The NDP put its best foot forward at last weekend’s convention, and the opening speech by Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was a highlight.

Deeply experienced and wise, Kinew represents the best of the NDP. He shone in both official languages, very much at ease on his home turf in Winnipeg.

His speech contained a strong message of hope, as one would expect.

It also contained what could only be seen as advice for the then front-runner, and eventual winner, Avi Lewis:

“It’s important to be the conscience of Parliament. I don’t want to diminish that. That is very, very important. … But here in Manitoba, we are showing you why winning matters. You can have a progressive economy. You can have better health care. …”

The real question is whether or not Lewis was listening: whether he understood the message that politics is, yes, about ideas, but also about being in a position to do more than simply talk about those ideas — by winning and by being in Parliament.

Lewis,........

© Montreal Gazette