OTTAWA: The New Democrats are a demoralized party today, according to political analysts. There have been rumblings among grassroots members that party leader Jagmeet Singh has so far failed to inspire Canadians, let alone the party cadre.
Media reports are also indicating there is discontent in the caucus and a feeling that Jagmeet must step down if he loses or does not fare very well in Burnaby South – a safe seat from where he is seeking election to Parliament, although his home is in Brampton. Jagmeet announced his candidacy for the federal riding after New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart indicated he was stepping aside to run for mayor of Vancouver.
The buzz that was generated when he took over as party chief has dissipated and nobody seems to be keen on hearing Jagmeet Singh’s ideas any more, which are today eerily similar to that of the Liberals.
Money is also going to play a major role in the decimation of the New Democrats under Jagmeet Singh, if political analysts are to be believed.
The federal New Democrats pulled in less money this year than last, as newly released financial documents show the party raised just under $5 million dollars in 2017.
The party has now put out a plea on the net:
“Support progressive politics.
“We are a grassroots movement. You can help us build a fairer Canada for all.
“Join us by making a donation. Will you chip in $5 now?”
There are also boxes for $10, $15, $20, $25, $30 and $35 to tick off.
The NDP’s annual fundraising returns posted to the Elections Canada website show the party pulled in $4.86 million from 39,053 donors. In 2016, the NDP raised $5.39 million from 26,754 contributors one year after hauling in $18.59 million from 118,777 donors in 2015. The elections watchdog gave the party a filing extension that meant the NDP’s annual return is being made public two months after their federal rivals.
The New Democrats have had a tough time establishing a campaign war chest that measures up to the Tories or the Liberals ever since the 2015 federal election when the party plummeted into debt. The years that followed have seen major expenses, including a federal leadership race and national conventions.
The annual reports show the Tories raised $18.84 million from 94,786 contributors in 2017, outflanking the Liberals by nearly $5 million. A general election will cost $40 million — $20 million for the central campaign, $20 million for the ridings — and the NDP is not a party that is raising anywhere near enough to fight a competitive campaign.
The NDP support base has remained static at around 15 per cent — exactly where they were when Singh was elected leader in October. He is favoured by only 7 per cent of Canadians to be their preferred prime minister, according to this week’s Nanos Research tracker poll, leaving him statistically tied with the Green Party’s Elizabeth May.
In the wake of disastrous byelection results in Quebec, Singh admitted to media, “It’s clear we’re not penetrating, we’re not connecting with people.”
Singh’s staff say they are “very confident” of victory, based on the response on the ground. “We are talking about issues that matter to folks there,” said one NDP staffer, who was quoted by a Toronto newspaper as saying.
Comments by ordinary Canadians in the pages of national newspapers are often scathing: “Most of his platform has been about radical Punjabi tribal fighting and separating from India…..nothing about Canada…”
And again: “ Although a lot of people are referring to TransMountain topic, one shouldn’t forget Jagmeet’s inability to condemn terrorism and extremism which is a serious matter for Canada.”
Meanwhile in Victoria, the Green party said it would not run a candidate against Jagmeet Singh in Burnaby South.
Green Leader Elizabeth May says the decision is an extension of a “leader’s courtesy,’’ a Canadian parliamentary tradition that facilitates a newly elected party leader’s entry to the House of Commons unopposed.