NDProgress group seeks "root and branch" renewal of NDP

Conference supports end to party and labour campaign contributions, one-member-one-vote, separate federal and provincial parties, and a rethink of ties to labour

By: Mike DeRosenroll

  Canada's ailing New Democratic Party showed signs of life in April when 70 party activists from coast-to-coast gathered in Ottawa to discuss reforming the party's internal structures to make them more democratic and effective. Spending the weekend talking about internal party structures may sound dry to some, but reforming the party's internal democracy is vital to the NDP's survival says NDProgress, the grassroots group that organized the conference.
  Formed last September by a group of activists from Ontario and Nova Scotia, NDProgress has quickly grown into a nationwide network of New Democrats committed to making their party more democratic. The conference was inspired by Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer who, in December, published an open letter to the party calling for a massive overhaul of its structures. Stoffer's letter called for five major reforms: a system of one-member, one-vote for electing the party leader and other major decisions; decoupling the federal NDP from its provincial wings to give the federal party more independence; breaking the party's top-level organizational link with the elites of the labour movement; reforming the party's fundraising structure by no longer accepting donations from corporations and unions; and a new party name once the other four reforms were complete. Although Stoffer is not connected to NDProgress, his letter ignited a debate in the party and the media. NDProgress decided to have a conference to discuss four of Stoffer's ideas, leaving out the name change to focus on the four substantial reforms.
  Proponents of democratic reform in the NDP blame the federal party's recent run of poor election results on a disconnect with ordinary left-leaning Canadians. Progressive Canadians from all walks of life no longer see the NDP as the vehicle for the realization of their political goals. Many ordinary Canadians see the NDP is to be aloof from the day-to-day concerns of voters, and as a party adept at finding fault with the world but incapable of developing practical, workable solutions to help people improve the quality of their lives. The reason for this disconnect, say the proponents of democratic reform, is the party's inherently conservative structures that makes it difficult to absorb new people and new ideas. A more open and democratic structure would give social activists, who are some of the left's best sources of new ideas, a way to have an impact on the direction of the party while also giving more ordinary Canadians a voice, which would reconnect the party with the day-to-day concerns of voters.
  "It has been forty years since our party was organized and back in 1961 a snapshot was taken of the party," says conference participant and Nova Scotia NDP MLA Kevin Deveaux. "The party took a snapshot of what the left was in 1961 and, of course, the major components at that time included labour and other organizations that came together and said 'we need to renew the left and this is our opportunity.' So in 1961 the NDP was created and that was a snapshot of what the left was at that time. The problem is that, forty years later, we are still using that old photo, that old snapshot, and we have never really taken the time to go back and have a true discussion of what the left is. Maybe the left has changed. I would suggest to you it has. It is not the same left there was in 1961. The left has changed with regard to its dynamics, with regard to who is involved and with regards to what it wants from the NDP. I think it is vital that the party, and the left generally, take this opportunity to sit down and talk, before the next election, about what the left must be in Canada and what the role of the NDP is."
  "But even if, at this NDP Renewal Convention in November, we have the building of a new left - a new definition of the left in Canada - that's not enough. We'll be doing the same thing we did in 1961, taking a snapshot of the left. What we need is democratic reform within this party to ensure that the membership will always be able, on a regular basis whether it's every two years at a convention or whether it is every five or ten years, to renew itself. We need to have the democratic structure in place to ensure our party will continue to reflect what the membership wants. A political party must be dynamic. A political party must be prepared to change, given the time and the circumstances, and that will not happen unless we have the democratic structures in place that are necessary. That is why I think this weekend was a watershed for the NDP."
  The NDProgress conference was a watershed for the NDP because the participants, a broad cross-section of the party's grassroots, reached some consensus on the major questions. There was broad support for changing the election law to end corporate and union donations to political parties, once the NDP is part of a government or is in a position to demand such a change from the government. Party leader Alexa McDonough gave a speech endorsing one-member, one-vote and the conference participants overwhelmingly supported the idea. There was significant support for measures to give the federal party more independence from the provincial wings, with many advocating outright separation as soon as it becomes practicable in resource terms, and there was a strong consensus that the organizational link with the labour movement needs to be completely rethought, so that the emphasis in the future is placed upon rank-and-file union members rather than union leaders.
  The conference organizers are preparing a report to be distributed to the participants and throughout NDProgress' grassroots network. It will then be up to these grassroots members to pass resolutions at the local riding level for consideration at the federal NDP's upcoming Renewal Convention, this November in Winnipeg. NDProgress is a sign that, while the NDP is down, it is not out. The existence of so many committed NDP activists from coast-to-coast, willing to put so much energy into rebuilding their party, shows that NDP still has the necessary building blocks for a comeback. Now it is up to the party to seize the promise of NDProgress and build back up from that foundation, while it is still there to be built upon.

Posted: June 11, 2001

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