Leadership candidate Rakhi Pancholi has proposed disaffiliating the Alberta NDP from the federal party to deprive the province’s Conservatives of a talking point they’ll use anyway.
“Membership in one political party should not require membership in another,” she said in a news release Thursday. “Albertans who want to join the Alberta NDP … should get to decide if they also want to become a member of the federal NDP.”
Well, OK, but you have to wonder if pushing this has the potential to open a Pandora’s Box of troubles for the Alberta NDP far worse for it than the oft-repeated United Conservative Party claim that federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) is the provincial party leader’s “boss.”
After all, Ms. Panchoili’s proposed solution to what may not actually be that much of a problem is unlikely to stop the UCP from carrying on repeating the same fib over and over.
Nevertheless, the day after Ms. Pancholi’s announcement, candidate Kathleen Ganley said she too might allow that Pandora’s Box to be cracked open.
“This is a decision of the membership,” Ms. Ganley, who appears to be the choice of the party establishment if you go by endorsements, said in a “members’ charter” released by her campaign on Friday.
“I have heard from many Alberta New Democrats who feel the relationship with the federal party is detrimental, does not reflect their values and they wish to sever ties,” her news release said. “The concerns of these members are valid, they deserve to be heard and I will provide members with the full information they need to make this decision. I am committed to making sure the members have a choice on whether to sever ties.”
Unlike Ms. Pancholi, Ms. Ganley didn’t really let us know what she thinks. And as for her implicit suggestion that, once opened, the debate could be closed down again – that may be more easily said than done.
Candidate Sarah Hoffman, meanwhile, clearly favours leaving the lid shut.
Ms. Hoffman vowed in an interview just before she announced her candidacy that she would remain true to her NDP values. “I’m unapologetic about my values,” she told me. “And I think that they’re the ones that we need to help solve these really difficult times.”
We don’t know yet what any other high-profile candidates might think, because for the moment, anyway, there are no additional high-profile candidates, former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi having made no announcement about his intentions, pro or con.
Now, this may have seemed like a great idea when Ms. Pancholi’s strategic team was looking for a way to set her campaign apart from the others and maybe attract some Liberal and Alberta Party members uncomfortable with voting NDP but unable to tolerate Premier Danielle Smith or the UCP either.
But surely making this a key issue in the NDP campaign tends to lend credibility to the UCP accusation the federal NDP, or the federal Liberals, somehow call the NDP’s shots in Edmonton – which they manifestly do not.
Moreover, it smacks of the perennial belief by opponents of Alberta governments that all their troubles would be over if only if everyone vaguely on their side of the political spectrum would get together and sing from the same hymnbook.
As we have seen on the right, this can work – but not necessarily the way its proponents hope. If you don’t believe me about that, just ask Jason Kenney, the fellow who deserves more credit than anyone else for “uniting the right” in 2017. And where Mr. Kenney now?
Consider the traditional distrust of New Democrat and Liberal voters have for the other party in that uncomfortable pairing. Historically, it’s often been easier for Western Canadian New Democrats and Conservatives to switch parties at election time than to vote Liberal.
And does anyone remember the Democratic Renewal Project? If the naïve effort after the 2008 election to forge an electoral common front between the Alberta Liberals and the NDP had succeeded, there would never have been an NDP Government in this province.
Yet the Alberta NDP’s traditional connections with the federal party and the labour movement have been huge advantages for the provincial party in bad times and good – keeping it on life support in 2008 when it was reduced to two seats and providing manpower and strategic depth that contributed to the Orange Wave of 2015.
Much of that would be lost forever if the Alberta NDP deliberately severs its ties with the federal party.
If you’ve got a problem with Mr. Singh and the federal party’s confidence and supply agreement with the Trudeau Government, the federal NDP leader may not be around much longer. There is growing evidence New Democrats in other provinces are ready to push him if he won’t jump.
As for Charlie Angus and his performative gas-station-advertising private member’s bill, the MP for Timmins is heading for retirement, one way or another, soon enough.
So Ms. Pancholi’s big idea sounds like a solution in search of a problem that won’t even exist by the time the party starts a divisive debate about it.
And divisive it will be.
If that door opens, there will be many traditional New Democrats whose ardour for the provincial party will quickly cool. If nothing else, that would threaten the Alberta NDP’s remarkable recent fund-raising success.
One of those folks blew a raspberry at Ms. Pancholi on social media last week: “I would much prefer to never have to worry about being a member of the ANDP,” he tweeted. “At least I can support the federal party and not feel like someone is telling me a bad joke about the environment.”
And – who knows? – someone might even pull a page from the book of the right and set up a social democratic fringe party strong enough to bleed off votes from whatever is left on the left.
So far, at least, nobody in the leadership race has suggested bringing back the nutty scheme of former Service Alberta Minister Brian Malkinson to change the Alberta NDP’s name to appease the same sentiment, thereby helping fritter away the party’s current brand. To wit: the Alberta political party that’s run by grownups.
But since many of Ms. Pancholi’s highest profile backers have emerged from the Red Tory wing of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Liberal and Alberta parties, don’t count on that idea not rearing its head again if Ms. Pancholi emerges as the winner.
Does anyone seriously believe the Liberals have a better brand in Alberta than the NDP?
As former NDP leader Brian Mason observed on social media: “Much of the dissatisfaction with the federal NDP in Alberta has to do with its support of the Trudeau Liberals. So it’s surprising that Rakhi Pancholi’s solution is to throw open the gates of the Alberta NDP to the Trudeau Liberals.” (Mr. Mason has endorsed Ms. Ganley. I have taken the liberty of lightly editing his tweet for clarity.)
Does anyone think a lot of traditional New Democrats won’t take a breakup with the federal NDP, let alone a name change, as evidence of a hostile reverse takeover of their party by a couple of political entities that have never enjoyed the success of the NDP under Rachel Notley?
To make matters worse, disaffiliation would probably require the federal NDP to change its constitution – opening a whole new forum for opponents to publicly relitigate the divorce.
No, let sleeping dogs lie. This is a bad idea that should be left undisturbed.
The shift to the right by the ABNDP is pretty alarming and represents a slippery rightward shift in ideology and policy which will cause long term hard to many. Rachel Notley was praised for being like a Lougheed Conservative. While that is still far better than the UCP bunch, to me, it’s an indicator that the progressive side is willing to shift further to the right to grab the crazy vote. This just the larger dumbing down of policy that should be aspiring to higher objectives.
May as well change the ABNDP’s name to the Blue Party and grab even more votes.
I think that Danielle Smith and the UCP haven’t done the CPC any favors, and the UCP may very well cause the CPC to be defeated.
One can only hope.
Next up: tell those unions who supported us to fuck off, then open up funding so that the oil and gas industry can buy the leadership race, and start eliciting support from Take Back Alberta ’cause those guys really know how to pick a party leader.
Foot, gun, shoot? Then think? Marvelous! Just what the doctor ordered! Genius!
Income Tax cuts, eliminating Carbon Pricing and disparaging the most progressive party in Ottawa. Either these people want to lead the UCP or they are using the same crew that came up with Notley’s last campaign strategy.
Exactly…it’s embarrassing really
I can understand the staunchest traditional party members might object, but the political operatives that the ABNDP might need to call upon aren’t likely to be as party-pure.
But since the UCP are going to tar everything they can with anything Trudeau-adjacent, speaking to them is a lost effort. Better, I think, to create daylight between the provincial and federal branches and woo those rational enough to listen but tribal enough to want an AB version.
The only way the separation of membership could be achieved is through a constitutional amendment needing a two-thirds majority at a provincial convention.
While such a constitutional amendment would be a high bar to achieve, I’m not sure why a debate needs to be divisive. The federal NDP has its own constitution, does its own fundraising, has its own party office, develops its own policies, and is in every respect other than membership functionally separate from its provincial affiliates.
I would continue to be a member of the federal NDP. But there are many others (including federal Liberal supporters) for whom joint membership might be a deterrent for becoming a member of the Alberta NDP.
LIBERALS saying they won’t vote NDP because of the Alberta NDP is just as ridiculous as the UCP saying it’s because of the liberals.
Also, the sheer audacity of whomever has the quote about being told a joke about the environment? The federal liberals bought an actual pipeline so they could force it into the ground when the original for profit company balked.
The liberals are an incoherent mess on climate for the same reason the NDP is and the same reason the conservatives don’t care ; they recognize that climate action is incompatible with capital. No, they won’t be doing anything about it either.
Simple strategy: tick a box. Some ab members can be sole Alberta, some both ab and fed. Difficulties in goals, messaging and branding, but essentially Ab Ndp works for Albertans and fed members or no, there is room for disagreement with the fed party. Members are not bound by fed policy.
With all due respect to Mr. Mason, if you live in Alberta and vote Liberal in federal elections there is about a 99% chance you vote NDP in provincial elections.
I’m not sure about that. I used meet those criteria, but in the last federal election, I held my nose and voted NDP.
And the reason I switched my federal vote was I can no longer tolerate the prime minister’s ethical challenges.
Now how many other Albertans did the same … not a clue.
At moments like this I always wonder who is paying them to say these things in public.
O.K. I’ve been thinking what would be the dumber thing to do, split the party or shoot myself in the foot or step on the gas and see if I can jump out of the truck before it goes over the cliff.
Should the NDP rid themselves of gender equality minority representation they would gather many more votes as they would choose those more likely to succeed in an election.\
When the votes are in and counted and the NDP win more seats , then, they can pursue more ideological endeavours!
TB
I’m sorry you’re saying the NDP will win more seats if they don’t have women or coloured folks running ?
Did you miss the large number of women in the UCP caucus, including : checks notes * the premier of the province ?
Albertans have shown they’ll elect whichever government speaks to their material interests. People with retrograde opinions may think otherwise, but it’s because they spend too much time worrying about other peoples genitals.
Not certain how relevant but several years ago the idea of the federal NDP uniting with the Liberals was being tossed around. Had it happened it’s likely that once the big money started rolling in, the NDP’s appeal to working class folks would have been shunted aside as well as like minded candidates. What’s left would have been Republicans and Democrats, just like our messed up neighbours to the south.
How to explain this circus? Did all the smart people get important jobs in BC and Manitoba?
Old enough to recall the fete for Grant Notley in Camrose when Chester Ronning praised Grant for his abilities in “analysis” [Neoliberal lite now!!] Old enough too, to remember that Premier Peter Lougheed did actually accumulate 40% royalties from O&G for many years. Do not see any such inclinations among the current batch of NDP politicos to the great detriment of all Albertans.
Hope you had a fun time in Ottawa although you left before the Freedom folks arrived.
May I suggest that the ABNDP postpone this potentially divisive issue until after the next federal election….just to see where the chips fall so to speak.
May I also suggest you jazz up your site by adding thumbs up or down buttons after each post (besides the reply button) for folks who agree/disagree but don’t have a comment to add.
Cheers.
Lefty: There are several good ideas here. First, to clarify, I was in Ottawa for a meeting of government relations and communications employees of Canadian nursing unions, so most of my time was spent sitting in a boardroom, which was interesting at times, but not really fun. I agree that the issue should be postposed until after the election – although if the seat estimate I saw this morning on social media is anything to go by, not much may change, including the current leader’s willingness to depart. If the NDP loses seats in the west and gains seats in metropolitan Toronto, the problem that Ms. Pancholi’s idea is intended to alleviate could get worse. I like the idea of the thumbs-up/thumbs-down button and I’ll see what my website guy can do. With WordPress, you’re always a bit constrained by the features that the “theme” – as the design packages are known – will permit. Ideas like this tend to come and go, too. We all remember the little “under construction” workman with a moving shovel from the early days of the Internet (which was lame) and the indicator of how many people had read a post (which I thought was excellent), both now things of the past. DJC
You, David, have often used the word “real politik” in your blogs as a worthy value. You seem to have thrown that overboard in today’s column.
Instead you have set up a bunch of straw men that give the impression you believe that NDP values and emphases are absolutely immutable.
Elections are usually decided by swing voters — that is, people who are flexible in their political visions.
As has been pointed out, many liked (wrongly, I believe) to compare Rachel Notley to Peter Lougheed. But, it’s undeniable that many former PCs now vote for the NDP provincially. Let’s consider making it easier for them.
Regarding your fear of UCP branding of an independent provincial NDP as Trudeauites, well they’ll hurl what they can whatever the Alberta progressive party comes up with.
And, by the way, the affiliation with Alberta unions has always been and will always be a two-edged sword.
If I were more sensitive, I might not like your suggestion that considering another name for the Alberta NDP is “nutty.”
Come on, David, we have three dynamic candidates for leadership of the NDP. Open yourself up to the possibility they can bring new and renewed perspectives and values to a proud party. We are better than stick-in-the-muds!
You had me on board until you endorsed the three “dynamic” candidates currently vying for the NDP leadership. None, I repeat NONE, have what it takes to take on Marlaina Schmidt and her TBA overlords. From what I see they will continue to bring a crayon to a gunfight, ensuring years of UCP rule in the future. Sad to say the NDP, and indeed the party faithful as a whole, have a shitload of soul-searching to do or else we’re all doomed.
Firth of Forth, I heartily agree with your assessment of the 3 leadership candidates and Alberta’s future under the ongoing UCP Reign of Terror!
I’ve already decided not to vote for Rakhi Pancholi because of her plans for the Carbon Pricing system. As for splitting from the Federal NDP, I fail to understand how that would help the AB NDP. I have no idea where she gets her platform from.
I prefer the federal NDP, particularly on environmental issues, over the provincial NDP but would happily remain a member of both if a split occurs. The provincial NDP gets 3 times the votes of the federal NDP in Alberta because effectively in 2015 it became, all wrapped into one, the coalition of the centre-left that the Democratic Renewal Project (which I co-founded) called for. I got the idea, not because I wanted to weaken the NDP’s left-wing commitments but because the NDP had already done that and its policies were indistinguishable from Liberal policies. So it seemed logical to stop pretending and have these parties work together, though not form one party. While I think the NDP government from 2015 to 2019 was a miracle in Alberta terms, it was similar to the Kathleen Wynne government in Ontario in its policies. It didn’t copy ANY of the signature NDP policies of other provinces: it didn’t nationalize auto insurance; it didn’t create a public homecare program; it didn’t implement anti-scab legislation or even (to its shame) get rid of Alberta’s uniquely anti-worker double breasting legislation. There is a precedent, by the way, for someone very publicly being a provincial NDP member and actually influential Cabinet minister while holding a federal Liberal membership. Larry Desjardins, a Trudeau fixer, joined the Manitoba NDP to give it a majority in the legislature in 1971 on the specific promise from Premier Ed Schreyer that he could remain an active federal Liberal. While lots of us protested that, it made it possible for the Manitoba NDP to govern for a full term and Desjardins, once an opponent of medicare, proved in practice to be the most left-wing Health Minister Manitoba has had to date.
I’m sure the UCP would love to split the ABNDP in to two parties, centrists and democratic socialists. There are a lot of dippers who believe in democratic socialism as a party for the people. As opposed to centrists who are willing to water down their ideals in favour of gaining acceptance and power. My fear is a centrist party forming out of the ABNDP, you can expect agents within to move it towards another rightwing party—BC Liberals to BC United—Raj Sherman.
The Liberal party I’ve come to believe are Conservatives(Neoliberals) in Marxist trappings and are held to supporting democratic socialism by the federal NDP. As I see it one only has to look at how the Liberals are catering to big pharma in creating our Pharma Care program. The Liberals would cease to exist if they lost their democratic socialist members.
https://breachmedia.ca/liberal-tory-same-old-story-voting-records-say-yes/
Imo the ABNDP needs to keep to it’s democratic socialist policies and even though Singh is unpopular or lacking as a leader, it’s the policies not the leader, we need to support.
David: As I’ve argued a couple of times before on this blog, there are three neoliberal parties in Canada that have a chance to form government in any jurisdiction: Neoliberal Plus, Classic Neoliberal, and Neoliberal Lite. They do business under different names in different provinces, but they are otherwise evidence of a complete elite consensus on the economy. While NDP policies, especially at the federal level, are less harmful than those of the other alternatives, they remain based in the same false assumptions. DJC
Neoliberalism is a consensus at this point in the “west” even though it’s clearly only benefiting the extremely wealthy. The problem is the extremely wealthy is who the political class depends on for their power, or at least they’ve internalized this belief. Something to be said also, about technocrats who don’t know how to build or change anything, they only know how to run what is already present (professional managerial class they are also called).
These aren’t really issues that can be solved with a new leader or even a new party (let alone party name). Even meaningfully addressing them would require large systemic changes, and likely not just in our country either.
For all the talk of Russian and Chinese “interference” in our elections, for some reason I never hear anyone mention the Americans, and it’s pretty likely any change they view as too broad will be met w all manner of dirty tricks. I don’t really see that happening , our elites, and their elites have been working on the same project for a long time.
The problem with the provincial New Democratic Party is that they tried to copy the UCP platform on so many policies that it became harder to tell the difference between the two parties. They also never tried to sell their platform this last election and that made them vulnerable to UCP attacks. They have to accept the fact that the UCP and right-wing parties will ALWAYS compare them to socialism. If that is what they are going to do we might as well own it and explain why a Social Democrat government isn’t a bad thing.
A change of Federal leader would accomplish more. Musings…
The Decline and Fall of Alberta NDP.
At one time I watched the Alberta Liberal party rise to be the official opposition, then the liberal ideologists and those others who wanted to be the government no matter what, couldn’t agree what direction the party should go. Opposition Parties in Alberta do a spectacular job of tearing themselves apart and the Conservatives, Progressive or United do a really good job of being the government. Since 1971 in fact (or pretty much my whole life) If Dani screws up they will just find someone else and while the NDP begins to tear themselves apart, the UCP will win another majority. I wouldn’t join the Alberta NDP because of the automatic Federal NDP thing. I have zero respect for Jagmeet Singh. So the Alberta NDP can either do whatever it takes to win an election or it can hold onto Official Opposition until the next up and comer party comes along and replaces you. I’ve seen it before and the Alberta NDP is marching down the same path. Enjoy the view on the way down! You’re just another party that I once knew!
The Alberta liberals are a pariah in alberta because of the NEP and EVERYONE knows that. As I’ve pointed out many times, the NDP has been growing it’s appeal in every community in this province even if they have not secured seats in those ridings yet.
And paint yourself with this brush if you want but folks who are so fixated on a single member of a political
Party they miss the tens of thousands of folks who make up the organization all across the county, who don’t see a meaningful difference between provincial politics and federal politics, and who for some reason think we, the Canadian people vote for prime minister, don’t know how politics work in this country, are usually thinking in terms of the American politics that have corrupted their brain (cough Danielle Smith) and shouldn’t be surprised when folks don’t take them seriously.
there’s hardly anyone left alive in Alberta, who could explain what the NEP even was. All the left is a toxic soup of manufactured resentment. Forever nourished, forever renewed.
That little idea “hate Ottawa” has been repeated for so long, people think it is the right way to do politics here in Alberta. I have had arguments over this idea in the FB group for NDP. I mean, really, I don’t care if ABNDP is affiliated with NDP in Ottawa BECAUSE I don’t see a difference. Just like no one acknowledges that Harper calls the shots in all of the Conservatives’ provinces.
I just like my affiliations to be open and transparent. TBA in Alberta is far, far from that, for example.
As a non-member it seems irrelevent to me and not something that would affect my vote.
I guess if their goal is to sell more memberships it might matter, but should that be the goal for this leadership race?
It seems like just a diversion from dealing with real issues like drought, fires and floods being made worse by climate change; and the energy transition where the oil industry is soon going to shrink into a less important economic activity, to be replaced by electricity and what?
The UCP sits on the knife-edge of falling apart after so much effort was put into to uniting the right. Only coercion holds it together. Yet some Alberta NDP leadership candidates want to hive off federal NDP after so much successful effort has been put into building a larger, more welcoming tent, putting together a good government, then a respectably sized opposition, and going on to making it even bigger and more ready to take power back in three and a half years. What? —it’s an opportune time for factionalism in one party when its rival’s is likely to split asunder? I suppose it matters which one jumps in the lake first.
This kind of opportunism seems to be happening in American federal parties: the restless left-wing of the Democratic Party daren’t make too many demands when defeating the Republican Party demands absolute unity. But when the extremist tRumpublican faction looks like it will blow the party apart, it’s awfully tempting for the extreme left to start thinking it’s a good time to press more extreme positions upon the moderate majority of the party. They wouldn’t risk it otherwise. And that’s why Joe Biden’s age has become the byword for lefty restlessness for the Dems.
“The Squad” was originally composed of four Democratic members of the US House of Representatives (AOC, Omar, Pressley, and Talib, four women elected in 2018) but now number eight members after the 2022 midterms. Nevertheless, in a presidential election year that features the frightful resurgence of Donald F tRump, The Squad has swallowed hard and endorsed Biden through gritting teeth because, ordinarily, what is a better time to push their most progressive demands than when the opponent is fraught with division? Yet, given the challenges Biden’s age presents —despite his sterling economic and surprisingly progressive policies—it would be foolish to presume the demise of the GOP before it actually happens.
Let’s say the GOP did fall apart (IMHO, most nominal conservative parties, having invited far-right extremist in to shore up flagging relevance, are now irredeemable; only by forming a new party can centre-right voters save moderate conservatism) and the field is abandoned to the Dems by default: it wouldn’t be long before demands from an opportunistic far-left would tempt the same fate for the Democratic Party—only less dangerously since the partisan right has already withdrawn. In reality, that hasn’t happened (yet).
How does my theory hold up in BC where I live? The BC Liberals, BC’s governing right-wing party for 16 years until the NDP took over in 2017–have fallen apart; that is, the process which many other parties of the right find themselves suffering is now complete in BC: the once-powerful “free-enterprise coalition” of federal Liberal and federal Conservative supporters has finally calved, presumably leaving Liberals with the rump BC United (the BC Liberals new name) and the new BC Conservatives freer to copy the same losing formula as other nominal conservative parties by cultivating much more extreme positions than the BC Liberal mother party ever had. So, has the demise of the BC right inspired lefty factions of the NDP to press their demands? There was that family spat in 2017 when a certain faction threatened to tear up their membership cards over the NDP continuing the BC Liberals’ Site-C Dam, and again in 2019 when dilbit pipeline protesters were smacked with an LNG pipeline and export facility were heartily endorsed by the provincial and federal governments. But the factional bluster was called when the NDP won a handsome majority in 2020. The protesting progressives of self-styled purity then made an unsuccessful bid to raid the NDP leadership campaign, pledging to remake the party, top to bottom (the principal of that effort who threw her hat into the race botched party sign-ups intended to commandeer the party like the Take Back Alberta was to do successfully in the UCP; cabinet minister David Eby became the current premier).
I submit that the demise of the BC right has indeed fired the zeal with which protesters demanded (and got) the resignation of a BC cabinet minister for misspeaking about the Gaza-Israel War far outside provincial jurisdiction. Yet, with eight months to go and the partisan right seemingly divided the NDP looks like it will handily win the next election in October.
Given the pollsters’ 99% odds of that happening and still eight months to go, I expect more protesters to take this golden opportunity and make their demands—old-growth, pipelines, Gaza, whatever—as stridently as they can. However, many of these have few sympathizers within the party precisely because of the odds it will win an unprecedented third term. As a result, the NDP will be afforded the time to implement good social policy and more modest environmental policy (much by simply reversing BC Liberal perfidy). Factionalism is always impatient, but BCers are seeing tangible benefit by not demanding everything be fixed at one go. That only risks reaction.
Lots of caterwauling about the NDP’s shift to the right—that is, putting the NDP closer to the centre-left—but for many BCers that compromise is an acceptable cost of winning power, sweeping out corruption, and protecting social services. The NDP simply went to where the votes are rather than trying to coax the electorate away from the middle. The fringe benefit is being strong enough to stare down and dare down the far-left without also inviting schism. Sure, the ground the party stands on has moved to the right, but the party still retains enough social conscience to stay popular.
The Dipper danger in Alberta of course is that they are between the last and the next holding of power, the prospect of winning is still fuzzy, and the task once that’s done is bound to be daunting. The UCP might be struggling to stay unified but it is in power right now so it’s at least premature to suggest the NDP hive off to form a new, presumably less socialistic party (and there is precious little enough socialism left in the NDP as it is).
Right wingers always decry so-called negative voting, but it’s well worth voting a bad party out of power, regardless the ideological purity of its successor. First things first. The key is being able to win at least two terms—or enough to undo the predecessor’s damage and establish better policy that will survive any party in power. If Notley governed like Loughheed it’s because she had to if there was any hope of extending the incumbency, not because the NDP did or should move inappropriately to the right. Under her leadership, the NDP is well placed to regain power in 2027–that’s a laudable legacy she leaves as the Dippers elect a new leader. Ms Pancholi’s proposal risks taking the eye off the ball.
If I could vote in Alberta, nothing could recommend Ms Hoffman more than her pledge to keep her Dipper principles. Name changes and disaffiliations are at best a sideshow and at worst sabotage.
It is true that being closely associated with the Federal NDP can be a political liability with some Alberta voters. The Federal and the Provincial parties do have different positions related to energy. And Alberta Conservatives do often use the what Federal NDPers say against the Provincial party, often unfairly in my opinion, but often politically successfully for the UCP.
However, I’m not sure what the best way to deal with this is. In the past parties like the Alberta Liberals went to great lengths to tell voters they were separate and independent from the Federal party. That may have been true, but somehow Alberta voters were unconvinced. Could it be the common name that they couldn’t get past?
Fortunately, the NDP brand is not toxic in Alberta, as the Liberal one has become. But Conservatives do also like to try and lump the Liberals and the NDP together. And while that is also not really accurate, the Federal NDP’s continuing to support the Liberals and keep them in power does not help dispel this perception either.
So, its fairly clear Ms Pancholi has identified the problem here – being too close and needing to create a bit more distance. The tougher part, as often is the case, is figuring out the best solution.
In the past, I was forced to resign my membership in the Alberta NDP when I joined the Green Party federally. This is an untenable position for a party that boasts complete independence from the federal NDP.
I hold a membership in the provincial party, which means I also hold one in the federal party. I support the provincial party financially through a monthly contribution — but the only time I support the federal party is when there’s an election, by making a small contribution to my local candidate — for all the good that will do: there’s not a hope in Hell that anyone other than some flavour of conservative can get elected federally in my community.
I think there is a distinction that can be drawn between disaffiliating altogether, or even a renaming, which I think goes too far, and lifting the automatic transfer of membership status between provincial and federal levels of the party. Perhaps an opt-in model that will allow those signing up to the Alberta NDP to choose whether or not to also join the federal party – and vice-versa.
“Charlie Angus and his performative gas-station-advertising private member’s bill,”.. performative? Do you mean Mr. Angus is actually performing his duties as a Member of Parliament? The Bill represents a campaign lead by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) https://cape.ca/focus/fossil-fuel-ad-ban/
As for a name change..the Progressive Conservative Party brand name is available.
The idea of separating the ANDP from the Federal Party is an old chestnut. And it’s as unconvincing today as it ever was. The raison d’etre of the NDP is to make class the axis around which politics revolves, whereas the Liberal and Conservatives (and their ilk) are all about obfuscating their class loyalties and distracting voters with phony issues like provincial rights. As a party that used to proclaim its commitment to democratic socialism (or social democracy–Ed Broadbent used the terms interchangeably), the signature policies of provincial New Democrats and federal New Democrats are those that challenge corporate power and seek to redistribute wealth and power in favour of working people and their families. Most of the time, that puts provincial and federal New Democrats on the same page, as it should.
I well remember when Federal Health Minister Monique Begin penalized the Lougheed government for allowing extra billing by doctors, which had reached epidemic proportions by the early 1980s. That state of affairs was decried by Grant Notley and the ANDP and by the Federal NDP under Ed Broadbent. In fact, as Begin later conceded, NDP pressure in Parliament helped her to enlist cabinet support to use the federal spending power to bring Alberta into line the principle of accessibility to health care, which was later written into the new Canada Health Act. While Alberta’s Health Minister Dave Russell objected to federal intrusion into provincial jurisdiction, ordinary people were pleased to see the Federal government sticking up for them, especially when the Conservatives buckled and agreed to legislate an end to extra billing.
As others have noted, separating the provincial and federal wings of the NDP will do nothing to halt the mendacious claims of the UCP. Instead, it would undermine the unity of party whose purpose in politics has always been to advance the class interests of workers and their families in all parts of the country.