Cullen Backing Mulcair at NDP Convention
Edmonton, AB – Will he stay or will he go?
That’s the big question facing NDP leader Tom Mulcair this weekend in Edmonton as the party gathers for its national convention and a leadership vote this Sunday.
Though his future is up in the air, he will have the support of at least one prominent party member, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.
“I’m supportive of Tom, though I don’t shy away from the mistakes he made in the last election. I think they’re real and they need to be addressed.
“But I’m one of those people that believe you invest and that people can learn from these things and get better. But I’m also not being real boisterous about it simply because I know it’s up to the membership here, not people like me.”
He acknowledges one of those mistakes was promising Canadians a balanced budget while at the same time promising both a national pharmacare and a national childcare program.
“Very traditional progressive ideas which I think hit people kind of funny. How can you do both of the these things? So being consistent in what we say and not being afraid to be as progressive as we can be. Both good lessons.”
Mistakes aside, does he think Mulcair will receive the roughly 70% support many think he’ll need to survive?
“My suspicion is yes but I don’t know. New Democrats are a funny bunch. We are fiercely loyal, we like to support our leaders, we don’t tend to throw leaders out if they have one bad election,” says Cullen.
“So that history is there. But the culture has also shifted in our party, that the expectation is to win. So I don’t know, I wish I could answer your question more directly.”
Comments
The NDP gains in Quebec in the 2011 Election was an anomaly and primarily because of Jack Layton running the NDP and Michael Ignatieff running the Liberal Party. People liked Layton but not Ignatieff.
This support disappeared in the 2015 election under Mulcair, with the Liberals getting big support for pretty boy Trudeau. They picked up seats in Quebec and other parts of the Country and basically buried the NDP. The Bloc picked up 6 seats in 2015 for a total of 10. The
So, it matters little who leads the party, because if you are going nowhere, you really don’t need a leader. There is no reason to believe that the NDP can make any headway in the next election. My guess is Mulcair just wants to have a good paying job with all the perks.
The NDP are going through the motions of pretending that they can make a difference, however I doubt if anyone is paying any attention.
I’m wondering if Tom is feeling a bit nervous and excited?
Nervous because if he loses the party vote, it would be unprecedented! No other leader has been shown the door in a vote by the party’s members.
Excited, because if he gets the boot, it will finally give him am extra special place in history!
I’d be more interested if Cullen had a joint news conference with the president of the pipefitters and boilermakers locals to show some much delayed support for the great work they do on pipelines and hydro dams…
Not gonna happen from ‘Just Say No’ Cullen.
It’s always amazed me why construction trade unions line up lock-step behind the NDP when the NDP have historically been (and continue to be) the largest killer of industrial jobs in this province.
Site C? – just say no. LNG development? – just say no. Upstream natural gas development? – just say no. Mine upgrades or new mines entirely? – just say no.
Teachers and nurses I get, but pipefitters, boilermakers, etc.?
This will be just like the blind leading the blind , seeing past the nose is tough for these two to do.
Then he could join Steve on the sidelines but hasn’t cost this country as much as Steve did.
It is noble to be fiercely loyal ,but , loyalty can be lauded in the wrong direction . Is the NDP one man or one party . Loyal should be IMHO to the party and not to the man that shrunk the NDP .
I am wondering why Cullen is not running for the leadership of the party himself.
Whoever wins this leadership convention is likely to take the NDP into the next election. They need time to prepare and they need a new leader during that time.
Who else is there to move into Mulcair’s role? I do not follow NDP leadership politics.
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