Electoral Disappointment for Canada's NDP: Strategies for Regaining Prominence
Rewritten Article:
David Moscrop, a politics scribe based in Ottawa, penned "Too Dumb For Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones." The NDP, Canada's federal party, apparently has a knack for near-death experiences in elections. In 1993, the party was obliterated by the liberals, leaving with 9 seats and 6.88% of the vote - their worst performance since 1958. They floundered again in 2000 before making a comeback under Jack Layton, eventually becoming the official opposition, and even had a shot at forming government under Thomas Mulcair.
Last year, the NDP hit rock bottom, winning only 7 seats and 6.3% of the national vote share. Party leader Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation soon after the election. Now, the NDP is a mere shadow in Parliament, without a leader or official status.
The NDP needs to refocus on issues that matter to workers and the less fortunate, but there's more to it than that. Some blame the party's defeat on its lack of ideological commitment - or the absence thereof - suggesting it moved too far to the center. That's misguided. While many might prefer a left, openly socialist NDP, the Canadian electorate isn't particularly ideological. In fact, the NDP's 2025 platform was the most left-wing of all, yet large swathes of their previous voters elected a former central banker as leader.
The NDP faces both short-term and long-term challenges. The Liberals have ascended, but they will eventually descend. Meanwhile, the NDP, without official party status in the House, will struggle with a lack of resources and attention. However, given time and a leader who fits the moment, the NDP can rebound, especially if they manage to assert an expressly left politics and engage in grassroots movement building focused on rallying the working class and pursuing long-term, class-based structural reform.
In the upcoming Parliament, the NDP will once again hold the balance of power. They share this with the Bloc Québécois, which carries risk. Previously, the NDP believed co-operation with the Liberals and the goods they delivered would benefit them electorally. It didn't.
In the long run, the NDP must decide what kind of party they want to be, for whom, and to what end. They should answer that question by asserting an expressly left politics, but also by engaging in grassroots movement building focused on rallying the working class and pursuing long-term, class-based structural reform. This way, they can regain influence in the House of Commons, make better policy for Canadians, grow their party, and maybe even take a shot at forming government - and transforming the country.
David Moscrop is an Ottawa-based politics writer and author of "Too Dumb For Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones."
Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data, and events.
Enrichment Data Insights:
- The NDP's 2025 election defeat was significant, resulting in the loss of official party status in the House of Commons and a drastic reduction in their parliamentary influence and resources.
- The NDP faces a leadership vacuum following Jagmeet Singh's resignation.
- The party's 2025 platform emphasized ambitious social spending and tax reforms, including significant revenue increases from wealthy Canadians and corporations and substantial program spending expansion without spending restraint.
- To regain strength, the NDP is advised to implement clear spending controls, phased implementations, and fiscal realism, while maintaining commitment to social justice and redistributive policies.
- To revive voter engagement, the NDP may focus on grassroots organizing, forging coalitions with labor groups, environmental organizations, and Indigenous communities, and championing electoral reform and voting expansion initiatives, particularly among youths and Indigenous populations.
- David Moscrop, a politics writer in Ottawa, believes that the NDP, Canada's federal party, needs to refocus on issues important to workers and the less fortunate, assert an expressly left politics, and engage in grassroots movement building to regain influence in the House of Commons.
- The NDP's defeat in the 2025 election resulted in a significant loss of official party status, parliamentary influence, and resources, leaving them without a leader and in a state of weakness.
- The NDP's 2025 platform, which emphasized ambitious social spending and tax reforms, did not prevent a large number of previous voters from electing a former central banker as leader, suggesting that Canadian electors may not be particularly ideological.
- The upcoming Parliament places the NDP and the Bloc Québécois in a position of holding the balance of power, posing a risk for the NDP as they decide what kind of party they want to be, for whom, and to what end.
- To rebound and regain strength, the NDP should implement clear spending controls, phased implementations, and fiscal realism, while maintaining commitment to social justice and redistributive policies, and focus on grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and championing electoral reform and voting expansion initiatives.
