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Tom Mulcair was just endorsed by the same Neocon newspaper chain that endorsed Stephen Harper.

No, I’m not making that up. In an editorial penned by an anonymous worker bee at Postmedia News that appeared earlier this week in, among other places, that beacon of democratic socialism, The Toronto Sun, the bruised, battered NDP leader got a touchingly tepid vote of confidence from the same compliant crew that warned Canadians that we had better vote for Harper in the last election or else.

“If the NDP wants to appeal to as many Canadians as possible… Our advice: Keep Mulcair,” Postmedia wrote.

Having spoken recently to New Democrats in the lead-up to the looming and much-anticipated leadership review, I can reliably inform you that they’re eager to tell Postmedia to stick its “advice” where the moon don’t shine. You know, exactly what most Canadians told Postmedia CEO, Paul Godfrey, and Darth Harper to do with his xenophobic, fear-fuelled campaign last fall.

As for Mulcair, New Democrats look poised to force the time-share socialist who has kept Jack Layton’s seat warm for the past four years, to do what many inside the NDP had hoped and anticipated he would have done gracefully on that disastrous election night not so long ago: Quit.

Instead, since Oct. 19, Mulcair and his so-called ‘brain trust’ — which squandered a historic opportunity to actually win an election — have been stubbornly trying to save their jobs despite a tsunami of anger and discontent within the NDP about an election campaign that was so woeful, Mulcair and company should be sued for political negligence.

In the months since the NDP endured its humbling thrashing, Mulcair has devoted so much time and energy to salvaging his on-life-support political career, he’s left many New Democrats wondering precisely where this fight to the death attitude was when the country’s — and the party’s — futures were at stake.

Allowing Justin Trudeau to tack left, while Mulcair tacked right was, for many New Democrats, an unforgivable miscalculation and a deadly sin. Allowing Justin Trudeau to tack left, while Mulcair tacked right was, for many New Democrats, an unforgivable miscalculation and a deadly sin.

Mulcair’s recent reboot and charm offensive may be working with the Neocons — whose ephemeral support he and his insular, risk-allergic gang of advisers have long coveted — but it isn’t changing the skeptical minds of scores of New Democrats who will be busy sharpening their knives en route to Edmonton in early April.

The determination of a growing body of labour groups, public sector unions, old party hands and students to rid the party of Mulcair and his “centrist” credentials, has revealed itself drip by drip by drip over the past several months, culminating in the release on Tuesday of an open letter from Quebec university students bluntly demanding the beleaguered NDP leader take that proverbial, if belated, walk in what’s left of the snow.

Indeed, iPolitics has learned that several Quebec-based NDP youth groups are urging the party’s national youth wing to adopt a resolution (see below) at the upcoming party convention to “publicly express its support for new leadership for the New Democratic Party and publicly call all New Democratic youth to vote in favour of a leadership race at the 2016 Federal Convention.”

The proposed resolution is damning, stinging and clear: They’ve lost faith in Mulcair and the limp, cockeyed direction he’s taken the NDP. “Tom Mulcair, although a respected politician, does not represent progressive change but rather a move away from the core values of the New Democratic Party…the 2019 election will require an audacious, unapologetically left, and cooperative party leader if the New Democratic Party hopes to maintain its relevance.”

NDP sources say that the draft resolution has the support of large and influential youth wings from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Word is also quietly spreading in NDP circles that in the event he loses the leadership vote — and that looks increasingly likely — Mulcair and his inner circle may even be contemplating a return to provincial politics by resurrecting an idea he first floated in 2012 of setting up a Quebec version of the party. (Good luck with that.)

The irony, of course, is that the now open revolt against Mulcair, which is gathering what soon could become unstoppable momentum, was largely triggered and directed by deeply disillusioned NDP supporters on his home turf in Quebec, some of whom describe his contentious tenure as leader as a “nightmare.”

The undeniable facts are that the NDP lost a ton of votes, seats, support (which is hovering at a soul-sapping 10 per cent these days) and its philosophical way. Allowing Justin Trudeau to tack left, while Mulcair tacked right was, for many New Democrats, an unforgivable miscalculation and a deadly sin.

The other, often fatal political reality confronting Mulcair and the NDP today is that there’s reportedly little money coming in and what remains in the kitty is, apparently, drying up fast. Surely Mulcair realizes that you can’t run a national party with a trickle of cash, or on the fumes of your unconvincing rhetoric that goes something like this: ‘Yeah, I screwed up. But please spot me a mulligan. I promise to do better next time. Cross my heart and Tommy Douglas’s soul.’

It’s often said that the NDP doesn’t like to go all Brutus on its wounded leaders after they lose yet another election. That pet theory is going to be tested in Alberta. My advice to Mulcair: You better watch your back…and front.

Andrew Mitrovica is a writer and journalism instructor. For much of his career, Andrew was an investigative reporter for a variety of news organizations and publications including the CBC’s fifth estate, CTV’s W5, CTV National News — where he was the network’s chief investigative producer — the Walrus magazine and the Globe and Mail, where he was a member of the newspaper’s investigative unit. During the course of his 23-year career, Andrew has won numerous national and international awards for his investigative work.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.



Draft Resolution

008 Administrative NDYC

Position on leadership review

NDP McGill

BECAUSE the 2015 election saw the New Democratic caucus reduced by more than half, despite an increase in the number of seats in Parliament; and

BECAUSE the 2015 election was characterized by a disconnect between the values and policies of party members and the party leadership, because youth in particular were left out of the 2015 campaign, and because Young New Democrats on the ground were not provided with the tools or resources necessary to be effective; and

BECAUSE the 2019 election will require an audacious, unapologetically left, and cooperative party leader if the New Democratic Party hopes to maintain its relevance; and

BECAUSE Tom Mulcair, although a respected politician, does not represent progressive change but rather a move away from the core values of the New Democratic Party,

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC YOUTH WILL, through its executive, within 24 hours of the adoption of this resolution, thank Tom Mulcair for his effort in the previous election; and

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC YOUTH WILL, through its executive, within 24 hours of the adoption of this resolution, publicly express its support for new leadership for the New Democratic Party and publicly call on all New Democratic Youth to vote in favour of a leadership race at the 2016 Federal Convention.