Allright, then: With the news that Nova Scotia’s Robert Chisholm has withdrawn his candidacy to succeed Jack Layton, who do you like for the job? Vote now in our wholly unscientific straw poll, and, in the comments, tell us why voted the way you did.
[polldaddy poll=5780755]
Although I don’t necessarily lean as far to the left as Nash does, which would make it difficult for me to ever cast a vote for her, I think she is one of the best options for the NDP. She is calm, collected, and knowledgeable with a history of being passionate about social issues. Mulcair and Topp may both be strong leaders with strong personalities but I feel as if they may also be much more polarizing figures. Nash is the opposite. Part of the NDP’s prior successes were due to its leaders’ warmth, dedication, energy, and openness which I think is better found in Nash than many of the other candidates.
I worry about both the two current leads for very different reasons.
I’m worried that Peggy represents the old guard of what our party was (same past, same endorsment, ect). Not that we should leave it behind, but I just don’t feel like she has the energy or ability to attract and grow past where we were at 5/6 years ago.
Muclair is on the other side. I don’t feel like he gets my life, needs or values. And I worry about his past musing about selling off Canadian water rights and his anti-union comments at the beginning of the race.
Dewar has my vote because he is the balance between these: he’s always been a new democrat, he’s experienced and articulate, and he has the energy and broader appeal to connect with Canadian voters. That and he has the best potential to grow personally and over the next 4 years, and grow our support base.
We need Romeo Saganash. Romeo is fluent in English and French, will easily connect with Canada’s aboriginal people and has a life long interest in progressive issues which are the foundation of the NDP.
Any one but Peggy Nash. Her plan to bring back the long gun registry will kill the party in the west. My vote will then be for the Tories and I’ll finally get around to quitting the party. The long gun registry is a totalitarian invasive anachronism worthy of Stalin.
This country needs Romeo Saganash to wake up the true identity of Canada.
Thomas Mulcair is the only choice that will be able to: a) hold onto the NDP’s Quebec support, and b) build additional support across Canada in both English and French communities. He’s got extensive political experience, having served in the Government of Quebec; he’s an advocate for positive change, both from his private and public experience; he will move the NDP toward a more electable, centrist position that will put it in line to form the next Government of Canada in 2015; he will not allow the Conservatives to bully him – in fact, he might be the one tearing a strip off them instead of vice versa. Finally, from a personal standpoint as a Jewish Canadian, he is the ONLY leadership candidate that has repeatedly gone on record as openly supporting Israel and issues that directly impact Jews – both in Canada and Israel, as well as around the world.
Canada needs Romeo, just like Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo has his web script up and running!
Mulcair is the only candidate in the race that can consolidate our gains in Quebec and grow the party in the rest of Canada. He doesn’t want to move the party to the centre. He wants to move the centre to the party.
As for a previous post that said he made anti-union comments. That is not accurate. He said no to a union leader who wanted the labour carve out returned. That is not anti-union. If you look at his record and career, he has a long history of being in support of the labour movement. He was a labour lawyer, a shop steward, and eventually was elected Secrétaire de section of the (SPGQ) Syndicat des Professionnels et Professionnelles du Gouvernement du Québec (The Union of Québec Government Professional Employees).
New Democrats shouldn’t make the same mistake Republicans may make in the US (thankfully)… go for a candidate they “like” over a candidate that has the ability and gravitas to win.
There is very little difference is where the candidates stand on the issues of the day. This isn’t policy development. It’s about picking the best spokesperson. It’s about which candidate makes the Tories scared. It’s about which candidate Canadians can clearly see as a potential Prime Minister. That candidate is Thomas Mulcair.
Oh look now Paul Dewar has a script running this too. Seriously, hundreds (thousands?) of votes in mere hours. Both Romeo’s and Paul’s campaigns clearly just game these things.
Watch Nathan Cullen in the upcoming debates. He’s charismatic, well spoken and has a sense of humor. We need to think about which Leader is going to most appealing to all Canadians not just new democrats. Canadians want someone who is personable, confident and well-spoken and I think Cullen is the best fit.
I am an early and proud supporter of Romeo Saganash. We new kind of Canadian leadership. Bringing all Nations together. Think big!
I am supporting Romeo Saganash, he has my vote. I am voting for life experience, political experience, negotiating experience, bring people to work together experience, I vote for a new vision that will move Canada forward. VOTE Romeo Saganash, who can create jobs for you and your family, Someone who grew up in a lone-parent home, someone who has children, someone who knows what it is like to live on a reserve, someone who knows what it is like to live in urban-rural area, VOTE Romeo!
Cullen is the most likable candidate of the lot!
As the leadership contest matures, pay close attention to the performance of Nathan Cullen emerging as a very strong candidate in the race. The more people get to know Nathan, what he stands for and is style of effective leadership, the more convinced you will be that Nathan will emerge as one of the front runners.
Who is prepared to:
1. Keep the word socialism in the constitution
2. Work like Jack for the working family
3. Inform the parliament and the nation about the injustices of the finance sector. We have noticed that every 25-30 years the income doubles: the 99%’s becomes from say 30 000 to 60 000 and the 1% from 1.25mi to 3mi. so that the rich become richer and the poor poorer.
4. Tax the Banks
5. Protect the Medicare (increase to 11% close to what Germany has), and regulating or controlling the prices of medication.
6. Social housing
7. Property should not be taxed per se. Relate muicipal taxes to the real needs of the city and not to the property (increase of evaluation etc.). Break the cost by neighborhood and consult the residents, by neighborhood.
8. Give emphasis not to borrowing to cover expenses, but to create wealth by encouraging the primary and secondary economic sectors. The finance sector is a service sector.
9. Where companies need assistance, the government should empower the employees to represent their interests in the board of directors, depending on the assistance given.
10. Free education to university students who loose no courses, accept to continue work in their field in Canada at least X years in their career or elsewhere upon their choice, by relieving them from taxes (pay now get them back later).
All Canadians are entitled to the same basic monetary support, and work and obligation to produce for the society.
Is there anyone who can dream politically like Jack, socially like King, ideologically like Che, economically like Marx… who can bring together hard working Canadians, willing to pay taxes for social net, creation of jobs, balancing profit and life.