Listening to the Country: Peggy Nash

CanadianInterviews.com:

Peggy Nash is one of the most prominent candidates in the race to become the next leader of the federal New Democratic Party. There are many reasons to believe that she has the necessary experience and tenacity to handle the job, yet the contest she has entered is politically and emotionally complex. When NDP leader Jack Layton died on August 22nd, 2011, he left a giant void not only at the top of his party, but also at the very heart of Canadian politics. His replacement will have to devise a way to harness the elevated expectations of both party members and the general public.

A lifelong activist, Nash rose to prominence nationally as a senior negotiator with the Canadian Auto Workers. Layton recruited her to run for the NDP shortly after he became party leader in 2003. She was elected to the House of Commons in 2006 as the Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park. Although she was defeated at the polls in 2008, she ran again and reclaimed her seat in the eventful May 2011 election, which witnessed the NDP vault past the Liberals to become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. In recognition of her ability to offer incisive analysis, Nash was appointed Finance Critic, charged with the task of identifying perceived shortcomings in the economic policies of the Conservative government.

The next leader of the NDP will be announced March 24th at a convention in Toronto. Frontrunners in the race include the Party President, Brian Topp, as well as Thomas Mulcair, Deputy Leader of the Party and MP for the Montreal riding of Outremont. Another candidate garnering substantial support is Paul Dewar, the Ottawa Centre MP and former foreign affairs critic. For delegates at the convention, there will be many angles to consider. Which candidate will best be able to firm up support for the NDP in Quebec, where extraordinary though perhaps fragile gains were made in the last election? Who is most capable of engaging all the young MPs in the party? Which of the contenders has proposed the most credible policies?

Examining the platform that Nash has put forward, perhaps the most significant measure is her call to strengthen and reform the Investment Canada Act. She believes firmly that, when a foreign company invests heavily here in Canada, the federal government must ensure that Canadian jobs are protected. According to the sixty-year old politician, the Harper Conservatives have failed in this respect. She cites the policy of handing out tax breaks and other incentives without requiring the firms on the receiving end to make corresponding commitments to the communities in which they operate. Her position on this issue demands careful consideration.

Peggy Nash recently had a wide-ranging conversation with Canadian Interviews. She spoke about her proposals for reforming the Investment Canada Act, how to address the issue of offshore tax havens, and what the federal government can do to help develop the renewable energy industry. Not surprisingly, the starting point of the interview is internal party politics. On January 10, 2012, NDP MP Lise St-Denis announced that she was ‘crossing the floor’ to join the Liberals. Speculation has since intensified regarding whether, in the absence of Jack Layton, there may be more NDP MPs reevaluating their commitment to the party.

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