The New Politics Initiative (NPI) was a faction of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. It was generally viewed to be further left than

Alexa McDonough Alexa Ann McDonough ( Shaw; August 11, 1944 – January 15, 2022) was a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Nova Scotia, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSN ...

's leadership, but not as far left as the Socialist Caucus. The NPI believed that the NDP was moving too close to the right, and was dangerously close to becoming another

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. It believed in uniting Canada's left to combat that. The NPI viewed Canada's left as being more than just the labour unions, but rather as appealing to a staunch left wing who believe in

anti-globalization The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist m ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...

, and

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

. The NPI attributed the poor showing of the NDP in recent years to having alienated its left-wing base by moving towards the centre, and wished to bring these activists into the NDP by adopting their views. The NPI was founded in June 2001, and was soon joined by British Columbian Members of Parliament

Libby Davies Libby Davies (born February 27, 1953) is a Canadian politician from British Columbia. She was the member of Parliament for Vancouver East from 1997 to 2015, House Leader for the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011, and Deputy Leade ...

and

Svend Robinson Svend Robinson (born March 4, 1952) is a Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2004, who represented suburban Vancouver-area constituencies of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party (NDP). He is noted as the first me ...

. Other prominent members included

Judy Rebick Judy Rebick (born August 15, 1945) is a Canadian writer, journalist, political activist, and feminist. Early life Born in Reno, Nevada, Rebick and her family moved to Toronto when she was 9. She became a socialist activist in the 1970s, joining ...

and

Jim Stanford Jim Stanford is a Canadian economist and founder of the Progressive Economics Forum. He holds a master's degree in economics from Cambridge University and a doctorate from the New School for Social Research. He is author of a column for the Canadi ...

. The NPI originally called for the NDP to disband and form another, more left wing, party under a different name with the participation of

social movements A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and ma ...

. It was said that this would have followed the path set by the NDP when it was created in 1961 by its predecessor party, the

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialistThe follo ...

, and labour unions, but the NPI did not propose a formal merger, but a disbanding. The NPI never articulated a specific plan for how social movements could be integrated into the NDP. At the NDP convention held in Winnipeg in November 2001, opponents of the initiative used that lack of detail to defeat the proposal. The NPI's resolution managed to win the support of almost 40 per cent of convention delegates. When

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

won the NDP leadership in January 2003, it was taken as a victory by the NPI, with whom Layton had sympathized, but never joined. Key NPI leaders such as Robinson, Davies and Rebick supported Layton's campaign for leader. With Layton's election the NPI became less vocal and formally dissolved in early 2004, with a concluding public meeting being held on February 22. {{NDP

External links

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(

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) 2001 establishments in Canada 2004 disestablishments in Canada Canadian nationalism History of the New Democratic Party (Canada) Political movements in Canada Political party factions in Canada