Winning the weekend vs. Winning the race

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, April 2, 2012 at 11:34 AM - 0 Comments

Alice Funke reviews the detailed results of the NDP leadership vote.

Nathan Cullen narrowly won all of the real-time voting he appeared on during last weekend’s NDP leadership contest, but his rival Thomas Mulcair’s victory was already a foregone conclusion by the time the convention started, detailed vote breakdowns show.

Unfortunately for Cullen, the convention-day round-by-round voting never accounted for more than 17.5% of the total ballots counted, and he had too big a gap to catch Mulcair in the preferential ballots cast in advance.

Mr. Mulcair effectively had 28,683 votes before the weekend began, more than Brian Topp ended up with after weekend voting.

From the magazine

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, March 30, 2012 at 5:30 PM - 0 Comments

From this week’s print edition, the inside story of the NDP campaign, as reported by John Geddes and I.

The last thing anyone expected from Thomas Mulcair in the race for the NDP leadership was a charm offensive. Sharp debating skills, sure. Divisive messaging, more than likely. But the Quebec MP routinely characterized as a tough customer was hardly thought likely to better his rivals in a contest of interpersonal skills. Yet there he was on the last Saturday of January, a couple of weeks before the watershed point when his dominance of the campaign became clear, winning a potential key new backer over breakfast at Halifax’s venerable Victory Arms Pub.

I’ve got a bit more from my notebook that I’ll post here next week. My notes on the Topp campaign are here.

Behind the scenes of the NDP leadership campaign

By John Geddes and Aaron Wherry - Friday, March 30, 2012 at 6:45 AM - 0 Comments

Photoraph by Cole Garside

The last thing anyone expected from Thomas Mulcair in the race for the NDP leadership was a charm offensive. Sharp debating skills, sure. Divisive messaging, more than likely. But the Quebec MP routinely characterized as a tough customer was hardly thought likely to better his rivals in a contest of interpersonal skills. Yet there he was on the last Saturday of January, a couple of weeks before the watershed point when his dominance of the campaign became clear, winning a potential key new backer over breakfast at Halifax’s venerable Victory Arms Pub.

His quarry that morning was Nova Scotia MP Robert Chisholm, who had entered the leadership race, then dropped out early when he realized his inability to speak French was a fatal shortcoming. A former NDP leader in his home province, Chisholm looked like an obvious high-value target for all the main leadership aspirants. His background as a union leader might have suggested an affinity with fellow labour-movement heavyweights Brian Topp and Peggy Nash. But he told Maclean’s that he received just two “casual” calls from camps other than Mulcair’s. “Really, it was only Tom who reached out,” Chisholm said, “and was interested in following up on a regular basis and seeking my opinion.”

The two had barely known each other before the race, but Mulcair now struck Chisholm as “warm, friendly and engaging.” Not adjectives often publicly associated with the hard-driving Montrealer. On that winter weekend when all the leadership contenders rolled into Halifax for the second of their series of six televised debates, Mulcair and his wife, Catherine Pinhas, arranged breakfast with Chisholm and his wife, Paula Simon. They settled in for a relaxed hour at the pub restaurant on the ground floor of the gracious old Lord Nelson Hotel. “We found them both quite charming,” Chisholm said. After mulling his decision, he announced on March 1 that he was endorsing Mulcair.

Continue…

Towards Stornoway: The Topp campaign

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 12:45 PM - 0 Comments

In this week’s print edition—on newsstands tomorrow—John Geddes and I co-author a few thousand words on the NDP leadership race. The piece is based on numerous interviews with those in and around the campaign and hopefully provides some insight into what happened and why. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we ended up with way more material than could be squeezed into the magazine. So that such testimony and explanation doesn’t disappear into my computer’s harddrive, I’m going to detail much of what I have here.

First up, Brian Topp’s campaign. Continue…

‘This malicious, massive, orchestrated attempt to thwart democracy’

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 11:36 AM - 0 Comments

Scytl Canada, the company that conducted the NDP’s online voting, explains what happened this weekend.

This was an organized and large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack launched against the voting system in an orchestrated, professional, albeit illegal manner.

Well over 10,000 malevolent IP addresses (computers) have been identified so far, as having generated many hundreds of thousands of false voting requests to the system. This effectively “jammed up the pipe” into the voting system, delaying voter access. This network of malevolent computers, commonly known as a “botnet”, was located on computers around the world but mainly in Canada.

The required organization and the demonstrated orchestration of the attack indicates that this was a deliberate effort to disrupt or negate the election by a knowledgeable person or group.

Congratulations from the Prime Minister

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, March 26, 2012 at 7:50 PM - 0 Comments

A note from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Readout of the phone call between the Prime Minister and Mr Mulcair.

“The Prime Minister congratulated Mr. Mulcair on his victory in the leadership contest and said he looked forward to their dealings together. The two shared their experiences in leadership contests.”

See previously: Congratulations from the Conservatives

Brian Topp says thanks

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, March 26, 2012 at 6:46 PM - 0 Comments

Mr. Topp has sent a note to supporters.

National campaigns are always intense experiences — but they usually last for seven weeks or so. And then we go whew! that was quite a ride. This seven month marathon was of an entirely different magnitude. And so, it was a unique opportunity to see our country, to get to know our party in its deepest grass roots, to get to know my colleagues in the race, and to renew and make friendships I will treasure for the rest of my life.

This really is a remarkable country. It’s an ocean of land. It is an archipelago of communities. And it is something more — a country of citizens who share some powerful communitarian values and principles that our current government does not understand. Canadians are looking for something better. That’s going to be us.

Contained therein: a rather profound compliment to Nathan Cullen.

The Layton legacy

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, March 26, 2012 at 11:44 AM - 0 Comments

The four videos that were part of Friday night’s tribute.

Continue…

For those of you keeping score at home

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, March 26, 2012 at 11:14 AM - 0 Comments

Drew Anderson, the NDP’s director of communications, is apparently leaving.

And Raymond Guardia, who directed the NDP campaign in Quebec and managed Brian Topp’s leadership campaign, says Thomas Mulcair told him he’d be moving on if Mr. Mulcair became leader.

The Mulcair era begins

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, March 26, 2012 at 9:04 AM - 0 Comments

Eric Grenier considers Thomas Mulcair’s mandate. Joanna Smith looks at the potential personnel changes. Mark Kennedy lists ten challenges. The Globe profiles a hard-hitting pragmatist. And Postmedia and the Canadian Press considers the prospects for a bearded politician.

Not since Mackenzie Bowell in 1894 have Canadians had a bearded prime minister, and Bowell managed the feat without actually running for the office. The Conservative senator got the nod when then-prime minister John Thompson suddenly died.

Bowell may not be an inspirational figure for Mulcair. Apart from his dramatic, spadelike facial hair, Bowell’s two-year reign was notable for him being the only prime minister to be forced to resign by members of his own cabinet, which he labelled “a nest of traitors.”

To respond or not to respond?

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 7:19 PM - 0 Comments

In an interview with Global’s Tom Clark—shortly after the 2:30 mark—Thomas Mulcair hedges just slightly as to whether or not the NDP will mount a response to any forthcoming Conservative ad campaign.

Mulcair v. Mansbridge

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 3:09 PM - 0 Comments

The new leader of the opposition’s first national English-language interview last night.

The Commons: As good a guess as any

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 11:17 PM - 0 Comments

Frank Gunn/CP Images

At 7:49pm Eastern Standard Time in Toronto, Thomas Mulcair had to use the facilities. One last bathroom break before destiny.

On his way to the men’s room, down the second-floor hallway strewn with the bodies of the faithful, everyone so very tired, Mr. Mulcair passed within maybe three feet of Brian Topp, the only other remaining candidate conferring then with his campaign manager in a relatively secluded corner. The two contenders did not appear to acknowledge other.

A necessary amount of time later, Mr. Mulcair emerged from the bathroom and proceeded back down the hallway. Once again the two candidates passed within feet of each other. If they acknowledged each other, it was fleeting. Mr. Mulcair went on back to his headquarters. Mr. Topp sat on a table and talked with one of his aides for awhile. No jacket, right hand resting on hip.

At 8:02pm, from the far end of the hall, the sound of drums rang out and a clapping, gyrating throng of supporters from Team Mulcair emerged. Dancing their way down the hall, they proceeded to the escalator positioned in front of the Team Topp headquarters and then down to the subterranean convention hall on the basement floor. A smattering of Mr. Topp’s supporters watched the heaving mob. Some raised their hands and clapped along as the likely victors marched towards the final confirmation.

The moment was soon at hand. And then, of course, it was announced that the results would be delayed by an hour. Continue…

Congratulations from the Liberals

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 10:12 PM - 0 Comments

A statement from interim Liberal leader Bob Rae.

“I want to offer my warm congratulations to Thomas Mulcair on winning the leadership contest in the New Democratic Party.  I know Mr. Mulcair well and look forward to working with him to ensure Parliament acts on behalf of all Canadians.

“I also want to congratulate the NDP for a successful leadership convention, particularly in opening up the selection process to Canadians across the country.

“I also want to salute Mme Nycole Turmel for the integrity she showed as Interim Leader of the NDP. Her grace was apparent as she courageously carried out her duties admirably in the wake of the tragic passing of Jack Layton.”

Congratulations from the Conservatives

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 9:50 PM - 0 Comments

The Conservative party’s talking points on Mr. Mulcair’s victory.

Today in Toronto, the NDP have chosen Thomas Mulcair to push their agenda of high taxes, high spending and less economic growth. Thomas Mulcair is an opportunist whose high tax agenda, blind ambition, and divisive personality would put Canadian families and their jobs at risk. Mulcair has said he would bring back a risky, job-killing carbon tax which would raise the price of everything – even though Canadians overwhelmingly rejected carbon taxes. Canadians can’t afford Mulcair’s dangerous economic experiments.

Also, Thomas Mulcair has vowed to bring back the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry, and his soft on crime positions would take Canada back to policies that put the rights of criminals ahead of those of victims. 

Canadians gave our government a strong mandate to create jobs and economic growth. For hard-working Canadian families looking for a government that will put them first, it is clear that the only choice is Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

Fourth ballot results

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 9:24 PM - 0 Comments

Thomas Mulcair 33,881 57.2
Brian Topp 25,329 42.8

The latest delay

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 8:56 PM - 0 Comments

The NDP has confirmed that the latest delay in voting, as with the last delay, resulted from overwhelmed servers. The issue has apparently been traced to two IP addresses and the party will be investigating in the days ahead. Voting will close at 9pm EST and results will be announced shortly thereafter.

Audio: Sampling of young voices from NDP leadership convention

By Alex Ballingall - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 8:38 PM - 0 Comments

There are a lot of young people here at the NDP leadership convention. Niki Ashton, the 29-year-old candidate who placed last on the first ballot, has consistently said she’s proud to be a part of “the Jack Layton generation.” Amidst painful voting delays, I decided to take a little stroll across the convention floor to talk to younger looking delegates to get a feel for what they make of all this. Listen up:

Caucus lines up

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7:22 PM - 0 Comments

Seven more MPs have moved to Thomas Mulcair in the last hour, including Megan Leslie, Dennis Bevington, Bruce Hyer and Brian Masse.

Including those moved earlier, Mr. Mulcair has about 59 MPs behind him now.

What now?

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7:18 PM - 0 Comments

It’s fairly simple. Brian Topp needs approximately 75% of Nathan Cullen’s supporters to move to him or Thomas Mulcair is the next leader of the NDP.

Results for the fourth ballot are expected around 8:30pm 9:30pm EST.

NDP leadership Mulcair’s to lose as party members cast final ballot

By Alex Ballingall - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:50 PM - 0 Comments

The fourth round of voting is underway at the NDP leadership convention—finally.

After several delays caused by a possibly nefarious flood of traffic to the NDP’s voting website, party president Rebecca Blaikie announced the results a short while ago.

The race is still Thomas Mulcair’s to lose, as he sits in front with 43.8 per cent of the vote. He’s trailed by Brian Topp with his 31.6 per cent. Nathan Cullen, whom many didn’t expect to make it this far, has been knocked out for placing last on the third ballot. He raked in 24.6 per cent of the vote. The first candidate to 50 per cent gets the NDP crown.

Much of the story today has been about voter turnout. Of the roughly 130,000 NDP members, 62,736 voted in the third round of this leadership race. About 55,000 of those ballots were cast in advance of the convention.

The other intriguing point here is the denial-of-service attack which knocked out the party’s electronic voting system this afternoon. “Somebody outside the system was attempting to mess with our system,” said Brad Lavigne, principal secretary to Nycole Turmel. “They’ve jammed up the lines.”

Now that they appear to have things cleared up, the convention has gotten back to the business of choosing Jack Layton’s successor. If Topp is to come from behind and defeat Mulcair, he’ll need to rein in a large majority— roughly 80 per cent—of Cullen’s former supporters. The general consensus is that that’s a long shot. But as many speakers have energetically shouted from the stage here this weekend, “don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.”

Final results to come.

Despite the denial

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:30 PM - 0 Comments

Total turnout on the third ballot was 62,736. That’s an improvement of 242 votes.

Third ballot results

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6:07 PM - 0 Comments

Thomas Mulcair 27,488 43.8% (+5.5)
Brian Topp 19,822 31.6% (+6.6)
Nathan Cullen 15,426 24.6% (+4.7)

‘They’ve jammed up the lines’

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 5:43 PM - 0 Comments

Brad Lavigne, principal secretary to NDP leader Nycole Turmel, has spoken with reporters to explain what occurred this afternoon.

I would describe it as somebody outside the system was attempting to mess up with our system … The system has not been compromised. The only thing that has taken place has been that they’ve delayed, they’ve jammed up the lines, they’ve occupied the space that the company was creating for our membership.

Let me be absolutely clear, the system was not hacked. It was never even close to being hacked … The only thing we that we know is that the delays that were being caused were caused by those outside of the system who were attempting to mess with our system…