The New Democratic Party

Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2008 in Volume 14 Issue 1 | 0 comments

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Do you sympathize with the proletariat? Do you pay your union dues faithfully? Do you understand the burdens that your plumber and electrician face? If so, the New Democratic Party is for you. As the champions of the underdog, the NDP has a long history of campaigning for social justice and an end to practices that benefit the rich while slowing the advancement of the poor. Though one of Canada’s major parties, the NDP has never formed the government. However, various provincial wings of the party have held a number of premierships. In this election there is a chance that, for the first time, the NDP will gain the rank of official opposition.

That said, Canadians can thank the NDP for some significant policies, such as the national healthcare system that we enjoy. Traditionally, the NDP has been a bastion of policies and people that look to benefit the working class and young families. The NDP has also looked to the environmental movement as a natural ally, though this is changing due to the advancement of the Green Party and the increasing conflict between support for the governmental creation of jobs and environmental protectionism.

At the same time, the NDP’s environmental policies and rapport are still strong. NDP leader Jack Layton promises to “make big polluters pay” through significant “cap-and-trade” systems which would limit the amount of new carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. Perhaps the biggest plank of the NDP platform for the environment is the expansion of public transit, which would kill two birds with one stone: it would create high-wage jobs for public sector workers and, at the same time, reduce the environmental burden of commuting. Though not as sophisticated as the Liberal or the Green Party’s plans for the environment, Jack Layton still advocates for major action to avert man-made global warming, something the Conservative Party seems resistant to do.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the NDP’s platform is their economic policy, which attempts to stimulate creation of high-paying jobs for Canadian workers. Most importantly, they plan to limit trade negotiations significantly and actively pursue raises in corporate taxes to fund the vast social programs that they would pursue. Layton’s rationale behind this move is that companies that don’t have to cover the health and welfare expenses of their employees’ dependents will be able to spend more time developing contacts and making money. Layton has strong sympathies with the downtrodden and by pursuing higher tax revenue he hopes to expand services significantly. If you sympathize with Robin Hood, Jack Layton is the candidate for you.

On the war in the Middle East, the NDP is hoping to bring home the troops from Afghanistan before 2011. In other areas of foreign policy, the NDP supports increased immigration as well as increasing Canada’s aid budget to at least 0.7 per cent of GDP. Jack Layton has also claimed in the past that he would expand Canada’s peacekeeping role under the banner of the UN (Canada currently has about 60 peacekeepers serving under the UN, which is down from several thousand over the past 20 years). New funding for these ideas would come from the increased tax revenue given by a rise in the GST, increased corporate earnings and increased economic growth.

It is certainly possible that Canada’s third national party could gain a significant role in parliament this time around, with the Liberals and the NDP in an increasingly close race for second place. While unlikely to form the government, the NDP is a potent force in some areas of the country and may well become the official opposition party.