Dead and buried?

So, the New Democratic Party had their second and final leadership debate last Thursday evening. Without seeing the debate (segment filmed before it took place) the CBC National At Issue panel declared the party dead and buried.

NDP discussion starts about 10:15 in.

The bulk of their death certificate is based on the fact that the NDP’s attempt to have a French language debate was a disaster. (I wouldn’t know, I didn’t see it, but that’s probably true.) Most of what the talked about was the impossibility of winning an election with Quebec, whose voters will not support a candidate who isn’t fluent in French.

Two things.

One – Jack Layton. The NDP swept Quebec under his leadership. Okay, a lot of Quebecois voters were fed up/pissed off with the Bloc and wanted to send them a message. And they liked Jack, despite what little French he could muster being far from fluent. He was plucky. It was a protest vote, but it did happen and as a result the NDP became the Official Opposition.

Two – No one in the NDP is talking seriously about forming government after any election in the foreseeable future. They know – all the leadership candidates (with the exception of sweet organic farmer Tony McQuail) and most if not all the membership – that the job of the next NDP leader is to rebuild.

Which of the candidates has the best chance of doing this? Sadly (he really is sweet), not McQuail. Nor is it going to be Tanille Johnston, who I very much hope will be an elected MP and formidable voice in the House after the next election. (I suspect her turn will come.) Nor will it be union leader Rob Ashton. (Rightly or wrongly, few people trust unions to put climate change at the top of their agendas.) Which leaves the visionary (Lewis) and the only candidate who is an actual MP (McPherson).

I don’t know who will win.  

I do know I was shocked that the panel would choose to discuss the future of the party BEFORE the final leadership debate. The bias seemed palpable.

I have attempted five times to complain about this and every time I end up back here.

Cheers, CBC News.