The NDP loses its champ

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/08/2011 (5344 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JACK Layton was not Canada’s greatest social democrat — the honour belongs to the likes of J.S. Woodsworth, M.J.

Coldwell and Tommy Douglas — but he was, by far, the most successful in terms of federal electoral success.

The great socialist panaceas of the past — collective bargaining, old age security, guaranteed pensions, children’s benefits and universal health care — were developed and promoted by Mr. Layton’s predecessors. In fact, the old CCF/NDP was so successful in achieving many of its most popular platform goals (implemented by other parties), it put the very future of the party in doubt.

If Canada had become a welfare state and socialist paradise by the 1970s, was there anything left for the NDP to achieve?

Naturally, the NDP disputed the notion social justice had been achieved and it continued to tilt at corporate welfare bums, wage disparity and capitalist exploitation, calling for the nationalization of key industries and more control over the banks.

The party went through a 30-year-long identity crisis that pitted the radical left — those who believed the NDP’s future depended on standing for something — against others who believed political action was impossible without real power.

Then, in 2003, along came a man with a friendly face and a razor-sharp mind. Like other New Democrats, Mr. Layton was derided as a bike-riding, granola-eating dogooder with a naive desire to end hunger, war, pollution and injustice.

He was, however, no ordinary do-gooder, but a leader who talked about practical problems in practical terms, rather than ideological bafflegab. He talked about improving pensions and health care, lowering household costs on energy bills and renovations, and improving access to child care and post-secondary education.

These were issues Canadians could understand. Some of them were definitely left wing, but so what? So were many of the ideas promoted by the Liberal party and even Stephen Harper’s Conservatives promised continuing support for socialized medicine. Whether you agreed with his ideas or not, they were unlikely to destroy the foundations of capitalism in Canada.

Mr. Layton did not move to the right, but he did move the party away from the scary radical left.

His success in Quebec in the last election is still a subject of debate, but it can be attributed to the confluence of several factors.

His own personal popularity combined with a moderate left-wing agenda worked well in Quebec. As well, the NDP benefitted from disillusionment with the Bloc Quebecois, the Liberals and the Conservatives. There really was nowhere else for Quebecers to go, although they seemed happy with their choice of smilin’ Jack.

The question now is whether the party can sustain its success in Quebec without Mr.

Layton. In fact, it was never clear whether the party’s position in Quebec was just a temporary anomaly that would be corrected in the next election, or whether it had legs that went beyond the leader’s personal appeal. It seems unlikely, however, that the party would have done as well with a lesser leader at the helm.

Leadership matters and the NDP has been blessed with many great leaders over the years, including the early titans, but also relatively modern leaders such as David Lewis and Ed Broadbent, passionate men with vision, character and determination.

Mr. Layton was part of that tradition, but he ruled over a kinder, gentler NDP. Critics said it was hard to figure out what the party really stood for, but it’s an observation that has been made about all three parties.

His great political achievement was to rewrite the Canadian political scene and elevate the NDP into a mainstream alternative. He did it in a happy, friendly and caring way right to the very end, when his last words were an expression of hope for all Canadians.

Goodbye Jack, and thanks.