewar: Lost his seat
Singh: Failed to be elected in 2015.
Chisholm: Lost his seat
Saganash: Is leaving politics at the end of this term.

[MaxQue]

I find it interesting that the NDP might be optimistic enough to think Canadians will elect a brown guy Prime Minister.

Are we not supposed to say that? I have no faith in our people whatsoever.

Canadians won't be electing any guy from the NDP Prime Minister, but do you really think there is that underbelly of racism in Canada? Seems like most are fine with the multiculturalism angle and are supportive of immigrants.

Yeah we have two current LGBTQ premiers, three female premiers, and have even elected an athiest premier.

Who is that last one?

[MaxQue]

Indeed, LEAP would destroy Timmins-James Bay economy (throug, one could argue it would destroy the entire Canadian economy).