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YOU’RE WELCOME, LUCY! BUT WE NEED TO SEE MORE THAN A PAT ON THE BACK!
DONORS NEED MORE THAN A THANK YOU!
Did you also get an email from NDP National Director Lucy Watson earlier this week thanking you for your recent donation?
That doesn’t happen very often, now does it? Upper management is feeling the pressure, my friends! Our collective voice makes a significant impact, and as long as we continue to demonstrate our collective power, we can ensure that this party returns to the hands of the everyday Canadian.
We are already seeing the impact of our collective action in big ways.
A 7-MONTH LEADERSHIP RACE IS A VICTORY
At the beginning of May, many prominent establishment-backed New Democrats, many of whom are a part of the party’s upper management “inner circle,” told the Globe and Mail that they wanted a short, three-month race, with a $150,000 leadership entry fee.
They wanted a coronation. We, as the grassroots, united, told them that’s not what we want. We need fresh faces, which means there needs to be enough time for leadership candidates to plead their case to New Democrats across the country. So, we put the pressure on, and you might already know what happened.
On July 10th, the Federal Council voted to ratify the official rules governing the leadership race, and they decided on a 7-month-long contest, with a $100,000 leadership entry fee payable in four instalments of $25,000. This came after a massive outcry from all of us; we screamed from the rooftops, so much that they had to listen, at least in part.
This is just the start.
KEEP REDIRECTING DONATIONS LOCALLY
This is exactly why we must continue to redirect our donations to local riding associations, rather than the central party apparatus at this time. The NDP’s devastating defeat in the 2025 election was due to the party's upper management's refusal to listen to us, their base. Now the NDP is left with seven seats and a whole lot of debt.
You might have seen current and former party strategists denounce this movement in the mainstream media. One of those former strategists, Jordan Leichnitz, told the Canadian Press, "I think it's misguided. Right now, the party needs to have all of the donors and support it can get."
It seems there is one big thing that we can all agree on: the party's upper management needs us. They need our votes, and most importantly, they need our money. We, as the grassroots, say they need to earn our dollars, and right now, they aren’t earning them.
We will still donate our money to the NDP, but to local riding associations until we see a significant change from the upper management. As soon as we see that, we will invite all of you to resume your donations centrally, but that day has not come as of yet.
UPPER MANAGEMENT DOES NOT LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES, IT'S UP TO US TO CHANGE THAT!
If you’re up to read a 20-page document, check out the Campaign Debrief Report from the 2021 Federal NDP Campaign. It’s a great report that highlights many of the mistakes of the 2021 campaign, which were repeated in 2025. But in case you don’t have the time to read all of that, here’s the gist of it.
The 2021 campaign was too leadership-focused, and the platform itself lacked substance. The report puts it best by saying: “The party must do better in differentiating itself from other parties. Highlighting not only the victories that we have won but also the specific policy fixes we will bring” (pg. 19).
Read the report, and you’ll find plenty of other gems that the party's upper management could’ve taken as a lesson for the 2025 election, but simply didn’t. This donor redirection campaign forces them to listen.
The party is in a tough spot, and we, as supporters, would love to help upper management out of this situation, but we need to be inspired. For now, we will do the work by getting deeply involved with our local riding associations and start the rebuild on the local level. We invite upper management to get on the same page as the rest of us, and are happy to resume our central donations when that day comes.
But we need to ensure that they won’t make the same mistakes and continue to misspend our money.
TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REVIEW AND RENEWAL PROCESS
We’d like to encourage you to participate in the 2025 Review and Renewal Process led by former candidate and long-time member, Emilie Taman. You can do so through here: https://www.ndp.ca/review-renewal-2025.
Ji Won and I (Keith) met with Emilie last week and shared our thoughts, both as members, former staffers, and as the spokespeople of Reclaim Canada’s NDP. We also passed along your concerns that you’ve been sharing with us.
However, that being said, we highly encourage you to get involved in the Review and Renewal Process and let your voice be heard.
LET'S KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING, WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
But my friends, this movement is much more than just redirecting our donations locally. We’ve been spending this month meeting with as many riding associations as we can, as well as many of you from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
We are releasing guides for riding associations to aid them with social media, graphic design, fundraising, and much more. We are currently working on setting up workshops in the coming months for riding associations.
If you’re interested in volunteering with us, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/7pUQb36VVmEp542b7
If you’re part of a riding association and would like to get more involved with us, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/2VJWZ7j6ija6t43T6
And if you want to get more involved with your local riding association, but don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out to us directly, and we’ll help you get connected. You can always call or text us at (343) 321 8288.
My friends, we have a lot of work to do, and it’s up to all of us to put in the work, to ensure we build an NDP that represents all of our interests. It’s been an honour having you on our side so far, and we’re excited for what’s to come.
In solidarity,
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Keith de Silvia-Legault
Reclaim Canada's NDP
343-321-8288
reclaim.ndp@gmail.com
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