New Democratic Party of Canada

NDP.ca Blogging Tools - Free NDP Themed Templates

Greg Farries — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:33:14 -0600

In addition to the typical videos and banner ads that nearly every political party gives way on their political party websites, the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) has gone the extra mile and created NDP themed weblog templates. The two templates that are provided included versions for Wordpress and Blogger - both popular weblog systems.

With the recent growth of the partisan blogosphere in Canada, any initiative that increases the virtual brand of a political party would certainly be considered a good thing.

NDP MP Irene Mathyssen Apologizes

Greg Farries — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:16:51 -0700

2007 Jack Layton Interview

Greg Farries — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:30:36 -0700

Greg Farries (MLW): You were first elected to the House of Commons in 2004. Most Canadians, however, know very little about the day-to-day life of a parliamentarian. Over the last three years, what are some of the important things you have learnt about being a Member of Parliament?

Jack Layton: I’ll stress two. First, life’s pace can be gruelling for an MP, especially on the road, and you need to take care of yourself. It’s too easy to slide into forgetting about diet, exercise, and all that goes into keeping your body healthy, your mind sharp and your work effective. I recommend literally scheduling exercise and self-care time with staff, and keeping those appointments like any other. I also cycle to work whenever I possibly can – that really helps keep me grounded.

Second, you really need to stay connected with people outside of federal politics. Parliament Hill can be like a closed system, with its own language, customs, priorities, and cast of characters. To stay inspired with fresh energy and ideas, I always urge MPs to look beyond the experts who roam the Hill. For me, the best practical wisdom still often comes from ordinary people I encounter in Toronto and on the road.

Greg Farries (MLW): A leader of a major political party in Canada is faced with numerous challenges, both within their party and from without. As leader of the NDP, what do you believe are some key qualities of good leadership?

Jack Layton: Good leaders blend pragmatism and principle without sacrificing either. They set a clear direction, lead by example and hold themselves accountable for results. For me, the mechanism of that leadership is team building. After all, that’s the very idea of social democracy: citizens coming together, as a team with a vision, to get things done. That holds whether you’re leading a caucus or a country.

I continually re-learn three lessons about team-based leadership. First, it requires a great deal of active listening, constantly testing the team’s direction against a breadth of ideas and experiences. Second, you need to balance listening with a relentless commitment to action, continually re-earning trust that process drives results. Finally, leadership itself is a team project—the best part of my job is supporting exceptional leaders at work within our caucus, our party and in the wider community.

Greg Farries (MLW): Some might argue that western social democratic parties have gone through a significant evolution since the 1980s. As leader of the largest social democratic party in Canada, do you see a change in the policies and behaviour of left-wing parties? If so, what sorts of changes?

Jack Layton: Well, one clear change is the growing strength of those large corporate interests most threatened by social democracy. They’re consolidating control over cultural and political resources. Their think-tanks have excelled at framing regressive policies in compelling moral terms. Their political parties are feeling freer to slide further right.

All of this has some progressives wondering if they must shift to “the centre” to stay competitive. While I reject that idea, I won’t pass sweeping judgement on so-called Third Way governments. Governing is a difficult local balancing of principles and pragmatics. In practice, many of these Third Wayers have been much better for ordinary people than available alternatives. Others have clearly left their principles behind.

I can tell you that Canada’s NDP is proudly and firmly grounded in the principles of social democracy. This party knows what it stands for. You will see no movement towards a mushy middle ground. The NDP already reflects the mainstream on most of the issues people use to describe what Canada stands for. Our challenge is to continue articulating those policies in terms of their underlying values—fairness, safety, compassion, community—values that most Canadians share.

Greg Farries (MLW): Some would argue during the late 1990s, the right-of-centre in Canada found electoral success difficult, due in part to vote splitting between two political parties. Do you think left-of-centre parties are now facing a similar battle, with voters divided amongst the NDP, the Liberals, and the Greens?

Jack Layton: There is one principled left-of-centre party in Parliament: the NDP. Only the Liberals try to frame NDP-Liberal vote-switching as a battle of left-of-centre parties. What they do is beg progressives to hold their noses and vote Liberal to “Stop Harper”—even when switching votes to a third-place Liberal helps elect a Conservative. This campaign is based on fear as opposed to any honest competition of ideas.

There is a progressive tradition within the Liberal Party that I respect. But it has withered to a point where it is consistently buried, and good people along with it. And today, the Liberal MPs people elected to “Stop Harper” won’t even oppose Harper’s agenda when it matters most in Parliament. What the NDP offers is a principled, credible alternative to that agenda.

Greg Farries (MLW): The Liberals and Conservatives have traditionally been viewed as the key parties in the debate on Canadian federalism. What is the NDP’s view of the state of Canadian federalism today? Moreover, how would you differentiate your Party’s views from those of the Liberals and the Conservatives?

Jack Layton: We strongly support Canadian federalism, but the federation is not working well. Starting in the mid-1990s, Ottawa walked away from its responsibilities for national programs in housing, health and income security—and from supporting provincial priorities in post-secondary education and infrastructure. The results are painfully clear: a fiscal crunch for provinces, crumbling public infrastructure, falling service standards and hardship for ordinary Canadians.

Now we have a Conservative government that antagonizes provinces by breaking promises on equalization and threatening divisive debates on spending powers.

Instead of divisive debates, the NDP proposes results-oriented leadership. That means ensuring reliable federal funding of shared-cost programs so provinces, territories and local governments can plan without fearing abrupt policy changes. It means taking the reins where those levels of government have invited it—including national strategies for prescription drugs, child care, transportation and infrastructure. It means developing a framework for national standards in areas of provincial jurisdiction that respects Quebec’s autonomy. It means restoring fairness to equalization—in our view, through a rules-based system designed to equalize basic services for Canadians.

Greg Farries (MLW): In 2005, the NDP was able to advance part of its agenda during the Liberal minority. Do you see any issues where there is potential for cooperation between the NDP and the Conservative government? Or do you believe the Conservatives are still fundamentally "wrong on the issues" as you expressed during the 2005-2006 election campaign?

Jack Layton: The Prime Minister has repeatedly rejected our proposals on the big issues. On the mission in Afghanistan. On confronting global warming. On closing the growing gap between the rich and the rest. And with his Throne Speech taking Canada further down the wrong path, I am not hopeful of finding major areas of cooperation with Mr. Harper.

That kind of cooperation is rarely easy, whether it’s Conservatives or Liberals in charge. Bringing in Medicare or public pensions was not easy. Rewriting the 2005 Liberal budget was no easy partnership either. Remember, that was a difficult exercise that started with overcoming Paul Martin’s initial deal with Stephen Harper to bring in massive corporate tax cuts.

Greg Farries (MLW): As leader of a party that is officially supportive of initiating a discussion on electoral reform nationally, do you see the issue as having much life in the national political arena, after the defeat of the Mixed Member Proportional electoral reform in the Ontario election?

Jack Layton: That election provided the shallowest kind of endorsement for the status quo. Because the most alarming result of all is that barely half of eligible voters even cast a ballot. That’s an all-time low. Such is the level of cynicism among average voters. And our antiquated first-past-the-post voting systems breed more of it.

Someone, somewhere, needs to break this vicious cycle. I want to see it happen federally. People deserve a voting system that makes every vote count, that re-engages them in the political process. But the “right” moment for voting reform won’t appear like a sunny day in February. It will be the result of hard work and tough debates, and the sooner we move forward, the better.

Greg Farries (MLW): The NDP victory in the Quebec by-election caught many by surprise. Obviously, having a strong and credible candidate helped the party there. Can we read more into this victory than that? How does the NDP plan to expand on this toehold in a province that has been pretty unresponsive to the NDP up until now?

Jack Layton: Thomas Mulcair ran on an explicitly progressive platform: action on the environment, a new direction in Afghanistan, and fairness for average families. Pundits would do well to hear the message that Outremont voters sent before theorizing it away.

Thomas Mulcair’s credibility is a tremendous value. Absolutely. His is the credibility of a former cabinet minister and federalist social democrat. That’s important. He can speak directly to Quebec’s healthy and tenacious social democratic tradition. With the Bloc Québécois well past its best-before date, Tom offered Outremont voters a choice that’s both progressive and federalist—and they responded.

In the next election, you will see more household names running for the NDP. Thomas Mulcair’s trailblazing has helped make that possible. And these candidates will be creating more four-way races throughout Québec. When you get involved in four-way races, you start to elect MPs. And when you do that, you’re on your way to building a new tradition of electoral success.

Forum Member Questions:

Members of the Maple Leaf Web Forums where given the opportunity to propose questions to Mr Layton. The following questions where selected out of the 30+ submitted.

jennie (Forum Member): The Ontario provincial NDP has made commitments to honour the ‘duty toconsult’ with Indigenous communities about land uses on their traditional and treaty lands, and to pursue revenue sharing agreements. (Source) Will the federal NDP also commit to supporting meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples regarding all uses of their traditional and treaty lands, and respecting their interests in those lands?

Jack Layton: The NDP believes that a restoration of the nation-to-nation relationship that existed when the Crown signed treaties with First Nations is long overdue. Restoring this relationship means a full seat at the table for First Nations leadership on federal government issues that affect First Nations’ jurisdiction and the recognition of First Nations’ languages and history as a cornerstone of this country. Clearly, restoring this relationship ensure that meaningful consultation with First Nations will occur every time the use of their traditional and treaty lands is in question.

But this question is not only an issue of party policy; it is also the position of the Supreme Court of Canada. In the Haida and Taku Tlinglit cases, the Court made it clear that the federal government must consult with First Nations before making resource development decisions that affect their lands and that the government cannot assign this responsibility to anyone else. It’s time that our government lived up to their responsibility – legal and moral – and gave First Nations a real voice.

August1991 (Forum Member): Mr. Layton, you changed the long-standing, official NDP policy to withdraw Canada from NATO. Instead, you now want Canada to remain a member of NATO but you want to "transform" it. What do you mean exactly and is this related to your desire to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan?

Jack Layton: Since the war in Afghanistan began nearly six years ago, there has been little sign that NATO is willing to acknowledge its failings or change its approach in Afghanistan. NATO has been facing increasing problems in Afghanistan, including rising civilian casualties.

NATO needs to realize that if they continue to follow the narrow-minded agenda of the Bush administration on this issue, then they will simply fuel the cycle of violence in Afghanistan

Canada has been involved in the counter-insurgency mission in Kandahar since 2005 when the Liberal government deployed troops to the southern province. With Liberal support, the current Conservative government extended the mission to 2009.

This mission is not making life safer for ordinary Afghans and it’s not improving the humanitarian situation in that country. Canadian soldiers serve courageously in Afghanistan, but when Canadian funds are disproportionately skewed towards military spending we cannot win the hearts and minds of local Afghans.

The mission is wrong and it doesn’t work. That’s why the NDP has consistently called for our troops to be withdrawn from the counter-insurgency mission and for a refocus of our efforts on aid and reconstruction.

geoffrey (Forum Member): Both the Conservative and Liberal parties have strong youth movements with many up and coming leaders. The NDP has recently seen some of its veteran members, ones’ that carry a great deal of respect in both the House and among Canadians, retire from politics. Are you confident that your party has enough youth involvement to have the same national presence 10 or 20 years down the road?

Jack Layton: It’s always sad when those who have spent years building the NDP and working on behalf of ordinary Canadians decide that it’s time to move on to other things. But they never stray far and they leave a legacy of hard work and accomplishments for the rest of the team to build on. They also leave in the knowledge that there are many others waiting in the wings, ready to take on that work.

One of our great strengths is the youth presence within our party. I am constantly impressed by the young people who are involved. I am inspired by their innovative ideas, their energy and their proactive attitude. The young people in the NDP are not only the leaders of the future – they are leaders today. Many have gone on from their experiences in the youth wing to play key roles in the party. They are helping to shape the direction of the party now so that it will be where it needs to be in 10 or 20 years.

The NPD is very committed towards youth involvement, and we have taken many steps to develop our college and university presence, we’ve hired a person who does youth outreach. The youth energy is strong in our party!

geoffrey (Forum Member): How do you see the unionized labour movement and business working together to improve Canada’s productivity compared to the rest of the OECD?

Jack Layton: At a time when we are facing crises in our core industries – manufacturing, auto and forestry – it’s important to look at every potential tool to solve them.

Unions are responsible for many of the advantages that workers have in Canada – decent wages, benefits and safe working conditions. These conditions attract workers to our country. The labour movement and business could to work together to attract talent to Canada and to ensure that the talent that we have already stays here by making Canada a leader in labour standards.

Companies often cite our skilled workforce as a reason to set up business in Canada. Unions and business could work together to invest in training and education in order to develop a skilled and stable workforce that makes Canada productive and makes us competitive at a global level.

But this work is not just up to unions and business. The government has an important role to play in facilitating this cooperation, in investing in training and education and in taking steps to address the crises in our core industries.

jdobbin (Forum Member): Should the leader of the Greens party be allowed to join the leader’s debate in the next election?

Jack Layton: It is the networks that have always made the decisions about who participates in the leaders’ debate. It will be up to them to make the decision again in the next election.

August1991 (Forum Member): Bob Rae characterized the Ontario NDP as a party of protest, but not a party of power. How do you view the federal NDP - is it a party of power or protest?

Jack Layton: The NDP is a party with strong principles that works hard to put in place pragmatic solutions to the problems facing everyday people. We know what we believe, we are united, and we stand up every day for working and middle-class families.

Our actions speak loud: we are the effective opposition to Stephen Harper in the House of Commons.

New Federal Party Seat Projections from LISPOP

Greg Farries — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:55:25 -0700

Barry Kay, at the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy (LISPOP), has posted a new set of seat projections based at recent polling data from October:

The model suggests that a federal election held in early October, 2007 would have produced a minority government situation, but one in which the Conservatives would hold a considerable lead over the Liberals compared to our last projection in June. However, the Conservative holding of 138 seats would still be quite short of a majority in the 307 seat House. The table suggests that the Liberals would win 101 seats, the NDP would hold fairly stable at 27 seats and the Bloc would win 41 seats.

Make sure to check out the graphs, tables and other statistical information in the Features and Updates section of the LISPOP website.

Jack Layton

Jay Makarenko — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:12:27 -0600

Jack Layton is leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. He is a Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto—Danforth, in Ontario.

Layton became leader of the federal NDP in January 2003; however, he did not immediately seek election to the House of Commons, waiting instead until the 2004 general election. He won his seat in a hotly contested battle against long-time Liberal incumbent Dennis Mills. During his tenure as leader, Layton has helped the Party increase its presence in the House of Commons. For example, the NDP has made inroads in Quebec with a key 2007 by-election victory. In the 2006 federal election, the party also increased its seat count to 29, from the 19 seats it won in the 2004 federal election — Layton`s first campaign as leader.

In the current Parliament, Layton and the NDP have strongly promoted curbing climate change, ending the combat mission in Afghanistan, and addressing the growing gap between wealthy and middle-class families. The Party has also been critical of the Liberal Party’s “support” of the minority Conservative government on issues such as Afghanistan, and that party's seeming unwillingness to bring down the government through a vote of non-confidence. In the next election, climate change will be a central issue for the NDP, as will a number of social policies such as accessible and affordable education, poverty reduction, preserving universal health care, and ensuring economic security for working families. The NDP will likely also campaign on Afghanistan.

The Politics of the Left in Canada

Layton arrived on the national scene at a time when many, both within and outside the NDP, were seriously questioning the future of left politics in Canada.

Traditionally, the New Democratic Party organized itself around the labour and farm movements; the NDP fought for the protection of workers and farmers in the economy, and the provision of basic social services to the working classes, such as education and health care. In the latter part of the 20th century, however, left politics began to change significantly with the presence of feminists, environmentalists, cultural groups and opponents of globalization.

These “New Left” groups have challenged the policies and practices of traditional New Democratic supporters. Environmentalists often oppose labour and farmers on environmental policy, while globalization opponents often advocate decentralized forms of social cooperation, which clashes with the highly centralized and hierarchical organization of unions. Moreover, many on today’s New Left do not support the NDP, instead choosing either to support other alternatives, such as the Green Party of Canada, or not to participate in the democratic system at all.

This change in left politics, coupled with the decline in support for the New Democratic Party since its heyday in the late 1980s, when it won more than 40 seats in the 1988 federal election, has given rise to calls for a significant change in the party’s direction. Some contend that electoral success lies in moving away from unions and towards specific groups in the New Left. Others propose moderation in the left-wing message, in the style of the US Democratic Party or the UK’s Labour Party. As a community-based activist from outside the ranks of big labour, Layton may be able to attract New Left support, however he must, at the same time, counterbalance against the loss of big labour support.

Municipal Politician and Academic

The selection of Layton as leader of the New Democratic Party was somewhat surprising. While he had extensive municipal political experience, Layton had very limited qualifications on national issues. With the support of influential NDP party members, including former leaders Audrey McLaughlin and Ed Broadbent, as well as provincial party leaders in British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and the Yukon, Layton defeated seasoned, long-serving NDP MPs Bill Blaikie and Lorne Nystrom, to win the leadership.

Layton ran, unsuccessfully, as a New Democratic candidate in the 1993 and 1997 federal elections. Prior to entering federal politics, he was involved in Toronto municipal politics, on and off, between 1982 and 2003; he served as a city councillor and also ran for mayor in 1991, a contest he lost to June Rowlands.

As an elected city politician in Toronto, Layton gained notoriety for his outspokenness and left-wing activism. He opposed the city’s construction of the SkyDome, the stadium where the Toronto Blue Jays play baseball, and its bid for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, arguing that public resources would be better spent on other priorities. He was also a strong rights advocate for AIDS patients and workers. Layton participated in several social initiatives, such as Canada’s first municipally sponsored AIDS strategy and The White Ribbon Campaign, a movement of men speaking out against violence against women. He was also involved in many environment projects, including the deep lake-water cooling (whereby cold water is pumped from the bottom of a lake as a heat sink for climate control systems) of downtown office buildings and the Better Buildings Partnership, which promoted higher efficiency in energy consumption.

Outside politics, Layton is an academic; he became a professor at Ryerson University while completing his dissertation. He then became an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography. Between his teaching positions at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto, he also taught in the graduate program at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Layton also continued participated in several community-based municipal movements in the Toronto area. In his life outside politics, Layton also operated an environmental consulting firm, and served as President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

A Personal Snapshot

Layton, who comes from a long line of politicians and activists, was born in Montreal in 1950, but grew up in the small town of Hudson, Quebec. His grandfather, Gilbert Layton, was a cabinet minister in Quebec’s Union Nationale government during the 1930s; he eventually resigned his cabinet position in protest of his government’s opposition to conscription in World War II. His father, Robert Layton, was an activist in the Liberal Party of Canada during the 1960s and 1970s, before joining the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the 1980s. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and served in the cabinet of Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Jack Layton completed his undergraduate studies at McGill University, where he was exposed to the left-wing ideologies and political activism of the 1960s and 1970s. Active in his university days, Layton took part in political science department sit-ins and campaigned for affordable student housing. He then attended York University where, in 1984, he graduated with a Ph.D. in political science.

Layton is a published author. In 2000, he published Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis, which focuses on the nature and extent of homelessness in Canada, and argues for a national housing policy in which the federal government would directly subsidize the housing of low-income families. In 2004 his second book was published; Speaking Out: Ideas that Work for Canadians, discusses practical ideas for addressing Canada’s social and environmental problems.

He is married to Olivia Chow, who is the New Democratic MP for the constituency of Trinity—Spadina. Layton has two children from a previous marriage.

Federal Election Info

Jay Makarenko — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:23:06 -0600

Find detailed information on federal political parties in Canada and links to related features and political cartoons.

2006 Election Results & Current Party Standings

Political Parties	2006	Voter %	Current
Conservative Party	124	36.27	126
Liberal Party	103	30.23	94
Bloc Québécois	51	10.48	49
New Democratic Party	29	17.48	30
Independant	1	0.52	4
Other	0	5.02	0
Vacant	-	-	5

Leader Profiles

Related Features and Cartoons

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Important Links

Official Political Party Websites

Minor Political Party Websites

Unofficial Partisan Blogrolls

Government Websites

Other Election Resources

Svend Robinson Steals Diamond Ring

Greg Farries — Sun, 09 Jan 2005 09:31:08 -0700

Layton and a Tired Canadian Electorate

Greg Farries — Fri, 02 Apr 2004 09:29:06 -0700

Jack Layton Talks about the NDP and Leadership

Greg Farries — Sat, 01 Mar 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Question: Maple Leaf Web - You won a pretty convincing first ballot victory in the leadership contest, even though you came in as a bit of an outsider compared to some of the other candidates. To what do you attribute your victory?

Answer: Jack Layton - Team building. Hundreds of people in every province and territory worked on our campaign. We were able to inspire NDP members, with our ideas and platform (which is still available at www.jacklayton.ca). And our team was able to attract thousands of new members to the party, including a lot of young people.

Q: Maple Leaf Web - Some of the other candidates in the leadership campaign stressed the importance of having a leader in the House of Commons. Most of the sitting MPs supported other candidates. Is it important to you to seek a seat in the Commons soon? How do you plan on building bridges with the party’s
parliamentary caucus?

A: Jack Layton - I have to say that the caucus has been really great. Right from the start, they have been very supportive. We have a tremendous team of women and men working for their constituents and voicing the real concerns of Canadians in the House of Commons. They are there to lead our fights in the House.

I’ve worked with them to establish new approaches, most notably by creating five advocacy teams. These teams will propose solutions and connect the Parliamentary team with academics, community organizations and citizens across Canada. So each of the NDP’s priorities - health, the environment, peace, communities, democracy - now has an advocacy team.

And even though I do not have a seat yet (something I’m very confident will change after the next general election), I am still spending three or four days a week in Ottawa when the House is sitting. I am there, strategizing with my caucus colleagues and available to speak with reporters after Question Period, and I think we have been pretty successful so far. Also, I’ll spend a lot of my time traveling across the country because my personal priority is to mobilize our party activists.

Q: Maple Leaf Web - The NDP resurgence in 1997 was due to a breakthrough in Atlantic Canada for which Alexa McDonough was widely credited. The party’s traditional strength is in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. You’re from Ontario, a province that has been reluctant to embrace the NDP in recent years. How do you plan to maintain support in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies and still break through in Ontario?

A: Jack Layton - Well, the NDP believes that its obligations are to Canada as a whole - and in order for the NDP to gain national strength, it means expanding where we are strong, and building where we are not. In the end, it all comes down to vision and leadership.

The NDP is offering something that has been in very short supply in this country under Chrétien. We offer hope. Not false hope, but realistic hope that we can build again - that together we can start moving forward with vision and values that go to the heart of the Canadian community, values shared by Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

If we work hard, and stay true to our social democratic values, the small victories, household to household, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, riding by riding, can add up to big victories.

Q: Maple Leaf Web - One of the perennial concerns for the NDP is its ties with organized labour. With the impending changes to Canada’s election finance laws (supported by your party), donations from unions will be severely limited. Is your party going to be rethinking its ties with the labour movement?

A: Jack Layton - The fact is the last federal election had the lowest voter turnout of any election in our history. Canadians are losing faith in their democratic institutions and in the political process.

We need to reverse that. Changing the way that parties are funded will do that. So yes, it is true that we will have to work differently, to fundraise differently, but in the end it will actually be a good thing for our party and for democracy itself in our country.

We always have to keep in mind that the labour movement is one of the founding partners of the New Democratic Party. It is a strong partnership that we need to keep in order to be a successful political movement. And clearly we will need to do a better job at reaching out to rank-and-file union members, and work hard at convincing them to take out individual
memberships in the NDP.

Q: Maple Leaf Web - Although the NDP has managed to stay alive through the last few elections because of the strong support of a dedicated core of supporters, the party hasn’t really caught fire with voters. How can the party can attract new supporters or regain the support of voters who have drifted away?

A: Jack Layton - We are already doing that! We have over 80,000 members now. And within the first week following the leadership convention, over 2,000 people joined the NDP! I am very excited by the enthusiasm I can feel and see everywhere I go.

But we have only started. Watch for us to launch campaigns that will put the NDP where it needs to be: at the centre of debate on the issues that matter to Canadians. We will be more visible, we are already attracting new voter support, establishing the NDP as the clear alternative to the Liberals. Our NDP team will be bold in our choices and creative in our approach, and we believe Canadians will want to log on to our web site, www.ndp.ca, and join with us in our campaigns for peace, for a better environment, for an improved public health care system and for a fair treatment of our communities.

Is Layton the Winner in a Minority Government?

Greg Farries — Tue, 28 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0700