Photo by Obert Madondo/Flickr

Even before the abysmal final election verdict was announced, leftists were analyzing what was clearly amounting to a collapse of the federal NDP. There are many takes as to where the party should go next—including, of course, the never-ending debate over how radical or moderate they should be—but one recurring theme between them is that the party is in dire need of a clear, overarching direction. The policies under Jagmeet Singh varied in quality and scale but were too often put forward reactively in response to the positions of other parties and (often poor) interpretations of public polling. This rudderless tendency culminated in the bizarre “tearing up” of the supply and confidence agreement without identifying a dividing issue. Mark Carney, by contrast, was remarkably clear about the principles guiding his economic philosophy even if he heavily adjusted the policy specifics to the moment. Indeed, some of Carney’s advertisements were simply him talking shop without bothering to even mention the other parties. Though many on the left objected to Carney’s vision, they wanted the alternative to be presented as seriously.

Though much of the party’s focus will now necessarily shift towards the selection of a compelling leader, that leader will also need a more vibrant and shared raison d’etre with which to galvanize voters. As the NDP goes back to the proverbial drawing board it seems appropriate that they examine that second word in their own name: democratic. We have seen how a lack of economic democracy can lead to political democracy getting swallowed by oligarchs; a recurring theme that goes back to ancient Greece. Democracy in Canada is now severely lacking both politically and economically, and the public feels it. Moreover, it is lacking as a........

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