Thanks to the results of the federal election, the national convention of the federal New Democrats, dubbed VANCON2011, has taken on new significance. The meeting, which runs from June 17 to June 19, was always going to be notable as a gathering that marked the 50th anniversary of the creation of the political movement first led by Tommy Douglas.
But given the outcome of the federal election, there's bound to be extra attention paid to the gathering of about 1,500 New Democrats from across Canada, which will include speeches from Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, Stephen Lewis and, of course, Opposition Leader Jack Layton. New Democrats plainly have a lot to celebrate.
"Mr. Layton will look back on 50 years of results, celebrate our most recent success, and then call on New Democrats to get down to work, building a 21st-century party ready to challenge for government," his office said in a statement on his plans for his June 19 speech.
That includes mechanics for the present. Policy will be a key part of the meeting as well with resolutions on the economy, job creation, health care - including the renegotiation of the health accord between Ottawa and the provinces, and regional issues such as flood relief in Quebec.
Here's where things stand as the convention looms:
The Big Win: The 2011 election on May 2 saw the NDP vault from 36 seats to win a record 103 seats, including 59 in Quebec where they started the campaign with only one seat held by Thomas Mulcair. With the party becoming the Official Opposition, and relegating the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois to the margins of Parliament, the New Democrats are now the counterweight in Parliament to the majority Conservative government.
The Big Shift: In 1961, after a founding convention that saw through a merger of the Canadian Labour Congress and Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to create a social-democratic party, Tommy Douglas, who had been Saskatchewan premier, was elected leader of the new party. In 1962, the party won 19 seats. Before the last election, the party's high point was the 43 seats it won in 1988 under then-leader Ed Broadbent. Mr. Layton, a former Toronto city councillor, was elected party leader in 2003 - the fifth since Tommy Douglas.
The Big Challenge: Mr. Layton's challenge in coming years will be to try and cast his party as the governing alternative to the Conservatives, marginalizing the federal Liberals in the process. With half of his caucus coming from Quebec, he will have to maintain his base in that province, navigating such issues as language and sovereignty, without alienating voters elsewhere. B.C. Liberal Premier Christy Clark, facing a tough battle against provincial New Democrats in a possible fall election, has mused aloud about exactly how Mr. Layton will do that. She is not alone. While there have been NDP governments in provinces across Canada, the federal party will need to advance a credible, convincing program on varied issues in coming years to prepare for the next election and the moment that will indicate whether the results of May are durable or fleeting.
What's next: It's ironic that the convention is being held in British Columbia. Premier Clark is widely expected to call a fall election - ahead of a legislated 2013 vote - in order to seek her own fresh mandate after succeeding Gordon Campbell earlier this year. The NDP under their new leader, Adrian Dix, is clearly a dangerous rival, and Mr. Dix could end up being premier by year's end. Provincial New Democrats will also be competing in elections across Canada this year, including races in Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland.
Ian Bailey