The New Democratic Party adopted the über-leftist agenda called “The Leap Manifesto” at their 2016 convention in Edmonton earlier this month. Never mind the fact that rank and file party members had no say in adopting this as party policy unless they attended the convention. One look at this manifesto shows that the NDP has given up all hopes of ever governing the country; defaulting the progressive side of the political spectrum back to the Liberals. This, after coming so close to that brass ring called government.
The manifesto reads like a cross between a five-year old’s Christmas list to Santa Claus, and a bad science fiction magazine. A bunch of “We want” and buzzwords, with a sprinkling of delusional babble-speak to boot.
The preamble for the manifesto states that Canada is “facing the deepest crisis in recent memory.” Really? From what? From environment to poverty, standard of living to education, Canada is on the upswing. It has been for decades. Statistics Canada, the OECD, and think-tanks all have stats to prove that point. While the country is hitting some financial potholes with deficits, and an inflated housing market, none of those have been compromising Canada’s ability to improve. There are issues on native reserves, and with jobs, but is it the “deepest crisis in recent memory”? How recent? Spare the drama.
The group responsible for writing this document state that we could live in a country powered only by renewable energy. Where everyone has sustainable jobs from sustainable industries which do not pollute. That they want to have high-speed rail that is powered by renewable energy. Affordable public transit uniting every community in the country. Our food will all be organic, grown locally, so there will be no need to transport them far. Better education, better stewardship of the land, better everything. Everyday will have sunshine, rainbows, lollipops and unicorns too.
The writers of this manifesto want to erase the industrial revolution, but still keep all benefits that have come from it, and their iPhones.
Gone will be extracting our resources, manufacturing things, or doing anything that could pollute. Subsidies for polluting sectors of our economy will be a thing of the past. To fund the manifesto, polluters will pay, and pay, and pay. Bad polluters. The logic here is flawed though. If the goal of the manifesto is to transform into this caring, sharing, utopian country where everything is green and sustainable. What happens when the polluters are all gone and they are not there to fund utopia?
Have a look at your new electric bill increases to find out. Energy conservation has reduced consumption meaning higher prices to pay for the infrastructure.
Who implements it? Why government of course. We cannot trust individuals and private corporations to do it, because they may make money off it. That would be bad. Big government is the answer yet again. Government will do everything for you, from the cradle to the grave. It will give you everything you need and you will be happy in the utopia the government runs, for you.
Energy democracy, guaranteed basic minimum income, national child care, and so on. The hallmarks of the modern progressive movement. All rolled into one pretty document, written by a group of champagne socialists, and supported now by a national political party. It reads like something off a 1920’s communist workers party poster.
What is astounding is how many have signed on to this manifesto. Union groups to protest groups, and now the NDP. All wanting utopia, without the work, and sticking someone else with the bill. Outstanding.
In one fell swoop, a small group of über-progressive, champagne socialists have hijacked a mainstream political party and turned orange to red.
The NDP has leapt, and it is into the dustbin of political relevance they have gone. To oblivion, and beyond!