OTTAWA—A group of New Democrats from Quebec — including three defeated MPs — have written an open letter calling for renewal in the party as Thomas Mulcair prepares for a major test of his leadership.

“As New Democrats, we feel that we have lost our way,” says the letter obtained by the Star, signed by 37 Quebec-based activists, grassroots members, riding association presidents, organizers and former Quebec NDP MPs Jamie Nicholls (Vaudreuil-Soulanges), Hélène LeBlanc (LaSalle-Émard-Verdun) and Élaine Michaud (Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier).

They never mention Mulcair by name, but they are calling for a new direction as Mulcair is campaigning to win a crucial vote at the NDP convention in Edmonton next month, when party faithful will decide whether he gets to stay on as leader.

“We feel that the campaign we ran in the last election fell short of the aspirations of New Democrats. We are troubled that we have forgotten the reasons why we exist and the principled values that have guided us. We did not recognize ourselves in the platform we had to defend. The NDP is not a party like any other. We seek office to make positive changes for Canadians, not for the sake of power itself,” says the letter.

“We want the NDP to build on our proud tradition. To do that, we need to dedicate ourselves to a renewal of our party, to make it more progressive, more democratic, more transparent, and to listen to and use the talents of our members. Political communication means integrating Canadians’ hopes and priorities into our policies, not simply asking for donations,” says the letter.

The NDP rose to unprecedented heights in the 2011 election when, riding a so-called Orange Wave led by the charismatic Jack Layton, the party won 59 seats in Quebec and formed the official Opposition for the first time in its history.

After Layton died from cancer that summer, the party voted to replace him with Mulcair, a high-profile Quebec NDP MP with experience as a provincial Liberal cabinet minister who they thought gave them the best chance of capitalizing on that success and winning the next election.

Mulcair led the NDP to a resounding defeat in the 2015 election, which saw them drop to 44 seats in the House of Commons — including just 16 in Quebec — from the 95 they had heading into the campaign.

The party is undergoing a post-mortem of the devastating loss, and interim findings released in February showing the NDP believes it was a mistake to present “cautious change” to voters at a time when the Liberals were promising “real change.”

Nicholls, one of the earliest supporters of Mulcair within the NDP caucus, said he signed the letter because he has consulted widely with the grassroots and feels it represents their voices.

“We need to make big changes to renew the party, to become the party that I recognize and that the members recognize from the past,” said Nicholls, who joined the NDP about 25 years ago and is now studying strategic management at the Harvard Extension School.

Nicholls, who referred to Mulcair as “an excellent parliamentarian,” was circumspect when asked about the future of Mulcair as party leader.

“Should change happen at the top? Maybe. Ultimately that will be for the members to decide. My feeling is that a leader has to inspire and engage Canadians of all walks of life and it will ultimately be up to the members to decide whether Tom is that person or not,” he said.

No one has come forward to challenge his leadership — and the NDP is always proud to say it has never pushed out one of its leaders — but Mulcair has been actively campaigning to win the mandatory review of his leadership in Edmonton.

NDP President Rebecca Blaikie has said Mulcair, who has been telling party members he takes personal responsibility for the campaign’s mistakes and promises to learn from them, would need to win over 70 per cent of the voting delegates to have a realistic chance of keeping his job.

NDP National Director Karl Bélanger said in a statement sent by email Monday that the message in the letter is consistent with the “similar constructive feedback” he and Blaikie been hearing at telephone town halls and meetings with party organizers as part of the post-campaign consultation process.

“One thing is clear: we’re united around our values and the convention is going to be a chance for us to move forward together with a new sense of purpose and optimism,” Bélanger wrote.

An Open Letter to New Democrats: Opening the door to the future

The NDP has lost its way

“As New Democrats, we feel that we have lost our way. Our party used to be an important instrument in bringing about substantial and positive changes for Canadians of all walks of life. We have fought to advance social democracy, social justice, and economic equality. We have often been on the right side of history.”

Campaign fell short

“We feel that the campaign we ran in the last election fell short of the aspirations of New Democrats. We are troubled that we have forgotten the reasons why we exist and the principled values that have guided us. We did not recognize ourselves in the platform we had to defend. The NDP is not a party like any other. We seek office to make positive changes for Canadians, not for the sake of power itself.”

Call for renewal

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“We want the NDP to build on our proud tradition. To do that, we need to dedicate ourselves to a renewal of our party, to make it more progressive, more democratic, more transparent, and to listen to and use the talents of our members. Political communication means integrating Canadians’ hopes and priorities into our policies, not simply asking for donations.”

Move forward with pride

“Let’s move our party forward by using New Democratic values and principles to build a fairer and more just Canada and world. Let’s be proud to be New Democrats again.”

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