B.C. expected to play 'extremely important' role as federal NDP faces uncertain future

Wolfgang Depner · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 22, 2025 12:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Kelowna, B.C., nonmigratory and erstwhile national NDP campaigner Cade Desjarlais sees the party in "disarray."

Desjarlais, who ran for the NDP successful Kelowna-Lake Country successful 2021 but voted for the palmy Liberal campaigner successful the redrawn riding of Kelowna past month, said the NDP needed a working-class reset, a person successful that mould and a absorption connected British Columbia.

"It's astir similar the last frontier for the NDP retired here," helium said.

"I deliberation that realistically, that B.C. volition play an highly important relation successful forming the aboriginal of the party." 

B.C. is location to 3 of the party's meagre parliamentary caucus of seven, including interim person Don Davies. It is besides 1 of conscionable 2 provinces governed by a New Democrat, Premier David Eby, the different being Manitoba nether Premier Wab Kinew.

Other NDP members and erstwhile governmental staffers hold that contempt the devastating result of past month's predetermination — which saw the party's parliamentary ranks reduced by 18 from the 25 seats won successful 2021, and its fashionable ballot illness by 59 per cent — a renewal is not beyond reach, if the close person is found.

WATCH | Western provinces whitethorn beryllium cardinal to NDP's rebuild: 

Geoff Meggs, erstwhile main of unit to Eby's predecessor, the precocious John Horgan, said portion the concern for the national NDP was "very worrisome" and required "a batch of action," millions of Canadians person routinely voted for the party. 

"We person a precise beardown grounds of occurrence and a big, large excavation of voters successful Canada, erstwhile you see the provincial scene," helium said. "We are Opposition oregon authorities successful Western Canada, Opposition successful Ontario, Opposition successful Nova Scotia. But we formed authorities successful astir of those provinces astatine immoderate point." 

Canadians who voted for the NDP successful the past whitethorn bash truthful again "if the close person comes along," Meggs said.

The working-class vote

Jagmeet Singh mislaid his riding and resigned arsenic leader but the "damage was done," Desjarlais said.

"You can't truly beryllium seen arsenic a awesome of the working-class erstwhile you are walking astir the airdrome with a Versace container oregon a Gucci bag, immoderate the lawsuit whitethorn be," he said, referring to a sighting of Singh with a decorator tote extracurricular a Toronto edifice successful 2023.

Kareem Allam, a subordinate of the B.C. NDP and founding spouse of Richardson Strategy Group, said the enactment had done "extremely well" erstwhile it positioned itself arsenic the dependable of workers.

"We saw that with John Horgan, we saw it with [former national NDP leader] Jack Layton, and arsenic they commencement to drift distant from that labour vote, that moving idiosyncratic … the worse they do," helium said.

"I deliberation that is going to beryllium the defining diagnostic of the adjacent enactment race," Allam said, adding that "a batch of working-class people" person recovered a comfy location with the national Conservatives. 

The next leader

So who should beryllium the adjacent national NDP leader?

Meggs said they should person anterior acquisition successful elected politics, "ideally" beryllium proficient successful French and beryllium acquainted with nationalist issues. 

He said "there is nary doubt" erstwhile Alberta premier Rachel Notley "would beryllium a truly formidable leader" for the national party.

"I don't cognize if she's funny successful doing it, but she is precisely the benignant of idiosyncratic who I deliberation could bring caller vigor and caller eyes to the job." 

Meggs besides pointed to Heather McPherson, Alberta's lone New Democratic MP.

Eby has ruled himself out, but said helium hopes the aboriginal person volition look to his medication and that of Kinew for inspiration on how to signifier authorities and attack cardinal argumentation questions. 

Meggs said the adjacent national person indispensable beryllium successful it for the agelong haul, fixed the challenges facing the party. 

He said a person from Western Canada could assistance the enactment reconnect with voters, but "may deficiency an knowing of immoderate of the circumstantial issues facing radical successful Quebec and successful Eastern Canada."

Allam, meanwhile, said the person should ideally beryllium from Quebec oregon Western Canada.

Responding to 'the situation of Trump'

Looming implicit the aboriginal of the enactment is U.S. President Donald Trump and the situation of dealing with him and his tariffs.

Meggs said the enactment indispensable larn however to talk to caller immigrants, a much urgent task with the menace of Trump.

"What does it instrumentality to forge a stronger country, a much effectual nationalist effect to the situation of Trump?" helium said. "It won't beryllium the determination oregon enactment of a azygous person. They are going to person to consult and gully successful a batch of radical into that enactment arsenic well."     

Desjarlais said it was precisely the menace of Trump that contributed to his ballot for Liberal Stephen Fuhr, whom helium considered a beardown MP from a erstwhile stint.

"But the large portion arsenic good was, who was going to woody with Donald Trump? It was truly a question of leadership."