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Ignore, for a moment, that individuals who identify as any of these are somehow expected to stand in for entire “equity seeking” groups.

As a statement of aspirational values, this is all fine and well. However, the ability to find a dozen gay or visible minorities to sign a petition hardly indicates broad-based support among these communities. It is just tokenism.

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And is the NDP going to be following up to ensure the identity-based qualifications of the signees? How will this be checked?

The potential leader certainly can fret over obtaining the most politically correct balance of signatures. However, as the signatures portion of the event is largely a technical exercise, this seems like a lot energy to spend on a symbolic measure that neither gauges actual affinity for “equity seeking” nor ensures policies that will advance those causes.

But that seems to be the trend so far; for the NDP, it’s all symbol, no substance. It’s saying the right things at the expense of being able to do them.

The only “unofficial” official leadership candidate Cheri DiNovo is herself a perfect example of this.

While credible potential leadership candidates like Nathan Cullen, Brian Topp, and ex-Halifax MP Megan Leslie have already backed away from the sound of the clown music that is growing louder from NDP headquarters, DiNovo has bravely stepped forward to offer herself as an unofficial candidate who will step out of the race if anyone else sufficiently progressive can beat her in a public feat of pious self-abnegation.