ment should spend more of the reccat cocral surplust What about a shorter work week, without loss of pay and benefits? What about proposing a break with the global corporate trade deals (on Hydro, which would be irreversible under NAFTA)? government intervention to redistribute wealth, to provide housing. to restore public services and to democratise the economy? Despite the absence of these policies at the top, there is now a movement of activists within the NDP naung for suen poncics at the bor tom. This is Alexa's nightmare, and our hope. bers, New Politics Initiative (NPI) supporters and Canadian Auto Workers Union delegates worked together at the conrention. But we had different goals and expectaThe CAW had a resolution calling for a new name. a new manitestd and a special leadership convention within six : months. the NP concentrated on ond issue, a new party process, and preented it in a compromise form that NPI leaders thought could win.
T Socialist Caucus, with the support of over 100 delegates, was battling principles and socialist policies. We didn't expect to win NDP to socialism. We predicted that the agenda would be tighti controlled and that rank and file opinions calling for radical chang in the direction of the NDP would be ignored. Unfortunately, we were acti convention in 2003, to be followed by a membership referendum. was defeated, but got 37% of the The next day, SC candidates for Leader and other senior Executive positions received from 12% to 20% of the votes, even though over 400 delerates were absent from the con vention and the balloting process.
Had a few more disappointed NPI Sunday morning, they would have bumped up the vote of candidate for Leader. Marcel incumbent McDon-ough. Nearly half of the SC team of candiwere NDP The Socialist Caucus campaigned on a radical socialist platform calling for social ownership of the banks and big business, under SC leaders presented socialist ideas to a cross-country television and NºI gatherings were larger than SC meetings, and they injected stiff conrention. But the NPI had its weaknesses too: i Dreaccupation with the single idea of a 'new party played into the hands of the party establishment.
It made it casier for the brass to appeal to party loyalism' and to mobilise a miority of delerate. against the initiative, which they distorted by calling it a proposal to o portical party. The beiis based, sociate organ The SC irgued for a labour ised by a representative committee of curt , both inside and outside the NDP This appealed to delegates who want change but who are reluctant to embark on an uncertale process cowaros an waknown donations. ATC major setbacks for the left, undermining the remnants of collective NDP and weakening the party's ties to the labour movement.
SOONE Winnipeg. Aside from the strong socialist presence in many debates, scen by tens of thousands via televismall policy victories were won by the adopted an SC resolution making it NDP federal policy to oppose public funding for private or religionbased schools - • but it was only debated after a successful proceduAnother amendment by the SC to a resolution on airports, calling for re-nationalisation o1 Air Canada was also successful following a simslar wrangle with the chair and a lively debate.
Following the convention, Party oflicials crowed about their success in withstanding the challenge It is easy to be demoralised by SC comrades not demoralised? Because we did not expect to turn the NDP sharply to the left at this We are building a socialist movement to do that, and it is now stronger across the NDP and across We say to our friends in the CAW, in the NPI, in the anti-poverty and that we now have a unique opportunity:
The crisis of the NDP is not going to disappear. Neither will the party disappear. The NDF remains the onis mass working class political party in North America. But the party leadcrship snows no siga that 1015 capable of moving forward. The membership that defends Blairism and the status quo is declining.
But the left has been rejuvenated inside the NDR More activists are recognising the need for a political party, for an electoral component of the struggle for a Workers' Agenda. They are turning their attention to what socialists and "new party' prononents have been able to do inside the NDP in just a few months. If the anti-capitalist left would turn on the party establishRecruiting to the NDP may not be easy: But it's a hell of a lot easier than starting a new party without any agreement on a programme for a new party, and without any funds Re-building the left is what we need to do alright -but we need to do it asiac tac working class insti tutions where it counts, inside the unions and the NDP So, what's next for the Left? In part, the answer will flow from the question: will the NPI will stay and fight in the NDP? The SC certainly We cannot afford to abandon
Outlook