Broadbent is back

By DARREN YOURK
Globe and Mail Update

Citing the need to fight against a deepening inequality in Canada, former
NDP leader Ed Broadbent has decided to return to the political arena. At an
Ottawa press conference, the 67-year-old said he plans to run for office 14
years after his retirement, buoyed by the enthusiasm that new NDP leader
Jack Layton has breathed into the party.

"Jack Layton, standing here behind me, has energized the party and
stimulated new interest in the party by the people of Canada right across
the country", Mr. Broadbent said. "He has done so with a
combination of vigour and new ideas... He is offering solutions to today's
problems based on traditional Canadian values. I am proud to be part of the
team presenting these solutions."

Mr. Broadbent headed the NDP from 1975 to 1989 and led the party to an
electoral best of 43 seats in 1988. He will run in Ottawa Centre against
Liberal Richard Mahoney, a former executive assistant and top strategist to
Prime Minister Paul Martin.

It did not take long for Mr. Broadbent to go on the offensive Thursday,
saying that social democrats no longer exist in the Liberal Party and that
the Progressive Conservatives have morphed into the mean-spirited Canadian
Alliance. Mr. Layton described Mr. Broadbent's return as an extraordinary
event for the NDP and an important day for all Canadians.

"One of the most significant voices we have heard in decades who has
spoken out for democracy and justice will be joining our party as a
candidate", Mr. Layton said. "... Mr. Broadbent speaks for the
man on the street, and that is what we need now in Canada .This is one of
the best Christmas gifts I have ever received."

The NDP Leader said Thursday's announcement also sends a clear message to
Canadian voters."Now is the time to choose the party which is offering
the positive new solution as opposed to sticking with the old ideas that
have been very destructive for many Canadians", Mr. Layton said.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of
Toronto, told globeandmail.com on Thursday that, while Mr. Broadbent's
return will be a boost to NDP partisans and Mr. Layton, it probably will
not improve the party's prospects outside the Ottawa Centre riding. It is a
local gain for the NDP and it helps with their overall image, Mr. Wiseman
said. But I don't know how it will necessarily translate in to an overall
result. Now the party is competitive in Ottawa Centre, but it is still not
a slam dunk.

Mr. Wiseman pointed to the NDP's recent performance in the Ontario election
as proof of how far the party has to go to raise its vote percentage across
the country. "Presumably one of the provinces the NDP is best
positioned in, because Layton and Broadbent both come from there, is
Ontario", he said. "Well, we just had an election there, and the
party didn't even score 15 per cent. We also know that in Ontario the
provincial party has always run ahead of the federal party in terms of
percentage of votes in the province. Can they possibly get more than 15 per
cent in the next federal election? More likely, they'll get 12 or 13 per
cent."

He also doubts that Mr. Broadbent's return will resonate with younger voters.
"Our talking about Broadbent to them is a little like somebody talking
to us about Louis St-Laurent or Mackenzie King, he said. In other words, it
is not going to influence a younger cohort of voters."

Last January, Mr. Broadbent backed Mr. Layton as the NDP's new leader over
long-time MPs Bill Blaikie and Lorne Nystrom.


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