Saturday, February 11, 2012

Leadership 2012 Roundup

News and notes from the last few days as the deadline to sign up looms just a week away in advance of a convention that's set to far exceed the turnout the NDP expected.

- Niki Ashton responded to questions about whether she'd stay in the race with a strong indication that she won't be pushed out.

- Nathan Cullen added a noteworthy endorsement from Brian Masse, who becomes the first MP from outside Cullen's home province to back his leadership bid.

- Paul Dewar unveiled his foreign policy, while Daniel Leblanc wrote that this weekend's Quebec City debate could serve as as a crucial test of Dewar's French.

- Thomas Mulcair met with the Toronto Star editorial board, offering up an interesting perspective on the need to expand beyond an appeal to "ordinary" Canadians. And Mulcair also unveiled endorsements from three more MPs.

- Peggy Nash earned the endorsements of two more Quebec MPs, released plans party-building and foreign policy, and criticized the Cons' prioritization of the oil and gas sector over any other economic development.

- And before his exit from the race, Romeo Saganash took aim at regressive tax expenditures.

- Meanwhile, the Star Phoenix covered the Saskatoon candidate forum, while QMI didn't exactly do the same for last weekend's Sudbury debate. Rick Salutin framed the core debate over the NDP's future based on the respective leadership positioning of Cullen and Nash. Chantal Hebert had plenty to say - first in musing that the race was still largely taking shape, then highlighting both the importance of challenging the Cons in Western Canada and what strikes me as an overblown assumption that the NDP can't carry out that task while also building on its Quebec gains. And Joan Bryden notes that the NDP's membership-driven voting process won't leave much room for the type of backroom dealing that's decided so many Canadian leadership races over the past decade.

No comments:

Post a Comment