Q&A: Nathan Cullen

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 12:40 PM - 0 Comments

As part of our coverage of the NDP leadership race, we’ll be running interviews with the contenders. First up, Nathan Cullen. We chatted last week.

Q. So I wanted to start with something you said after the debate on Sunday. You made some comment about “doubling down” on your joint nomination proposal … What did you mean by that?

A. Especially early on in this race, there were a number of New Democrats that said, ‘Boy, I like you a lot, but this joint nomination thing is hard for me to get around, you know, I might be interested, but it’s just hard to comprehend.’ Can you nuance it, essentially. Can you soften it? And so over Christmas, we had a couple days and I thought about it. And I can’t. I believe in the policy, I think it’s a good one, it’s certainly worth consideration. And, increasingly, those same folks that expressed hesitation are saying, ‘You know what, the more bad things Harper does, the more it confirms the need to put everything on the table.’ So this is one of those things on the table. So I’m noticing a shift just within the body politic and I also don’t want to be a weathervane politician, trying to bend and guess where the voters are going to be and guess what the people want to hear. Continue…

Dewar on taxes

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:30 AM - 0 Comments

Paul Dewar talks to the Toronto Star editorial board.

On taxes:
What I call tax justice in this country. The corporate tax level is down to 15 per cent; obviously I think that should be increased to 19.5 per cent. That keeps us competitive with our competitors. Tax havens, between 2000 and 2008, $17 billion left our country for foreign shores — and that was just from our banks. I’d like to see that dealt with. I’d like to see us look at a financial transactions tariff, which is being contemplated in Europe.

What about hiking personal income tax?
I’d like to fix the leaks in our system before I look at that. I have no problem in looking at an increase in personal income tax if I knew that it was going to stay in revenues and I say that because there are ways, which many people are probably aware of, to avoid taxes. So the first thing you need to look at is tax loopholes.

How much would all that raise?
I couldn’t tell you to a dime. But I can tell you in the case of tax havens we’re talking more than $20 billion, I can tell you in the case of the corporate tax level that we’re talking tens of billions of dollars and I can tell you in the case of the financial transactions tariff a very conservative estimate is about $4 billion dollars.

The NDP proposed a crackdown on tax havens in last year’s election. At the time, they booked $1 billion in new revenue for the current fiscal year, rising to $3.2 billion in 2014-2015. Ira Basen deemed that “wishful accounting.” The Liberals posed various questions.

The Harper government proposed in its 2007 budget to deal with tax havens and a few months later, the Finance Minister explained the “Anti-Tax-Haven Initiative.” Two years later, following the recommendations of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s System of International Taxation, the Harper government repealed the “double dip” restrictions.

‘The utter failure of right wing, trickle-down economics’

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, February 3, 2012 at 2:10 PM - 0 Comments

A statement from Brian Topp on today’s Electro-Motive announcement.

Caterpillar’s decision to close its plant in London Ontario, throwing over 400 workers out of work is a powerful indictment of the Harper government’s economic agenda.  

A hugely profitable company, Caterpillar benefited from millions of dollars in Harper government tax giveaways. But instead of investing in its Canadian operations, Caterpillar chose to provoke a conflict with its Canadian workforce demanding outrageous salary cuts that it knew would be rejected. In the end, Caterpillar took the tax breaks and then shipped out the jobs, all with the able assistance of the Harper Tories.  

What is happening in London, Ontario today stands as a powerful testament to the utter failure of right wing, trickle-down economics. For over 20 years, Liberals and Conservatives have argued that tax giveaways to profitable companies like Caterpillar would result in increased investment and good jobs. How wrong they were. What we got instead are growing levels of income inequality, big deficits and governments starved of revenue for vital public investments, like education and training.

Continuing down this path will only lead to more lost jobs, economic insecurity, and growing inequality. That’s why I have made tax fairness a fundamental platform in my leadership campaign. Profitable corporations and the top one per cent must start paying their fair share. And New Democrats must take this argument head on and win it. If we don’t, then the Harper Conservatives and companies like Caterpillar will control Canada’s economic destiny. It’s the job of the New Democratic Party not to let that happen.

Paul Dewar says the Prime Minister must demand that “Caterpillar reverse its decision or return the millions of dollars it took from Canadian tax payers.” Peggy Nash says this is a “a perfect example of just how poorly the Harper Conservative are treating our communities and mismanaging our economy” and she calls on potential supporters to join her in the “fight against precisely this kind of greed.”

Topp on winning

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:54 AM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp has released a policy paper on building the party, including calls to expand the party’s outreach and fundraising efforts, launch a policy review and commit to working with other parties after the 2015 election.

There are, as Jack Layton used to say, many tools in the toolbox to do this – cooperation case-by-case and bill-by-bill; a budget accord on the model of the 2005 “NDP budget”; a governing accord in the style of the 1985 Peterson-Rae accord; or a coalition government, in the style of the coalitions that govern most of the democratic world. By talking early and often about these options, we will counteract the nonsense the Conservatives say about them; moreover, we will ensure that Canadians know that in the NDP, they have the party that is always prepared to work with others in the House of Commons to get things done –including the central task of ridding Canada of the Harper government.

The futures market

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:34 AM - 0 Comments

Alice Funke considers the possible predictive value of yesterday’s NDP fundraising numbers.

If the 2003 NDP leadership race is anything to go by, a candidate’s share of the overall funds being raised for the contest could predict his or her first ballot vote-share to within 1.5 percentage points … That being the case, roughly half-way through the 2011-2012 NDP leadership race, Brian Topp and Thomas Mulcair are leading the pack. With 23.6% and 20.4% of the total take respectively, the two early front-runners represent 44% of all the funds raised to December 31, 2011 between them.

Peggy Nash, Paul Dewar and Nathan Cullen are behind with 15.1%, 13.1% and 12.0% (representing another 40% of all the leadership fundraising to the end of 2011), while the other four registered candidates trail below 7%.

The measure of the race

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 8:53 PM - 0 Comments

As part of its latest filing with Elections Canada, the NDP has tabled fundraising data for its leadership race through Dec. 31, 2011. Alice Funke has the headline totals.

Q4$: Topp $157K | Mulcair $146K | Nash $108K | Dewar $94K | Cullen $86K | Singh $49K | Chisholm $35K | Saganash $17.5K | Ashton $10K

Contrib count to #ndpldr‘s: Mulcair 621 | Dewar 456 | Cullen 442 | Nash 347 | Topp 278 | Singh 110 | Saganash 87 | Chisholm  64 | Ashton 58

Glen McGregor has graphed the numbers between September and December to show the trend over the first few months of the campaign.

The Dewar campaign boasts that it is now up to 721 contributors. The Cullen campaign claimed last week to be over $135,000.

Does Brian Topp have the chops to lead the NDP?

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 30, 2012 at 10:00 AM - 0 Comments

Photography by Cole Garside

Seated on stage at the front of a packed high school theatre in Toronto this month, Brian Topp—a prominent contender in the race to be the next leader of the NDP—is told he has 60 seconds to introduce himself. Despite being some 400 km from Quebec, he opens in French, earning his first applause of the evening. Switching to English, he delivers a greeting-card sermon to the faithful. “This was Jack Layton’s town,” he says. “And he loved this town and we know why. It’s because it’s diverse and it’s cosmopolitan and it’s progressive, which is everything that Stephen Harper and his pet mayor don’t like about Toronto.” The swat at Rob Ford draws laughter and applause.

He enthuses then about everything New Democrats can do to build a “more equal” city and country, and finishes with a defiant slap at any suggestion the NDP must change fundamentally to succeed. “We don’t have to become Liberals to win,” he declares. The crowd bursts into applause for a third time.

But however meticulous the phrasing and however receptive the audience, he does not always wear a look of perfect relaxation and his voice does not quite boom. So if, two months from the leadership vote, there is little doubt that Brian Topp knows the right words, the only questions are whether he can look and sound the part.

Continue…

Halifax reaction

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 30, 2012 at 8:30 AM - 0 Comments

The Star, Post, iPolitics, Canadian Press, Globe and CBC review the proceedings.

Nathan Cullen says he’s not backing down.

“In fact, we’re doubling down on it,” he told reporters, though he added he is not “married to the details.” ”The particulars of how this thing happens — it can happen in many different ways.”

Brian Topp says he stands by his tax proposals.

After the debate, Mr. Topp said that Canada’s tax system is blatantly unfair and that he will continue to encourage the party to move leftward and go after Bay St. millionaires. “I think he is wrong,” Mr. Topp said about Mr. Mulcair’s views. “His answers show we have a bit of a disagreement here about the direction our party should go in.”

Greg Fingas updates his rankings. The Rabble crowd considers.

Live-blogging the NDP Halifax debate

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 12:49 PM - 0 Comments

2:16pm. Candidates get 90 seconds for closing statements. They should get five.

Mr. Mulcair name drops Alexa McDonough, Darrell Dexter and Robert Chisholm. He says the NDP must present a “credible” alternative, move “forwards not backwards” (and always twirling, twirling?) and “reach out to those who haven’t supported us in the past.”

Mr. Dewar quotes Tommy Douglas, says the party must “go to the next level” and “build up the grassroots” so that it can “take on the next 70 seats.” He pitches unity and harmony, to realize “Tommy’s dream” and form a government that champions taking “better care of each other.”

Ms. Nash asks “who is the person to bring all this together?” “We need someone with real world experience,” she says, detailing her work at the bargaining table, negotiating child care and same-sex benefits. Says the party needs “real world builder,” referencing the NDP’s success in Toronto and a “proven builder,” referencing her time as party president.

Mr. Topp describes himself as a “bilingual Quebecer who has worked across this country,” who worked closely with Jack Layton as the party built over the last seven years and who worked at the heart of a fiscally responsible NDP government that was reelected four times (he doesn’t say so, but he means Saskatchewan). He says New Democrats don’t have to be Liberals, that, as New Democrats, they can defeat Stephen Harper and, as New Democrats, they can get the job done.

And that’s that. Much better show than the first outing in Ottawa. More discussion to be had on finances, still a bit short on specifics and serious debates (picking on Mr. Cullen is a bit too easy), but this sets up an interesting two months. Continue…

Money where your mouth is

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 3:36 PM - 0 Comments

Glen McGregor finds that two leadership candidates—Thomas Mulcair and Romeo Saganash—haven’t donated to the NDP. Via Twitter, Brian Topp elaborates on his donation history.

Since some folks asked: I try to contribute to our party at both the federal and provincial level.

Since I have given more of my time to the federal party in recent years, I’ve given more of my contributions to the provincial level.

To be precise, since 2005 I’ve donated $8,292 to the Ontario NDP ($7,092 since 2007). These figures are published on Ont donations site.

It’s up to each candidate to speak to how they’ve worked in recent years to build our party. I’ve tried to do my share.

Topp on centrism, paying the bills, cooperating with Liberals, fighting the Conservatives and Norway

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, January 27, 2012 at 2:32 PM - 0 Comments

As vaguely promised a few days ago, here are several excerpts from my conversation with Brian Topp. My brief survey of his candidacy is on newsstands now and if you’d like to follow along with all our coverage, you can bookmark the tag “NDP leadership.”

These first three excerpts follow from a question I asked about whether there would be more debate as the leadership race proceeded. The fourth excerpt comes from a question about the inevitable attacks his tax proposals would attract. The fifth excerpt follows a question about international models the NDP might look to.

On whether the party should move to the centre. ”I think faced with a choice between two Liberal parties on the opposition benches in the next election that the electorate will pick the real one. So I don’t support the idea of morphing our party into a more quote-unquote ‘centrist’ political party that resembles the Liberal party. Which I assert Tom was essentially talking about in the early days of his leadership and that is consistent with his background as a cabinet minister in a Liberal government. I think we can win and we should win by remaining true to our principles and our values and sticking to the hopeful and optimistic approach that Jack Layton offered because it’s such a notable contrast from what is available from Mr. Harper and we need to marry it to the deep traditions of competent government that we have in our provincial sections … I think if we offer the people of Canada that combination I think we will be very competitive indeed and we will do so in a way that when we win we won’t be defeating ourselves even as we’re winning by adopting the agendas of our opponents.” Continue…

Topp on families, health care and pensions

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 12:19 PM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp has released his sixth policy paper, this one on supporting families. He’s proposing a national child nutrition program, a renewed health accord, a national pharmacare plan, a reversal of the moratorium on family reunification, a doubled Canada Pension Plan and support for LGBTTQ families.

Mr. Topp has also picked up the endorsements of his wife and two sons.

On marijuana

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 10:38 AM - 0 Comments

Six of the eight NDP leadership candidates respond to a survey on drug policy. All six seem to support some kind of decriminalization around marijuana and three (Niki Ashton, Peggy Nash and Romeo Saganash) seem open to pursuing a regulatory approach. Here is how Mr. Saganash explains his position.

A proposition in California suggested that it is time to look at full legalization, regulation and taxation. Medical authorities have recently made the same recommendation. This deserves serious study. Marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol, and unlike alcohol, it is non-addictive. The criminalization of marijuana creates ties to other crime, just as prohibition did with alcohol. Criminalization creates an enormous cost for the justice system, the penal system, and for society as a whole when we incarcerate tens of thousands of our young people. In the interim, decriminalization is the least we can do toward reducing the harm inflicted by our current legislation.

Our looming constitutional crisis

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 1:15 PM - 0 Comments

In the midst of defending the Senate, Colin Kenny offers the following.

No question, initiators of legislation requiring public expenditures should be elected. That’s why we have the House of Commons. But the Senate is designed to review that legislation. While it can delay its passage, by convention everyone agrees that it can’t stop it. So the argument that it is “undemocratic” to appoint significant components of government doesn’t hold water. In the end, within the legal guidelines of the constitution, the elected component of Parliament has the last word. That’s all that matters.

Senator Kenny is right to note that an elected Senate would likely feel empowered to defeat bills passed by the House. But he seems to ignore the fact that the unelected Senate has felt sufficiently empowered to do so twice in recent years—see here and here.

Bert Brown has mused vaguely of some mechanism to ensure the House’s supremacy, but until such a thing exists, it is likely worth going back to one of the questions Alice Funke suggested for debate in the NDP leadership campaign.

How will a federal NDP government face what will almost certainly be its first constitutional crisis, namely a showdown with the Senate? 

So far as I’ve seen, only Brian Topp has engaged this scenario.

(Via Twitter, a couple of readers suggest Senator Kenny is referring specifically to money bills. He may well be, although in the next paragraph after the one noted above he seems to refer only to “legislation.” Either way, I think the point still stands: It is worth wondering how a Conservative Senate would interact with an NDP government and how would the presence of elected senators impact that situation, especially given the willingness of a Conservative Senate to override the House in recent years.)

Crushworthy: The case for Brian Topp

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 11:34 AM - 0 Comments

From my interviews for this week’s piece about the Topp campaign, here is an online exclusive assessment of Brian Topp’s cuteness, offered happily by Libby Davies.

“There’s almost like a cuteness about him, you know? He kind of tilts his head on one side and kind of listens to people. And he’s got very nice brown eyes … and dimples. Don’t usually talk about men like this, do we? But there is. There’s something warm and nice about him.”

And that is the closest I will likely ever come to realizing my dream of writing for Tiger Beat.

A few other raves from Ms. Davies (some of which appear in slightly abridged form in this week’s magazine). Continue…

Who ya got?

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 23, 2012 at 1:47 PM - 0 Comments

A few developments from the inbox.

At 12:02pm I received a note from the Nash campaign announcing that the Toronto Area Council of the United Steelworkers was endorsing Peggy Nash. The national office of the United Steelworkers had previously endorsed Brian Topp.

At 12:43pm, a note from the Topp campaign, announcing that Jeff Itcush, an activist and former NDP candidate in Montreal, who had been supporting Thomas Mulcair’s campaign, had switched his allegiance to Mr. Topp.

At 12:51pm, a note from the Mulcair campaign, announcing the endorsements of eight current or former union leaders.

All of which I report in part to observe that the pace of the NDP campaign seems to be picking up.

The spectre of Stephen Harper

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:20 AM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp links Conservatives to the decline in voter turnout and explains how to beat them.

“Yes Jack took them on, and we have to keep taking them on—right between the eyes, right at them,” Topp stated. “But he never attacked the Conservatives without also making a positive proposal. A propositional attack. And so when women and young people and working people listened to Jack, they thought this guy is offering me something better.”

For those scoring at home, a flyer distributed by the Topp campaign at the Toronto debate last week presented Mr. Topp as someone who could “go toe to toe” with Stephen Harper, “take on” Stephen Harper and also “beat” Stephen Harper.

Topp on the arts

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, January 20, 2012 at 1:27 PM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp has released his fifth policy paper, this one on the arts.

I propose a cultural industries investment fund for the rest of Canada, and a matching offer of federal support for SODEC to help promote its own work. The federal government’s program of targeted tax credits and other supports in the cultural industries would be reviewed to ensure they complement this new approach…

I propose a careful, top-to-bottom rethink of the CBC’s television and internet service; the re-launch of Canadian public broadcasting on a model that will work in the 21st century — and then a substantial, sustained investment in that model…

I propose a review and modernization of the Broadcasting Act, and some clear dialogue with the CRTC (perhaps in the form of a Cabinet directive) to ensure the Act is enforced – including in its requirements that broadcasters (conventional, cable and internet) earn their access to the Canadian market through an appropriate commitment to Canadian content…

I propose our party commit to updating and modernizing federal status of the artist legislation and, in the course of doing so, review how basic federal income support and taxation policies (pensions, EI, the issue of income averaging) work for people pursuing artistic careers. 

And on that note there are new endorsement clips from Colin Mochrie, Peter Keleghan, Wendy Crewson, Art Hindle, Jani Lauzon, Tabby Johnson and Teresa Tova.

Last night, he picked up the endorsement of Chris Charlton.

Great kisser

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 3:37 PM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp lands his first major celebrity endorsement.

More seriously, the Topp campaign has released a second video of the candidate. Continue…

Topp on jobs

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 2:47 PM - 0 Comments

Late last week, Brian Topp released his fourth policy paper, this one on jobs and small business.

I propose that new federal credit union legislation be enhanced to promote the establishment of new credit unions while respecting the integrity of the credit union governance structure.  Enhancements would  allow them to reach a larger client base while respecting the credit union difference…

I propose an enhanced and renewed federal labour-sponsored venture capital program, that learns from the success of the Quebec system and from the lessons of the Ontario experience. I propose  that permitted placements in federally-chartered labour-sponsored funds be increased to $15,000 from then current $5,000; that eligible investors be limited to sophisticated parties, who are investing on the advice of investment professionals; and that management fees and charges, diversification of investments, and eligible managers be much more carefully regulated and limited than was the case in Ontario…

I propose that Export Development Canada explicitly allocate at least 5% of its programming to small and medium sized business – and actively engage with small companies to encourage them to build their overseas sales.

‘The law recognizes same-sex marriage in Canada’

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7:29 PM - 0 Comments

Brian Topp and Paul Dewar respond to today’s news. Emmett Macfarlane considers the case and defers to the Charter.

The Prime Minister was in British Columbia just now for a shipbulding announcement and was asked again about the case.

We’re not going to reopen that particular issue. This is a complicated case and the Minister of Justice, I think, has put out a statement clarifying the government’s position on that.

Mr. Harper was then asked specifically whether the government considered the same-sex marriages of non-citizens to be legal or not.

The law recognizes same-sex marriage in Canada and the government is not going to reopen that issue.

The reporter who asked the second question was heckled when he did so.

‘Let the other parties have their cynics’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 4:12 PM - 0 Comments

A note sent to NDP members yesterday by Brian Topp, in response to Lise St-Denis’ move to the Liberals.

Fellow New Democrats,

Last May, four and a half million of us marked our ballots for Jack Layton’s New Democrats. We voted for real change.  And while we fell short of government, many of us felt that just maybe, a new dawn was breaking.

Jack Layton showed us that a new type of politics is possible. Not the same old scandals, entitlements and tired debates, but an optimistic politics with the concerns of everyday people at its core.

It was a tremendous moment we shared together. And it turns out not one we can take for granted.

Continue…

Topp’s pitch

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 10:31 AM - 0 Comments

A new video from the Topp campaign.

Steve Paikin seems impressed by yesterday’s speech.

‘A fiscally responsible, economically literate, socially progressive NDP government’

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 12:03 PM - 0 Comments

The prepared text of Brian Topp’s speech to the Economic Club of Canada today.

Thank you very much. It’s wonderful to be here. I hope everyone had a good holiday break. I got a few moments sleep and a little time with my family. And that’s good, because now the sprint begins to the finish line.

The NDP leadership race is just over half way complete. And I must say it’s been very good for our party. We have an excellent team of candidates. All of whom bring huge assets to the race. But as I said last week in the press, the race will start to get just a little “boring” if we don’t start talking about where we stand on the issues. The time for introductions is over – the time for real debate about the future of our party and our country is now. And, perhaps no issue is more central to Canadian politics than the state of our economy. A question where there may be some interesting differences among the candidates for leadership. Continue…