Federal NDP Leadership Candidates Debate in Saskatoon

On July 11, 2017, the four remaining candidates for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada debate one another in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The candidates are: Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton, Guy Caron, and Jagmeet Singh.

[aryastark]

It kind of blows my mind that anyone sees Jagmeet Singh as anything other than fake fluffy identity politics Trudeau 2.0. If he is selected leader, I am gone. I do not get impressed by someone who listens to the same band as I do, I don't care about "personality", only policies. Guy Caron, or maybe Niki Ashton, maybe Charlie Angus, but no Jagmeet.

[apmde]

Guy Caron is who I'm voting. I like his platform.

[noahtheknight]

Charlie Angus is going to win the leadership.

[Coyotelover]

Four minutes in and its all emotion. Do I bother to hear any more?

[nickyg]

Weak responses to "Trudeau or Scheer?" question.

Actual answer: "That question is a product of the unjust, arbitrary electoral system we live under. STV proportional representation now!"

[gdshMajestic]

These are some really strong candidates. I think that Singh and Ashton are probably running the strongest campaigns with Singh getting a slight edge here. Generally, I see multiple posts on my FB from both of them pretty much daily. Caron's the next one, with Angus definitely pulling up the rear. I think that Singh is the most likely to win -- that said, I don't think it is necessarily because of any particular policies that he's put forward as he kinda seems like just a generic NDP candidate policy wise. What Singh does have, however, is the strongest personality and presence of everyone in the running as well as a better understanding of how to use social media and actually design a website (have you seen the candidates websites? Dreadful. Every one of them except Singh's).

Now, by contrast I actually happen to agree with Guy Caron and his proposed UBI. In general, I think he's the strongest candidate from a pure policy perspective. He always seems to know his stuff. He even posted something to FB today where he cited a proper bloody economist's research. Imagine that! Using actual research to guide one's policies! I haven't seen any of the other candidates backing up their claims with academic research. He also relies heavily on his experience in office as NDP critic of one kind or another so he has a lot of bona fides and experience with policy. All that works in his favour...his issue is that he's as exciting gray paint on a gray wall which means, once again, NDP ends up a really strong policy maker, but someone who fails to get the vote out because he's not exciting.

I disagree with the label that Ashton has as being the populist candidate. She definitely is the one that seems to be getting the 'grass roots support' stuff, which is probably needed. My biggest quibble with Ashton is that she seems to be the most willing to be blatantly partisan. I remember in one of the earlier debates she went after Caron and more or less criticized the UBI on the grounds that the Liberals were trying it in Ontario, and that it was 'an idea from the right' -- or something to that effect. Meaning, essentially, that if a policy idea comes from a centrist or the right, it should be dismissed outright without real consideration because it isn't leftist enough. That's really problematic. Good policy is good policy. If the idea happens to come from the right, that's definitely something that should be considered. Viewing it any other way puts the cart before the horse.

Now as for Charlie Angus, apparently he's leading for the polling (which is odd to me because I haven't seen anything from him anywhere). He's another candidate that has a lot of experience to draw on and as a gay man I appreciate the stance he took on same-sex marriage even at the cost of his communion. He does have a kind of charm about him (nowhere near Singh's) -- and I think that authenticity is the word that I've seen popping up in association with him which definitely seems fairly apt. However he kinda seems too calm and collected -- he doesn't seem too too impassioned about anything, even as he listed all the consequences of defending same-sex marriage. He also dips into that partisanship that I criticized Ashton for above -- treating old age security as NDP gospel, essentially -- which again, puts the cart before the horse. And, petty as it is, Angus always looks like a corpse for these debates.

[AbdulKhader-]

Jagmeet Singh crushes the opponents yet again

[TruztNoI]

The NDP is like giving a vote a vote the protectors...

[sahilarora]

Singh destroys all others.. especially charlie