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  1. NDP, as lagging behind both Lib and PC should simply take a chance and explain, repeatedly because the voting public is thick skulled and somewhat deaf, that for decades various governments have tried the same “solutions” to our apparently intractable problems (and yes the Dexter gov was as guilty as the rest) and here is a chance to try something new.
    “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~ Albert Einstein

    1. Are either of the other two parties even addressing the poverty issue? Or are they pretending it doesn’t exist?

  2. I’ve been canvassing with an NDP candidate and contemplating the dynamics you describe above. It seems not many few voters, when their emotionality is aroused as it is by the sight of a candidate or a chance to air grievances, are interested in going beyond their current frustrations with the health or education system, or their (misinformed) freakout at the notion of “deficit funding.” On the other hand, it would be great if politicians were honest enough to say–and of course all voters know this–that the details of party platforms are “aspirational”–they will never survive the realities of the legislative process and unexpected changes in the economic and social environment intact. Then it would also be more clear what vision of future society these “aspirations” paint. I agree with you this does come through with the NDP–we are facing tough challenges, and it is a clear differentiator to start with a focus on basic support for people rather than on the “economy” in the abstract (as if it were separate from the well-being of people), or on technocratic fixes, that never work in the long run.