The NDP, a party struggling to maintain its support in NB | New Brunswick Elections 2024

While the New Democratic Party (NDP) of New Brunswick has not succeeded in electing an MP since 2003, it is clear that the political party is struggling to carve out a place for itself on the political scene. Faced with this observation, many wonder whether the party will succeed in surviving in the province.

While British Columbia and Manitoba are led by New Democratic governments, in New Brunswick, this party is struggling to keep its place in the sun in the province.

For the October 21 election, the party will present candidates in only 23 of the 49 provincial constituencies.

However, ten years ago, the NPD thought he could make a breakthrough with New Brunswick voters. A survey conducted in July 2014, approximately two months before the elections, indicated for example that the party, then led by Dominic Cardy, received 14% of voting intentions.

However, this breakthrough did not materialize and political training has never aroused as much interest since. Since the resignation of its former leader Dominic Cardy in 2017, the NPD of NB even seems to be relatively unknown among voters.

Some people met in Dieppe say, for example, that they know very little about the party, today led by Alex White.

Gabriel Comeau says, for example, that he has noticed the presence of this party less since during the 2020 and 2018 elections. According to him, the Green Party has come to replace, in a way, the NPD.

Lévis Doucet, also a resident of Dieppe, admits to knowing little about the NDP.

We hear so little about it that I cannot say that the party is not credible, but I cannot say that it is either.

Few signs and little presence in the media mean that people sometimes forget this party.

More and more to the left

For political scientist Mario Lévesque, it is the shift of NPD on the left of the political spectrum in recent years which explains its difficulties.

Being strongly far to the left is much more difficult. What we saw, after the election in 2014, when Cardy left[in2017isthateveryonewhowasmorecentralleftthepartyandtheyjoinedtheGreenParty[en2017c’estquetousceuxquiétaientplusaucentresontsortisdupartietilssesontjointsauPartivertunderlines the political science professor at Mount Allison University in Sackville.

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According to Mario Lévesque, it therefore seems quite unlikely that the NPD one day wins an election.

Having a party is about winning elections. If we don’t want to win the elections, what I would say is that they position themselves more as an interest group.

The party of workers and trade unionists

Since its turn further to the left, however, several people have decided to turn to the Green Party. In 2019, 14 New Democratic candidates left their political families to join the team of David Coon.

The NPD is a party that has long been close to workers and unions. According to the president of the NB Federation of Labour, Daniel Légère, this is still the case.

The trade unionists will especially go and find a left of center party. The party other than the NPDin New Brunswick, which leans the most towards that side, it would be the Green Partyhe emphasizes.

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The former head of the political party, Dominic Cardygoes further and now describes his former political family as being on the far left of the political spectrum.

There are always people who want to play radical games, presenting themselves as Marxists or fascists on the other side. I don’t know why they would do things like that. I don’t think people have much interest in games like that.says the man who was Minister of Education in the last government of Blaine Higgs.

According to him, the NDP has now lost all credibility.

We can see in a democracy whether a party is relevant or not and it is clear that New Brunswickers have decided that the NDP is not.

Jean-Marie Nadeau wore the colors of NPD on two occasions. The party was not very popular at the time, he said, before adding that the situation has not changed much. He is one of those who decided to change political allegiance.

I consider that the NPD current is quite moribund in the sense that they should even leave all the space on the left to the Green Party analyzes Jean-Marie Nadeau who says he is of the opinion that the Greens have taken the place of the New Democrats.

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I’m happy to live with the Green Party right now, I’m happy with it as a former New Democrat.

Although it is mathematically impossible that the NPD of New Brunswick forms the next government, its leader, Alex White, says he is happy with the state of his party.

Support is growing, our income is growing, and membership is growing. The party is truly in a better position than it has been in yearsadvances the one who is a candidate in Quispamsis, the constituency of the outgoing Prime Minister Blaine Higgs.