With the federal election just weeks away, a former NDP leader has come out with a surprising message.
Don’t vote for his old party.
In a recent op-ed for BNN Bloomberg, Tom Mulcair – who served as NDP leader from 2012-2017 – wrote that the continued threats from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration have rendered all parties but the Liberals and Conservatives an “afterthought.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking anything away from the NDP, the Green Party, the Bloc, or their supporters,” Mulcair wrote.
“They work hard, have their own base and promote their vision and ideals. But in a time of existential crisis for Canada as a whole, they’re an afterthought.”
As Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty stack up, Mulcair said the issue has become the main “ballot question” as Canadians get ready to hit the polls – and it’s why, he said, Canadians need to carefully consider who they vote for this spring.
“That’s why this is shaping up to be a race between the ruling Liberals and the opposition Conservatives, with little room to spare for the others,” he wrote.
“If you can’t seriously say you’re going to form a government that can take on Trump, then get out of the way and let the only real contenders have at it.”
Mulcair pointed out that recent polls have the NDP in single-digit territory, and that although current leader Jagmeet Singh is a “valiant warrior,” it will prove difficult for him to “convince progressive voters that the liberals are elitist bums when he’s been in the sack with them for the last few years.”
With the stakes as high as they are, Mulcair said he’s heard from NDPers and Greens who are now ready to “do everything they can to block that threat to Canada’s existence by getting Carney elected.”
Locally, Liberal incumbent Terry Sheehan said he’s heard similar things from usual NDP voters.
“(Mulcair’s) observations were correct," Sheehan told SooToday.
"I've been in local politics for a great number of years, and I deeply respect these people, and they have reached out to me by phone, by email, in person, that they will be supporting myself and Mark Carney because they see him as the best person to send up to Trump and all the others.
“I truly appreciate their calls, their emails, their encouragement.”
Sheehan said his priorities are clear heading into the next election – standing up for his communities against Trump’s “unjust” tariffs – and he said Mark Carney is the “only leader with the experience” to rise to the occasion.
“Even the former NDP leader, Tom Mulcair, agrees the stakes are too high in this moment to risk it, so I'm asking our communities in the riding to support me and make sure we're strong enough to stand up for Canada,” he said.
When contacted by SooToday, Conservative candidate Hugh Stevenson’s campaign simply provided a statement about Mulcair’s sentiments.
“We hope it translates to more support for Conservatives at the doors,” officials said.
The NDP’s Sault Ste. Marie–Algoma candidate, Laura Mayer, did not return requests for comment.