Weekly Writ 9/25: The fight for the soul of the NDP begins
Plus, two provincial leaders try to hold on after unremarkable leadership review scores.
Welcome to the Weekly Writ, a round-up of the latest federal and provincial polls, election news and political history that lands in your inbox every Thursday morning.
There’s lots to chew on in this week’s edition of the Weekly Writ, so let’s get right into it. Here’s what’s on deck:
News of the first official contestant for the leadership of the federal NDP, with newly-released numbers suggesting which bridges the next leader of the party will need to rebuild on their path back to relevancy. Plus, Marit Stiles and John Rustad face very different circumstances after some middling leadership review scores, while the B.C. Greens might have just selected the youngest leader of a party in Canadian history. There are also some caucus departures in Ontario and Quebec and a writ drop in Nunavut.
Polls suggest the gap between the Liberals and Conservatives might be shrinking, plus a new poll out of Alberta shows gobsmacking results. There are also some new surveys out of Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Yukon, as well as for the mayoral races in Calgary and Edmonton.
#EveryElectionProject: The 1976 PEI PC leadership race everyone’s talking about (okay, maybe not).
NEWS AND ANALYSIS
Avi Lewis launches NDP leadership bid
As expected, Avi Lewis launched his bid for the leadership of the federal NDP, kicking-off a contest that will end with the naming of Jagmeet Singh’s replacement in March. Whoever the next leader is, he or she will face some serious challenges in rebuilding the party — as well as its connection to its own voter base.