“We aim to replace the present capitalist system, with its inherent injustice and inhumanity, by a social order from which the domination and exploitation of one class by another will be eliminated, in which economic planing will supersede unregulated private enterprise and competition, and in which genuine democratic self-government, based on economic equality will be possible.”

I don’t know how many of you know where this quote comes from, but those who do I am glad you recognize it. Within this quote Frank Underhill wrote the beginning of the CCF manifesto, and the ideas within the manifesto was inherited by the NDP. This is what we the NDP fight for, the idea that the public should own all financial machinery like banks and insurance companies. This is what we fight for and we must never forget it. Frank Underhill concluded in the Manifesto,

“No CCF (now NDP) government will rest content until it has eradicated capitalism and put into operation the full program of socialized panning which will lead to the establishment in Canada of the Cooperative Commonwealth.”

Isn’t that powerful, the NDP government will not rest until it has eradicated capitalism? And why should we? In my opinion we shouldn’t. The biggest difference between capitalism and state owned businesses is that in a capitalistic society a select few benefit from it and the rest of society doesn’t. During the 20th and the early 21st century the gap between the rich and poor has gotten bigger and bigger. More and more people are getting poorer and poorer, and this is because of capitalism. In a society where the state owns the businesses, any profits made will go back to the people. It will go back into hospitals, education, roads, hydro, insurance’s and etc.. I.E. we won’t need to raise taxes, we will just make sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes and the profits from the businesses go directly into these fundamental institutions we need in society. This is what socialists must never forget and must never loose sight of. It is our job, whether we are the government or not, it is up to us to make sure that we work hard and guarantee that the governments main interest is the people of Canada and not a select few.

In the 1920’s many new parties from the west were being created to challenge the Liberals and Conservatives. It was the CCF, and only the CCF, who stood strong for the people who have felt that the government didn’t care for. It was in the interest of the CCF to free a community that was dominated by irresponsible financial and economic powers, and turn that around so that all means of productions and goods and services were owned by the government. Therefore the public would have crown corporations that vested interest in the public and not the CEO’s or executive members of a business. J.S. Woodsworth would become the leader of this party and lead the CCF through the 20’s and the depression.

In the House of Commons J.S. Woodsworth made many speeches against the Liberals and the Conservatives positions. J.S. Woodsworth would be quoted saying, “that in the opinion of this House the government should immediately take measures looking to the setting up of a cooperative commonwealth in which all the natural resources and socially necessary machinery of production will be used in the interests of the people and not for the benefit of the few.” What a remarkable thing to say in the House of Commons in the 1920’s. Because of his passion for the people of Canada, it was J.S. Woodsworth who was able to persuade P.M. William Lyon Mackenzie King to create laws such as unemployment insurance, baby bonus cheques, and all the other social safety nets that we need to make sure our country never falls into a depression like the 1930’s. Is this rhetoric sounding familiar? I hope so because it is policies and ideas like these that we the NDP need to stick with to make Canada a successful nation. It is fully understood that capitalism was not working in the pre 1930 era and that capitalism was to blame for the economic crash that occurred. Therefore policies like these, social safety nets, are needed to prevent a depression from ever happening again and also to create a strong and successful country.

Ideas like government intervention, social safety net programs and publicly owned businesses benefit society as a whole. It keeps the markets stable (i.e. money is always going in and out), it keeps the people healthy and keeps society well educated and smart, thus creating a strong and great nation. How could I say such a bold statement and get away with it? Look no further than the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway). The Scandinavian countries all have socialistic policies. They have free post secondary education, free health care, cheaper insurance’s and yet are able to produce some of the most healthiest, smartest and successful people in the world. When it comes to Canada, we are far from being able to accomplish these feats. So that leads me to one simple question. As of late, why hasn’t the NDP been able to achieve success like they used to, or the success like in the Scandinavian countries?

This is a tough question to answer. Maybe the answer has to come from our leaders and how they lead us? I refer to, without picking on, Bob Rae. He was quoted, in a book of his, that the NDP should, “reconcile itself to the reality of global capitalism, abandon any atavistic hope for achieving some sort of socialist transformation, and concentrate instead on humanizing the new reality.” He also declared that, “the issue in the modern world is not between capitalism and socialism, it is about the kind of capitalism we want to have.” News flash Mr. Rae, isn’t that what the Liberals already do? If that is the case then are we as socialists moving too far to the right? We seem to be loosing the idea of who and what we are. We can take our socialist campaign, combine it with the Scandinavian countries and work on a global level and still do the same work on a national, provincial and local level. When it comes to the idea of atavistic policies, well I wonder what Mr. Rae is speaking of. The policies of socialism still work and are still within reach. What scares me is that it was NDP card-carrying members that elected a leader like this. Not to say that Bob Rae is not a good man, because I think he is, but that his rhetoric and book was not what the nation needed to hear or read.

We as NDP supporters must remember that we are fighting a cause to make sure all of society is a beneficiary of the laws in Canada. Is it beneficial to have middle class people paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in taxes, when Belinda Stronach and Paul Martin get money back in taxes? To me this does not sound like a nation that benefits from the laws at all and we have to get back to our principles and make sure the nation is listening and fully understands the true meaning of socialism. Socialism does work and the nation is crying for it. Let us not forget to hear them.

It is now up to Jack Layton and the new and revived NDP crews to make sure people are getting our message and understand the benefits of an NDP vote. I recently read an article in the Ottawa Sun in the letters to the editor section. A resident from Kelowna, B.C., Gunther Ostermann said, “Remember when P.E. Trudeau had Canadians believing in a ‘Just Society’ and it never came, and remember Brian Mulruney came around and doubled the Canadian Debt?” Well I definitely remember our debt being doubled with Mr. Mulroney. Mr. Ostermann concluded by saying, “Isn’t it time the NDP had proposed a plan and a vision that would capture the hearts and minds of the people”. The reply by the Sun was, “that sounds dangerously close to being interesting.” What I as a NDP supporter get out of this is that people are dying to find an alternative. The people are loosing trust in the Liberals and the Conservatives. The alternative is the NDP, and if the NDP can go back to their roots, back to the understanding of what J.S. Woodsworth and T.C. Douglas were promoting and bring it all back. If this is done, then maybe our rhetoric won’t sound so Liberal, but progressive and understanding. This is what the nation needs and wants.

I am not saying the NDP should do old-fashioned sketches and ads, but bring back socialism to the people of Canada. Remind the people why social safety nets are so important. Educate the people of the successes of crown corporations and how they benefit a society. Let the people know of the importance of education, roads and hospitals. Remind the people that publicly owned insurance’s makes for a stronger and debt freed society. Remind the people that we are the only party that is willing to be progressive and create reforms that benefit society and not a select few. This is what Jack Layton has to do, and this is what Jack Layton will do.

He already has had tremendous success at labeling the Liberals and the Tories as being too far right and that we are the only party that is on the left of the political spectrum. Jack and the new NDP crews are willing to prove that we are the only party willing to “propose a plan and a vision that would capture the hearts and minds of the people.”

In conclusion, I hope and pray that the NDP will remember its roots, its ideology and its understanding of the formation of this socialist party. I hope that we stay away from moving to the right and stay on the left. I hope that we never forget the fight that J.S. Woodsworth engaged in the House of Commons and that we remember the manifesto that Frank Underhill created. If we do this, and we remind the people that this is who and what we are, success will come to us. The people are begging for a change, and this is the kind of change the people of Canada needs… desperately.

“We aim to replace the present capitalist system, with its inherent injustice and inhumanity, by a social order from which the domination and exploitation of one class by another will be eliminated, in which economic planing will supersede unregulated private enterprise and competition, and in which genuine democratic self-government, based on economic equality will be possible.”

To read Nathan's January column click here

If you have any comments for Nathan you can email him at nathan.willard@ottawacentre.org