Challenging power is never easy and if you have success backlash is certain. But we won’t be deterred in our bid to oppose genocide, militarism and capitalism.
Over 1000 NDP members, covering all the party’s regional, equity and age requirements, have signed my nomination form to participate in the leadership race. That’s twice the number required. Additionally, we’ve raised $12,000 before our first public fundraising pitch.
These developments follow on the heels of a successful speaking tour in southern Ontario, which was timed to participate in Toronto’s Labour Day parade where the campaign had far and away the largest presence of any leadership candidate. A new online straw poll also put my candidacy in the lead among prospective candidates.
Beginning September 18 in Toronto I’ll be speaking at more events in the region, including the Ontario NDP convention, and then in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Soon, we will release a detailed platform, which has been produced by a 40-person policy committee, and the campaign is ramping up its online activism with Action Network email campaigns.
Some in the NDP establishment fear our activist, anti-capitalist, message and are seeking to undermine the campaign. The party has refused to respond to repeated calls from my official financial agent, exacerbating the difficulties of navigating a bevy of rules set down by the NDP, Elections Canada and financial institutions to fundraise legally. Even though I asked for it the day it was made available, the chief Electoral Officer of the Federal NDP, Éric Hébert-Daly, took five days to send me the nomination package. Then when we announced that we had surpassed the signature threshold, Hébert-Daly added new rules. He wrote, “Please note that only Party-issued nomination forms and official online links will be accepted as valid submissions in this process. Any signatures submitted through third-party platforms or additional methods will not be recognized.”
But that’s not what the nomination package states. The Nomination Signature Form is not defined in the party rules document and there’s no reference to the party having exclusive authority to develop the form. If that was the rule/plan why wouldn’t they include such a form in the nomination package?
They seem to be making up the rules as they go. We may have to sue.
The NDP is under significant pressure from outside the party and (possibly) other leadership opponents to exclude us from the race. On Tuesday, the day the race formally began, the head of the so-called Canadian Antisemitism Foundation sent a letter to the NDP demanding they exclude me from the race. It noted, “[Engler] has no place as a candidate for leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada, or any other major national political party in this country.” A slew of other fanatic Zionists, such as Jeremy Levi and Meir Weinstein, have been making this demand for weeks.
As Zionists openly demanded the party block me from running, I was the subject of malicious activity on the Blue Sky social media platform. The account @yvesengler.bsky.social, which has no association with me or the campaign, began posting in a way to discredit me. In a sign of the impact of the impersonation account, an entire Reddit thread was launched criticizing me based on a post from the impersonation account. (Concurrently, an unauthorized individual began posting unapproved content to the YvesforNDP.bsky.social account, which was removed.)
Taking on the Zionist lobby and war machine while promoting Land Back, degrowth and economic democracy was always going to ruffle some feathers.
On Sept 12, a change was made to this article to correct a characterization of the Canadian Antisemitism Foundation.
To assist, donate or learn more about my bid to lead the NDP check out yvesforndpleader.ca
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