OTTAWA – Alexa McDonough, the 51-year-old Nova Scotia millionaire’s daughter who recently donned the mantle of national NDP leader, set out this week on her long journey to try to rebuild the party.
“My immediate plan is to get out across the country … rebuilding a democratic left in this country,” she said last week after becoming the eighth party leader since its predecessor, the CCF, was form-
ed in the 1930s.
“Today, I begin a new role to restore a strong voice to the New Democratic Party and a real choice for Canadians.”
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For at least one MP in the nine-member caucus she inherits, one of McDonough’s challenges will be to learn more about prairie agricultural issues.
“I think one of the key issues in her visits west has to be to listen and to increase her recognition of agriculture as an important issue,” Battlefords-Meadow Lake MP Len Taylor said in an Oct. 23 interview.
She begins her travels this week with visits to the Prairies, meeting members of a party in which even she concedes she is not well known.
Taylor said her first priority must be to meet as many party members as possible. “The prairie ballot indicated many people did not know who she was. As they get to know her, they will develop confidence in her.”
Veteran Mackenzie, Sask. MP Vic Althouse said her job will be to give party members hope that there is an alternative to the current conservatism and anti-politics mood.
“The priority must be to rebuild the organization on the ground,” he said. “We have a real challenge to get information out to the members. There are fewer of us and we don’t have the visibility we once did.”
For McDonough, there is no lack of advice on what she “must do” to get the NDP out of the doldrums of seven percent in the polls and without official party status in the House of Commons.
Surprise victory
Her Oct. 14 convention victory over veteran NDP players Svend Robinson, a 16-year MP from British Columbia, and former 25-year MP Lorne Nystrom from Saskatchewan, was a surprise.
She came third in the non-binding membership primaries and second on the first ballot, behind Robinson. Nystrom was eliminated on the first ballot, sending many of his delegates to McDonough.
Before a second ballot could be held, Robinson conceded defeat.
Later, the new leader said she will resign her seat in the Nova Scotia Legislature but is unlikely to seek a Commons seat until the next general election.
She said the fight of her life is to oppose Liberal government cuts to social program spending, including medicare.
“The New Democratic Party has never faced such a tremendous opportunity,” said McDonough.
