NDP leadership race vetting saga goes on and on

The NDP’s secret vetting committee is under the spotlight. Will they accept Bianca Mugyenyi’s candidacy or once again reject anti-imperialism?

In Monday’s Toronto Star Rick Salutin slammed the NDP’s vetting committee’s exclusion of my candidacy. The long-time leftist columnist cited the “Stalinist joie de vivre” driving the unelected three person vetting committee’s decision.

In “Engler is the kind of agitator we need,” Salutin added:

“The far right has been way more adroit in exploiting the general sense of befuddlement than the left or far left, to the extent it exists. But you at least sense a response in crazies like Bernie’s moans (the millioneahs and billioneahs) or Engler’s antics. Yves Engler could have supplied the secret ingredient in the NDP leadership race. Alas, he was tossed out.

“Engler has had some of this inspired nuttiness as long as I’ve known him, which is a while. The U.S. and Canada backed coup against Haiti’s democratically elected leader in 2004 drove him nuts, as did the unspeakable slaughter in Gaza. He interrupts leaders at public events and confronts them in the street, demanding answers to urgent questions.

“The NDP charged him with harassment and threats. He says he never has and believes in nonviolence, like Gandhi and Mandela, who were charged with terrorism till they won and became international A-listers.”

During a Rabble discussion about the leadership race last week former NDP deputy leader Libby Davies called on the vetting committee to allow Mugyenyi to run. She pointed out the importance of discussing Canadian foreign policy in the race.

Wednesday’s NDP debate on Palestine should offer a place to start the discussion. But Mugyenyi has been excluded to the chagrin of many opponents of genocide. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East wants her to participate, but they fear the wrath of party apparatchiks. But CJPME should let Bianca debate anyway.

Members of the federal council, who received 5,000 emails complaining about my exclusion from the race, have questioned the vetters over Mugyenyi. In response the vetting committee sent a defensive email essentially saying they could take their time with Mugyenyi’s candidacy since staff weren’t working over the Christmas/New Years break. But it was the party that choose to make January 1 the deadline for submissions.

If the unelected three person vetting committee decides NDP members are allowed to choose her, Mugyenyi will need to raise $125,000 almost immediately. As such, the campaign has begun compiling financial pledges to be activated on a short timeline to pay the fee if Bianca is accepted. In a few days $75,000 has been pledged, which is remarkable considering the campaign does not have access to the NDP’s large membership list (and my campaign raised over $100 000, which we are not allowed to transfer).

Getting Bianca on the ballot would be a victory for party democracy, especially after such a long struggle. It would also attract media attention and ensure anti-imperialism is part of the leadership race.

Will the NDP allow Bianca Mugyenyi’s supporters to pay it $125,000. Or do they prefer to exclude anti-imperialism from the race?

To raise the NDP fee in short order Mugyenyi’s campaign has begun collecting donation pledges that will only be activated if Bianca is allowed to run. $75,000 has already been pledged. The money will be collected through the official NDP financial portal, and donations will come with an Elections Canada tax credit. If you want anti-imperialism in the NDP leadership race please consider pledging to Bianca’s campaign through this form.