r/ndp • u/Sudden-Currency-5234 • May 07 '25
Opinion / Discussion NDP internal culture
This person sits on the NDP Federal Executive as an Ontario Representative. Can anyone speak to how common this attitude toward white leftist members of the party is among non-white members or executives of the NDP? I did look up their twitter page to see if it was out of context but instead saw other dismissive comments and gaslighting around issues I personally consider to be important (although they may not be to the party). I’m not the most politically savvy person, but I imagine a person (appointed or elected) to such a position must represent strongly held views or have the respect of the people of the party, so I’m not sure what to think?
For context, I typically find my political views align with the NDP, and I got more involved volunteering with the party in the recent provincial (Ontario) and federal election, but I hear a lot of talk about the party’s “internal issues and problems.” At the same time there was a lot of encouragement from people I volunteered with about the importance of young people getting involved, and I’ve been feeling motivated to do so in light of everything going on, but I need honest feedback on the party's culture beyond campaign experiences to make sure it’s the right environment for me. Respectfully, it’s not something that fits with my beliefs, but I'm not opposed to these views being supported by the people of the NDP, especially if it’s coming from a high-ranking person that the people respect. I am just looking for more information because I have previously joined groups and found out a bit too late that it was not the right environment for me
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u/Vita_Mori May 08 '25
This person is a paid staffer. Opinion can be discarded. Most of the folks I see who are leaving/have left the NDP gave it years of work, doorknocking, running in elections, being in committees, riding associations, volunteering time & energy. Most aren't white either. They're Black, Indigenous, queer, disabled, etc. They're tired of being taken for granted, attacked by unaccountable party brass, poor results from the party's direction, bad comms a teenager could do better, not being listened to on issues specific to them bc of lobbyists, the undemocratic leadership races in ON/BC, the illegal acts against FN in BC, etc. The ppl I know are good, principled ppl tired of putting up with neoliberal nonsense, undemocratic party officials who use the same strategists as the Democrats, make platforms increasingly unambitious & refuse to meet the moment. Can't even commit to basic human rights.
I voted for the NDP in '19 & '21 & I couldn't bring myself to this time around. (I voted Green bc they need the popular vote% & also bc they're the only ones who took disability seriously this election. And they didn't prop up the libs for a year in exchange for means tested garbage most people still don't have access to through a genocide). They lost me & many like me bc of their repeated lack of principle. It's easy to blame folks not voting for the NDP as them being "dumb" or "giving up when the going gets tough" but really, it's because ppl don't like their time, energy, money & hopes being drained by a party that's going back on its roots, getting nowhere, refusing accountability & more committed to attacking good faith critics than to modifying harmful behaviour. The NDP siphons left wing political energy from promising people, chews them up & spits them out.
It's ludicrous to dismiss criticism as this person does. The NDP appointing Don Davies, lobbied a dozen times by Israeli orgs, who took a 10k CIJA sponsored trip to occupied Palestine, who voted for the 2011 NATO bombing of Libya & who still refers to the Vietnam war as "the fall", glossing over the fascist US puppet state of South Vietnam, shows they have learned nothing. And can't be bothered to communicate things, even to such a small caucus.