Nine candidates have thrown their hat into the ring to replace Jack Layton. Robert Chisholm, Nathan Cullen, Paul Dewar, Thomas Mulcair, Peggy Nash, Romeo Saganash, Brian Topp, Martin Singh, and Niki Ashton are all in the race. This large field presents a challenge to workers and youth who look to the party when trying to decide how to cast their ballot. In this article, we will try to go over the candidates to help inform that choice and point a way forward for the NDP.

On 22nd August, New Democrats woke to discover that we had lost our Party leader, Jack Layton. Now we are seeing a huge outpouring of emotion amongst party activists and the wider working class. This is because in these times of crisis and austerity, Jack Layton was seen to represent something different. He represented a path towards social justice and away from the race to the bottom. Hope and optimism were Jack’s watchwords and this is exactly what workers and youth are looking for right now. Fightback salutes the passing of a fighter who will be missed by millions.

For twenty years, the Bloc Quebecois dominated federal politics in Quebec. As in provincial politics, the national question loomed large over all other concerns, and this seemed a permanent feature of the reality in the province. The NDP attempted to establish a foothold here, beginning with the election of Thomas Mulcair in Outremont in 2008. The mainstream pundits and analysts were convinced that the NDP was fooling itself in the province, and nothing would change. But in this election everything did change, suddenly, and all the old assumptions have been turned on their heads.

On May 28^th, three weeks after the election, more than 250 people packed a conference room at the Sheraton Hotel, Montreal, for the first NDP Quebec Convention since its historic victory in Quebec. It was by far the largest NDPQ convention in recent memory and it could not be otherwise. After all it has just gone from 1 seat to 59 seats, a number that the Bloc itself never reached in its 20-year political domination in Quebec.

The New Democratic Party, fresh on the heels of an historic electoral victory, has just concluded its federal convention in Vancouver. Seven Fightback supporters from four different cities were there to intervene in the convention which, even before it began, was set to be a showcase for the balance of forces between the left and right wings of the party.

On the eve of the NDP's federal convention in Vancouver, the party is getting set to debate a motion to remove all references to socialism in the party's constitution. At a time of the greatest crisis of capitalism since the Great Depression, the mass uprising in the Arab world, and the complete rejection of Liberalism in the federal election, there could not be a more mistimed proposal. At this time of austerity and crisis, we do not need more capitalism — we need more socialism.

The breakthrough of the New Democratic Party in the recent federal election has reshaped the political landscape of Canada. Working class people across the country, and particularly in Quebec, rejected the status-quo parties of Canadian capitalism in a sweeping movement for change. And now the voices of the bosses are trying their best to come to terms with the new political reality.

Toronto Centre-Rosedale has long been considered an unwinnable riding by the NDP.  However, by running a grassroots, activist, and socialist campaign in the recent federal election, the NDP more than doubled their vote in Toronto Centre and came within striking distance of defeating Bob Rae.  Solomon Muyoboke and Farshad Azadian, the campaign managers for the Toronto Centre NDP campaign and supporters of Fightback magazine, recount how socialist ideas can lead to victory.

After almost 3 months of constant struggle the fight within the Ontario New Democratic Youth appears to have reached a settlement. At the November 27-28th Ontario NDP Provincial Council the activist youth failed to hold the positions they previously won on the ONDY executive, but they won a much more important battle. Red-baiting and the de-chartering of the Toronto Young New Democrats have been decisively defeated, and an executive was elected that appears to be further to the left than the previous exec and committed to more activism. The activism of the Toronto Young New Democrats, and their successful fight back against red-baiting, has led to the whole of ONDY being moved to the left with socialists recognized as a constituent part.

Those who are regular readers of Fightback will know that we have been at the forefront of fighting for an activist, democratic, and socialist NDP that can give workers and youth a reason to support the party. We believe that this is the way to defeat the corporate parties who, with their big-business backers, will always have more money and media support. We are very happy to report that this vision was overwhelmingly endorsed at the Ontario New Democratic Youth convention in Hamilton, held over the weekend of November 5th – 7th. Unfortunately, some who do not agree with this vision are not prepared to let the democratic opinion of the rank-and-file youth stand.