Delegates demonstrated in the corridor of the convention center where the major NDP meeting is taking place in Hamilton, Ontario, just as party leader Jagmeet Singh was giving a speech to galvanize and rally activists.
A member of the socialist caucus of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Barry Weisleder, told The Canadian Press that several demonstrators began shouting “Free Palestine!” “.
He said it wasn’t his initiative, but he agreed with the message they were sending.
According to Jennifer Howard, Mr. Singh’s chief of staff, the demonstrators were not delegates.
“Some delegates left the room [plénière du congrès] to join them and the people who showed up [initialement] might or might not be party members,” she said.
She said the delegates who joined the protesters contravened the NDP’s policy on harassment.
Mr. Weisleder believes he was “falsely accused” by senior NDP leaders of disrupting the convention. According to him, a senior member of the political party tried to prevent him from entering the plenary room of the congress, which he denounced as “illegitimate”.
The incident appeared to demonstrate the fault lines within the NDP ranks in terms of the support that should be expressed for the Palestinian people. Some criticize the party for not sufficiently condemning Israel’s actions.
Mr. Singh addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his speech, delivered a few minutes before submitting to a traditional vote of confidence among NDP members. “There can be no justification for the torture, murder and sexual violence committed by Hamas,” he said.
He took care to emphasize that the war in the Middle East is causing victims in both Israel and Palestine.
“We must call for an immediate end to the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza,” he continued. The crowd of delegates in the room immediately applauded wildly, with party activists rising to their feet for a standing ovation.
Later Saturday, much-anticipated debates on emergency resolutions, including several on support for the Palestinian people, will take place.
The discussions are likely to be passionate, even emotional, but will be limited to a time limit of 30 minutes.
A NDP source told The Canadian Press that he was worried about the turn the debate could take. He stressed that choosing just one word over another was likely to derail the discussion.
This source spoke on condition of anonymity to speak more freely about his concerns.
Vote of confidence
New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh received 81% support during the traditional exercise of the vote of confidence in his leadership on Saturday, as part of his party’s national convention which continues in Hamilton, Ontario.
In the high ranks of the party, there was no hiding the optimism that the leader would obtain a solid level of support from the delegates, on day two of the big meeting of the NDP activist base.
Two former NDP strategists who spoke to The Canadian Press also agree that Mr. Singh will obtain an enviable score.
Karl Bélanger, former advisor to former NDP leaders Jack Layton and Thomas Mulcair, even went so far as to suggest a support rate of 90%.
It was ultimately several percentage points below this score that Mr. Singh collected. It is also lower than the previous approval rates obtained from members by the leader of the NDP.
Mr Singh, who took over as party leader in 2017, received a score of 87% the last time he faced a vote of confidence, in April 2021.
He previously had a 91% support rate in 2018.
Saturday’s vote was the first of its kind since the last general election. Mr. Singh is expected to address the media after the voting results are revealed.
Galvanized supporters
“I want us to use the power we have to ensure that Ottawa works for everyone — rather than for the ultra-rich,” Mr. Singh told the delegates. shortly before they started voting.
The NDP leader devoted most of his speech to activists to attacking Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, but also Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, accusing them in particular of having aggravated the housing crisis through their inaction.
“Those two hurt your wallet,” he said.
His speech was interrupted by cheers from the crowd. “Jagmeet Singh!” Jagmeet Singh! Jagmeet Singh! ”, we sang in chorus. The NDP leader’s wife and young daughter joined Mr. Singh on stage after his speech. They let themselves be carried away by emotion by performing a few dance steps.
The NDP troops had already been galvanized by the new NDP Prime Minister recently elected in Manitoba, Wab Kinew. The latter sent a message of unity among the New Democratic forces in a pre-recorded video.
“I can see a progressive wave spreading across Canada in the future,” he said, his words drawing a shower of applause from enthusiastic delegates.
Another emergency resolution expected to be debated on Saturday aims to declare the NDP’s agreement with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals void if the government does not introduce legislation “that clearly commits to a universal, comprehensive prescription drug insurance program.” and entirely public.
Mr. Singh’s withdrawal from the agreement would not be systematic since, as the text of the resolution emphasizes, “this motion is not binding on the NDP caucus.” Mr. Singh also defended the relevance of the support and confidence agreement in his speech.
With information from Mickey Djuric The Canadian Press