Build strong and informed communities if you want to win with a progressive election agenda, says the man behind the decision for the largest union in the United States to endorse Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

John Horgan Surveys NDP's Long Road to 2017 read more

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Rafael Navar is the national political director for the Communication Workers of America, a 700,000-member union backing Sanders in his race against frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Navar played a role in building a connection between the CWA and the Sanders campaign to help the progressive Vermont senator take his shot at the White House later this year.

Navar made his comments as part of a panel discussing the U.S. race at the Broadbent Summit in Ottawa this week. The three-day event is one of the foremost conventions on progressive politics in Canada.

The panel audience was quick to applaud Navar's pro-Sanders statements, while the Clinton proponent on the panel elicited a less enthusiastic reaction (and, at times, some mild heckling).

The rise of Sanders and his trans-Atlantic equivalent, U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, have the political realm buzzing about a surge in progressive populism.

The New Democratic Party victory in Alberta's provincial election last May, combined with the centrist Liberal's election win on one of the most progressive campaigns in years, show Canada has also seen its share of the trend.

On Sunday, Navar told The Tyee that despite the NDP's dismal showing in October's election, the progressive movement is healthy in Canada.

"Even though you suffered a great defeat, the reality is you actually have a political organization and a party that represents your interests on the progressive side," he said. "That does not exist in the United States."

British Columbia's NDP leader John Horgan hopes to capitalize on some of the pre-existing progressive work and support that Navar mentioned during the province's election in 2017.

He said the ousting of Stephen Harper on the national stage is part of an emerging trend.

"What we saw was the desire to rid the country of a right-of-centre government," Horgan said in Ottawa on Saturday. "I believe that is going to manifest itself in British Columbia as well."

But Navar said the question now is how progressives in Canada, like Horgan's NDP, can take their established baseline and turn it into a winning campaign for government.

He said the need to put to use existing organizational infrastructure to shift the situation on the ground to help build networks and support in communities -- and even neighbourhoods -- is key.

Countering big money

Business, political and even media resistance is fierce when a political party is a serious threat to win government on a progressive agenda, and having influence on the ground can help counter the message machine of big money, Navar said.

"When you actually put forward a real progressive platform and program, you will feel, increasingly, the weight of essentially the power centres in the country that do not want to see that progressive agenda go forward come against you and try to dismantle it," he said.

Such infrastructure would allow progressive parties, like the NDP, to counter the narratives their opposition uses to discredit them.

It's a strategy that Navar saw work firsthand during his union's fight against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation corporate rights pact signed but not ratified by Canada.

Navar said union members built strong opposition to the deal on doorsteps and managed to prevent the TPP from moving forward in the U.S., even getting support in conservative states like Arizona.

It was a result of having a clear message about the TPP and explaining the agreement to people, he said, adding that no one who actually understands the deal would support it. "When you actually talk to folks about issues, they're 100 per cent with us," he said.

A similar type of campaign from Sanders has helped penetrate the electorate with his message, making the traditional political reliance on style less important, according to Navar.

One of Sanders' tactics has been to hammer home the idea that if you're part of the so-called one per cent -- the top earners in western nations -- you shouldn't want Sanders in power.

Navar called the message "profound" and the most successful strategy Sanders has used.

As well, coming out against campaign finance laws that give wealthy people more influence in government or against trade deals is something the public has had on its mind for a long time. Tapping into that helped Sanders, Navar said.

Is the BC NDP on this track?

Bringing long-lingering public animosity about certain issues into the political discussion is something Horgan's NDP seems to already be doing, and it appears to be working.

NDP housing critic David Eby has been making waves in the province lately for going after the provincial government regarding money from China pricing Metro Vancouver residents out of the market.

Eby's efforts have been rewarded with intense media attention on the issue and a promise to reform real estate regulations from the ruling BC Liberals.

Horgan said it's been hard for working people to get ahead when it comes to housing.

"The government has not been paying attention to an issue that is on the lips of every single person in the Lower Mainland, whether you're buying, selling or looking for a place to rent," Horgan said. "The government just seems to want to ignore it."

The provincial NDP is also going after rising BC Hydro rates and Medical Services Plan premiums, which he said have been increasingly holding people back.

But Horgan has also increasingly been using humour and frank messages to attack the long-governing BC Liberals, a reflection of his personality, he said.

"I believe humour is a way to warm people up to a more genuine conversation about policy choices," he said.

Though the federal NDP lost big in October, Horgan said the outcome was actually positive for the party in B.C., where they picked up seats in areas not traditionally supporting the party.

"From my perspective, provincially, a number of things were confirmed," Horgan said. "For example, Vancouver Island is very orange... (and) we picked up seats in the Penticton area which is where we need to be successful."

Due to the small gains, Horgan said "there's a lot of positives" the NDP can translate to the B.C. provincial election campaign next year.