https://socialistaction.org/2017/09/19/ndp-socialist-caucus-urges-critical-support-for-mp-niki-ashton/
NDP Socialist Caucus urges critical support for MP Niki Ashton
/ 5 days ago
Sept. 2017 NikiThe New Democratic Party Socialist Caucus strives for a
socialist Canada in a socialist world. For nearly 20 years it has
uniquely and successfully advanced this goal inside North America’s only
mass, labour-based political party. From convincing the NDP to fight for
public pharma care, for public dental care and free post-secondary
education, to getting Canadian troops out of Afghanistan, the Socialist
Caucus has led the way.
From opposing pipeline construction to promoting public ownership of
the energy industry; from demanding an end to public funding of
religious schools to trying to keep socialism in the party constitution,
the SC has been on the progressive cutting-edge. Its candidates
consistently win 10 to 40 per cent support when they run for provincial
and federal party executive positions, and always do so on a clear,
principled socialist platform.
The SC was instrumental in initiating the leadership review in 2016 that
toppled “balanced budget no-matter-what” Tom Mulcair. It helped to win
endorsement at the NDP federal convention for a cross-country discussion
of the Leap Manifesto.
From this perspective, the SC embarked with others in September 2016 to
draft Sid Ryan for NDP federal leader. The joint effort produced a
17-point anti-capitalist platform that continues to influence the
leadership race. Unfortunately, Ryan decided for personal reasons not to
run. To date, no candidate has embraced most of the socialist policies
set forth in the Draft Sid platform, nor even adopted the range of
anti-capitalist measures advanced by Jeremy Corbyn in the British Labour
Party. No campaign, so far, has created an open, bold, militant movement
of the kind that brought 200,000 new members into the BLP.
Presently, four registered candidates (following the exit of Peter
Julian) are in the race, which is now in the home stretch. One candidate
has emerged to the left of the others. Manitoba MP Niki Ashton describes
herself as a “progressive feminist”—in place of the term “socialist
feminist” she invoked earlier. Her lead slogan is “When they privatize,
we nationalize.”
While advancing a very commendable proposal for the creation of a postal
bank, and a set of infrastructural public works, Ashton does not target
any current corporations for nationalization. That stance makes it
impossible for her to lead the rapid green energy transition so urgently
needed to end carbon energy dependency.
To her credit, she was quick to attack the Justin Trudeau government’s
pledge to increase military spending by 70%. And she stood firmly with
Montreal supporters of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli
jails. Unfortunately, Niki does not demand Canada Out of NATO (which was
the policy under Tommy Douglas).Nor does she support Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions against the apartheid Zionist state. She rightly decries
the insidious trend towards precarious work, but does not champion
legislation to re-distribute available jobs, especially to young
workers, via shorter hours without any loss of pay or benefits.
Notably, Ashton is the only candidate who calls for meaningful
democratic reform of the internal workings of the NDP, pledging, for
example, that under her leadership no member will be blocked from
obtaining an NDP nomination and then running for MP who expresses
support for Palestinian rights.
She talks about being the only candidate for “fundamental change.” But
she has not even begun to build an explicitly radical left caucus or
structured socialist movement within the party. In fact, Niki’s
campaign is headed by people not particularly known for their roots in
militant social justice movements, class struggle or socialism.
Socialists are an integral part of the working-class movement. That
includes unions and the labour-based NDP. We are not indifferent to any
process that impacts on the capacity of workers to fight for
emancipation from capitalist rule. This class partisan outlook of ours
applies full force to the NDP leadership race.
So, here are the stakes. Not only is Ashton visibly to the left. Two of
the candidates, Charlie Angus and Jagmeet Singh, are markedly to the
right, demonstrated by their reluctance to oppose pipeline projects and
to drop post-secondary school fees. They boast of endorsements from
party establishment figures, including MPs and MPPs who, frankly, are a
big part of the problem. Their approach closely resembles the internally
undemocratic regime, and the fiscally conservative stance of the failed
Tom Mulcair leadership. They deserve to be defeated decisively.
One other candidate, MP Guy Caron, the single-minded proponent of Basic
Income, occupies the mushy middle of the quartet. He merits
consideration as an alternative to a right-wing front runner if Ashton
proves unable to make it to the final ballot count in the
one-member-one-vote election that culminates in October 2017.
Based on the above factors, the Socialist Caucus urges critical support
for Niki Ashton. Unlike other tendencies and individuals on the NDP
left, and some leftists outside the working-class organizations, who
have given her uncritical, blanket support, the Socialist Caucus takes a
more objective, long-range view of the struggle for a Workers’ Agenda
and the socialist transformation of society. Frankly, radical change
will not be accomplished by any one of the four candidates, nor by
social democracy as an institution.
To win, socialism will require a movement of millions fighting to
implement a programme to eradicate the capitalist system of
exploitation, oppression, and environmental catastrophe. Nothing less
than the expropriation of big business and the establishment of a
planned economy under workers’ control will fit the bill. If war, hunger
and disease are to disappear, and if civilization is to survive, nothing
less will do. Such a movement will be based on new mass workers’
organizations thrown up by the class struggle, which will converge with
tendencies that emanate from the traditional bodies of the working class.
Regardless who becomes NDP leader in October 2017, the necessity of
strengthening a militant, class-struggle left wing in the unions and the
NDP will be greater than ever. Its central political task will be to
push Niki Ashton supporters to the left, to fight for socialist
policies, and for much greater democracy inside the party—or to confront
the more openly pro-capitalist policies of her elected male counterpart.
In the best of circumstances, Niki Ashton would have already embraced
the 17-point Draft Sid platform. She would have opened up her campaign
to the Socialist Caucus and to other grassroots radical activists,
inside and outside the party, with an invitation to participate as
partners. That didn’t happen in Niki Ashton’s 2012 leadership bid. But
it is precisely the way to build an un-stoppable movement for socialism
in the NDP and Canada today.
That is what the Socialist Caucus advocates. To that end, we urge
working people and allies to join the NDP. We ask all New Democrats to
vote for Niki Ashton for leader, and to keep pushing her to the left.
For more information, and to get involved, contact the NDP Socialist
Caucus: www.ndpsocialists.ca , Telephone: 647-986-1917.
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September 19, 2017 in Canada.
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