Doorstep Postings: The predictable trajectory of Avi Lewis |
As the guy who presided over the New Democratic Party’s decline to fourth party status and a single digit seat count, Jagmeet Singh is a complete disaster as NDP leader by all available metrics except the one that matters. Because he ‘led’ in such a way as to make the Liberals look good enough to voters and deny the hated conservatives their shot at power, Singh ultimately understood the assignment. Like every other federal party leader who must atone for the crime of not joining the Liberal Party of Canada, Singh was permitted to make a show of opposing the Liberals for fundraising purposes, and for maintaining the pretense that we are not a one-party state. In return he was expected to support the Liberals when the chips were down and pretend that the crumbs they tossed him were big wins born of inter-party collaboration.
Avi Lewis, the new elected federal NDP leader, doesn’t understand the assignment. His father, the recently-deceased Stephen Lewis, and his father’s father David Lewis before him certainly did, which is why they have public schools named after them and why Stephen represented Canada to the United Nations. Former NDP MP for Nunavut, now the Liberal MP for Nunavut, Lori Idlout, understood the assignment which is why she crossed the floor to the Liberals after endorsing Avi Lewis. Former NDP MPP and soon-to-be Liberal MP for Scarborough Southwest Holy Begum understood the assignment. Former CPC MPs Chris D’Entremont, Matt Jeneroux,........