PARTY RELATIONS

Our Partnership with Labour

The trade union movement is not a partner in the New Democratic Party. It is one of the founding partners.

G) In Renewal discussions across the country our membership told us they wanted to strengthen this partnership - not to lessen it or end it.

At the same time much has changed in the Labour movement over the past 35 years and our partnership needs re-evaluating. We propose specific changes to increase the role in the Party of those unions and locals who desire it.

We should recognize all the same, that there are unions who provide significant financial and human resource support to the NDP, but are not directly affiliated - by choice or for constitutional reasons.

We must also acknowledge that we have much to do to build our relevance to the rank and file union member in the workplace. If the last election taught us anything surely this is it.

Since its inception the Party has welcomed the democratic decision of union locals to affiliate all or some of their membership with us. We propose to build on this affiliation:

  • We propose to increase affiliate representation at Federal Council from 7% to 18%.
  • We encourage riding associations to invite affiliate representation on their executives where none currently exists .
  • We encourage riding associations to work with affiliates to sign up individual members of the affiliated unions.
  • We propose to build better workplace communications directly with members of affiliated unions.
  • We propose to launch a two-year union affiliation drive, beginning in 1996.

Our partnership is a critical one for the future of the left in Canada. There are some issues that need to be resolved. The Canadian Labour Congress has undertaken a nation-wide review to look at the future desired relationship between the Federal NDP and Labour.

As a result:

  • This convention instructs the Party Executive to meet with the Executive Committee of the CLC following its review of the Labour/NOP relationship.

  • The Party Executive is further instructed to bring recommendations to Federal Council for interim decisions and to the next Federal NDP Convention for resolution.

Advocacy Organizations & Common Cause

Our relationship with advocacy and community organizations was the topic of vigorous debate at Renewal conferences and local meetings over the past year. It has become clear that our expectations of each other need clarification if we are to succeed in building Canadian Social Democracy together.

We do not see these organizations and their members as 'special interest groups'. Our definition of special interest includes groups of people in our society who organize themselves to gain or protect wealth and privilege based on self interest.

People who organize to advance equality, protect the environment and fight for social justice and human rights are engaged in common cause with us and should be considered as allies and friends.

We must acknowledge and respect that most advocacy organizations feel they will be most successful by remaining politically non-partisan. While the affiliation option is open to those organizations who share our principles and mission we should not be disappointed when many choose not to take this route.

At the same time a renewed Federal NDP must remain open to the influence of these organizations at all levels:

  • Advocacy organizations are a tremendous resource in policy formulation both at the riding and national level. We must encourage their input in our new policy process proposals outlined elsewhere in this paper.
  • Consultation in platform development - including setting policy priorities - is an opportunity to build the relationship that should not be passed over.
  • Our Leader and Caucus should seek out regular meetings with groups from these organizations in order to identify and work on issues where there is common cause.
  • Our Executive and Council should invite presentations from advocacy organizations in order to better familiarize ourselves with their work and recognize areas of common cause.

It is also as unrealistic for us to expect the endorsement of these organizations at election time as it is for them to expect to dictate Party policy to us. We should hope that individual members of these organizations will support us actively when we have defined a genuine political alternative to which they also aspire.

In the final analysis, the success of our movement will be assured when mutual respect between the various components exists. Only when we learn to work together where we agree, respect each other where we don't, and abandon the unrealistic expectations we may have of each other, will we ever get where we want to go.

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