Did the NDP win the 2015 election? We know Thomas Mulcair didn’t; his leadership received only a 48% endorsement at the NDP’s weekend convention. But what about the party overall? They lost many seats in the last election, but in the big picture, have they lost or won?

What happens when someone else steals so many of your ideas, that to show a difference, you have to go against some of the very things that you once stood for? What happens when another party wins (with your ideas)?

If you were running for the CHP and over the course of the campaign another candidate kept making promises that copied your election platform, would you be angry if that person won? Not if they followed through! We in the CHP want other parties and the government to steal our policies because our ideas are better solutions for everyone.

When you have good policies you want them to be implemented, regardless of who gets the credit.

Back to the NDP: they have raised many ideas over the years which represent their standards and political philosophy. They have continued to push them with limited success, usually as a third party. Then in 2011 they had a breakthrough and they passed the Liberals in seat-count and became the Official Opposition. It was quite a victory in terms of prestige. The only problem was that the party in government had a majority and tended to do exactly the opposite of what the NDP wanted. The NDP opposed, pointed out problems, and tried to hold the government to account. But what they were really doing was trying to elevate their credibility among Canadian voters enough to form the next government so that they could implement their own ideas, not just be opposition as they have for so long.

The 2015 election was their big chance to form government (they hoped), even if it were a minority government. They even indicated willingness to work with other parties if they did not form a majority. They hated Stephen Harper and all that he stood for; they wanted him gone at all costs.

They wanted stricter environmental standards for any future pipelines, more money for public transit, the end of income-splitting (except for seniors), an end to Canada’s bombing mission in Syria and Iraq, and some form of electoral reform. This is not a complete list; it is cherry-picked because on these issues the Liberals and the NDP were saying almost exactly the same thing. Where there were differences, they tended to be in degree, but not in kind.

Strangely, they also promised balanced budgets (perhaps a knee-jerk opposition to the majority of Harper’s budgets) but they won’t get that with this government! This platform plank was divisive within NDP circles, and one they may never repeat.

If the Liberals implement all, or even most of their shared goals, the NDP could declare victory for their platform. If, however, you are keeping up with the current mood of the NDP, they are not celebrating a victory. They lost seats in the last election, they lost their status as official opposition, and they have now lost confidence in their leader. As far as partisan interests go, the party is in bad shape.

On the ideological front, however, it could easily be argued that they have won so much, pulled the political dialogue so far in their direction that they have little left to work on. The Liberals have taken over so much of the NDP territory that the NDP has lost its unique identity.

Now they face a decision: do they try to fight for the political centre with Liberals and Conservatives, as they did in the last election, or move farther left and embrace the “Leap Manifesto?” The Leap Manifesto would call for all fossil fuels to remain in the ground untapped and no new pipelines to be built. It would mean much more state control of resources and the economy. One does not have to think long to imagine how social issues would follow; caps on things like number of children allowed, amount of inheritance that could be transferred to family, and restrictions on religious freedoms don’t seem far-fetched.

The NDP tried to fight for the centrist voter last time; they probably won’t next time. Next time they will try to move the centrists farther left with even more radical ideas.

Like the CHP, they will be trying to change the conversation. The difference is that, unfortunately, other parties have stolen fewer of our ideas. When they do, we will rejoice. We won’t change our policies in response to the actions of other parties because our policies are based on unchanging principles. We won’t have an identity crisis. We will gladly work with those who truly want what is best for Canada.

The NDP can’t seem to win because victory for them is a changing target that they may never hit. CHP supporters are winners because we are working towards a fixed target and we don’t give up.

If you believe in doing what is right without compromise, in not giving up despite the obstacles, and achieving moral victory independent of electoral results, then join the CHP and get involved. Start an EDA, help a CHP department or run as a candidate in the next election. Your commitment and ongoing financial support are needed. We must continue to communicate true Christian leadership to our fellow Canadians. The big parties may be seeking to stake out new moral low-ground but only the CHP will consistently defend the sanctity of life, marriage, freedom, and fiscal prudence.

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