Easily Amused wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

...he ran as the NDP candidate in a Vancouver riding in the last election, but he lost by a considerable margin to Liberal Hedy Fry.

It's HEDLEY! 😠
*
😁

Those were the Hedy days of politics!

Also note Avi is the son of former NDP leader and diplomat Stephen Lewis and journalist Michele Landsberg.
He's also the grandson of former federal NDP leader David Lewis who coined the phrase "corporate welfare bums."
So despite his poor showing in the Vancouver election he is NDP royalty.

 

The NDP used to be the party of the labour movement. Today it is the party of antisemitism. I'm not sure anybody whose first name is "Avi" (short for Avrum) is going to lead the NDP.

Separate from the fact that it's NDP, Avi Lewis just might be the right person for the job of opposition to whatever government gets in. 
A good voice, a good ability to get messages out there that NEED to be heard and acted upon.  
Much like how, I may not be a Mike Harris fan, but he DID have a great voice and delivery of message.  
My cheering for Avi isn't just because it's NDP, it's because I believe in him for having a good strong voice that needs to be heard in Federal politics.  
 

Good time of year for the federal  NDP to choose a new leader, all the car dealerships who sell mini vans are having their 2025 model clearance sales before the 2026 units  are delivered. 

Avi so far has the most name recognition thanks to his family history and years in media.  The NDP has a clean slate and will need someone who can rebuild the party in every way. 

They no longer have party status in the House of Commons, up to their eyeballs in debt with no money in the bank, lost their way with both unionized and traditional supporters. These former NDP voters are now just as likely to support the Conservatives or Liberals.

I have never voted NDP.  Likely would have voted for Tom Mulcair if he had been given another chance to run, and depending who was the candidate in my riding.  Even though they have never won nationally, the NDP is an important party and has had great influence over the decades.  If they don't survive or become  less relevant to Canadians, we will be left with essentially a two party system.

The new leader will need to focus on innovative ideas and take a long hard look at some of their positions on issues . And the NDP cannot be all about who is in charge.  That may have been one problem under Jagmeet Singh.  Too much attention on the leader and his personality and not enough about what the party was saying or what it stood for.  They should have cut the ties supporting the Liberals much sooner.  This would likely have helped win more seats in the recent election. 

Aytononline wrote:

I might be wrong on this, but from what I have seen the media both old and new covers the party's with the most seats, and gives a moment or 2 at the end of a show to talk about the smaller parties with few or no seats if there is time. I have already noticed less time being given to the NDP on a National level for both podcasts and legacy media. You can believe what ever you want, if you want reporters to notice you, you need more seats.
The exception might be the Green Party leader in Ontario

The NDP will receive more coverage nationally at least when they have a new leader.  Avi would get a lot of coverage and he is media friendly.  However for the party I don't think he would be a good choice.  He harkens back to an earlier time, and the NDP has got to quit looking back.  They need fresh ideas and updated platforms.  Just like they chant on the picket lines.."Hey hey..ho ho"..(the old NDP has got to go..) 

Last edited by paterson1 (September 2, 2025 1:11 pm)

Radiowiz wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

The NDP will receive more coverage nationally at least when they have a new leader.  Avi would get a lot of coverage and he is media friendly.  However for the party I don't think he would be a good choice.  He harkens back to an earlier time, and the NDP has got to quit looking back.  They need fresh ideas and updated platforms.  Just like they chant on the picket lines.."Hey hey..ho ho"..(the old NDP has got to go..) 

If they want to get back to their roots, so be it. Whatever works for them. They really need to be known for centre left, not socialism. A movement at a time where conservatives are on the right, while liberals are centre right, a centre left voice is needed. 

The NDP has to find ways to articulately espouse democratic socialism and work to dispel the silly notion, pushed by neoliberals, that socialism is bad, evil or, heaven forbid, communist. The key would be emphasizing the 'democratic' part of the phrase, and showing how the two main parties have, in fact, pushed an agenda consistently favouring elites. They have to show through actions and very concretely expressed ideas that preserving the environment is in our common interest, less expensive, and a solid job creator, and there needs to be a very visible road map. They have to solve problems, like finding ways to ensure that technologies such as AI serve the public, and not private interests. They have to find ways to work with labour so that unions have true meaningful leverage that doesn't come at the expense of non-unionized society. Forget the populists who actually stand for lining pockets, the NDP or any successful alternative needs to truly live and breathe draining the swamp and gravy train. Walk the talk.