In a letter written to the NDP’s executive and council, three MPs say they did not have an opportunity to discuss or embark on a process to select the party's interim leader, Don Davies.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Three of the seven members of the federal NDP caucus say they were not properly consulted about the appointment of the party’s interim leader.
Last week, the NDP announced that its national council had chosen Don Davies, a veteran MP from Vancouver and the party’s former finance critic, to temporarily lead the NDP, a decision made with input from its parliamentary caucus.
In a sharply critical letter written to the NDP’s executive and council days after Mr. Davies’ appointment and obtained by The Globe and Mail, the three MPs say the caucus did not have an opportunity to discuss or embark on a process to select the interim leader.
The signatories of the letter are Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, and Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan. All three were re-elected in last month’s federal election.
“It is clear to us that the path the Party and the majority of Caucus have chosen to take going forward mimics the practices that have led to the worst electoral outcome for the NDP in decades,” they wrote in the May. 10 letter.
In last month’s vote, the NDP was reduced from 24 seats to seven – the party’s worst showing in its 64-year history.
The NDP lost the parliamentary resources that come with official party status, which requires 12 seats. Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who lost his Vancouver-area seat, announced on election night that he would resign as leader once the party had picked an interim replacement.
In the letter, the MPs say efforts to have a discussion on who the interim leader should be were rebuffed by the other four members of caucus along with attempts to have the party clearly provide a timeline and process in the selection of the interim leader.
“This includes failing to have MPs declare their interest to seek the interim-leader position at caucus, an opportunity for them to share their vision about how they would lead caucus and the process we would adhere to in the rebuilding of our party,” they wrote.
The trio of MPs say questions regarding the process and timeline for the decision went unanswered before the decision was made.
They also say they thought it was important that the NDP executive and council had necessary information that included affording interested parties an opportunity to offer their leadership candidacy and share their vision.
“It is very unfortunate that this did not happen,” they wrote.
After the appointment of Mr. Davies, the party now faces the challenge of finding a permanent leader to replace Mr. Singh with a leadership race expected in the coming months.
“Given the critically challenging journey ahead of us to maintain solidarity and rebuild the movement, it is absolutely essential that we protect democratic principles and maintain integrity in the rebuilding of our party going forward; principles we feel were not always adhered to by those who in leadership roles in the last parliament,” the authors wrote.
They did not elaborate on their concerns about the last parliament in the letter.
Ms. Gazan, Ms. Idlout and Ms. Kwan have not responded to requests for comment from The Globe.
Lucy Watson, the NDP national director, said, in a statement, that the party’s constitution gives the federal council – the party’s governing body between conventions – the exclusive authority to appoint an interim leader.
“The process was followed to the letter,” she said, referring to the appointment of Mr. Davies.
“Our caucus members bring a variety of experiences and histories to the table and are united in an understanding of an urgent need to reconnect with working people and renew our commitment to deliver for people across the country.”
Beyond Mr. Davies and the three MPs involved with the letter, the other members of the party’s caucus are Gord Johns, representing Courtenay-Alberni, Heather McPherson, representing Edmonton Strathcona and Alexandre Boulerice, representing the Montreal-area riding of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie.