When not snickering at it, commentators have largely dismissed the current NDP leadership race.

They point out, correctly, that the party got wiped out last spring, winning only seven measly seats in Parliament — barely enough to fill a golf cart, not enough for party status.

So the NDP is a dud. Case closed. After all, nothing ever changes in politics. Right?

Except, for instance, in 1993 when the Progressive Conservatives were slashed from a majority to two paltry seats in Parliament — just enough to fill all seats on a bicycle built for two.

I’m not willing to conclude Prime Minister Mark Carney’s grip on Canada is forever.

Rather, I’d predict that several years from now, in the post-Trump era, Carney’s shift to the right won’t sit particularly well with millions of centrist and progressive Canadians who will still be struggling with “affordability.”

What the NDP urgently needs is a leader who can address this key issue of “affordability” — another way of saying ordinary people don’t have enough money to get by.

It really boils down to class politics, which used to be the NDP’s bread and butter. And it’s a realm where Avi Lewis,........

© rabble