Another star recruit

While the Jack Layton's push in Quebec has received some attention, one part of the article which has gone unnoticed is the addition of one more name to the NDP's list of possible star Quebec candidates:

Layton expects his party will make a Quebec breakthrough of its own in the next federal election.

"We're going to have the kind of team that's really going to excite the people of Quebec with the possibility of a voice that will speak for the average middle-class family that's really feeling squeezed these days," the NDP leader said, naming former provincial environment minister Thomas Mulcair and Cree leader Romeo Saganash as possible star candidates.

"I think we're in the strongest position we've ever been to give Quebecers a really positive choice."

Based on a quick search of the site of the Grand Council of the Crees (the organization for which Saganash is Director of Québec and International Relations), there looks to be plenty to like about the prospect of his running. And the addition of Saganash to a group potentially including Mulcair and Julius Grey, combined with Pierre Ducasse's decision to run in a far more NDP-friendly riding, could result in the NDP having a realistic chance of coming away with multiple Quebec seats in the next federal election.

Of course, even one Quebec seat in a general election would be a major breakthrough for the NDP. But while many observers seem eager to ignore the lesson, the ADQ's sudden ascension to official opposition status indeed provides an example of the dangers of underestimating how quickly a party can rise into the mix. And if the NDP's opponents ignore that possibility, then so much the better for Layton's chances of making that a reality for the NDP.