Abstract

The Collapse of Canada's N.D.P

The New Democratic Party (NDP), the political vehicle for Canada's labor movement and other left or left-leaning forces suffered the worst defeat in its sixty-year history, getting less than 8 percent of the vote. The party lost all its seats in central Canada, falling short of the margin necessary to insure official party status for the first time since it began contesting national elections. Its collapse now, mirroring losses experienced by social democratic parties worldwide, threatens to shift Canada's political axis sharply rightward. Along with its predecessor, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, the NDP is generally credited with bringing Canada universal health care, unemployment insurance, pay equity, labor rights and farm subsidies.