The grassroots NDP Renewal Initiative has spent months listening to members, engaging EDAs, and building the evidence base for structural change. The results are clear: members want a party that organizes year-round, trains its people, funds its ridings, and governs itself with accountability.
The NDP Renewal Initiative does not support or oppose any candidate for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada, but we believe we can unite all members in renewing and rebuilding our Party together.
We humbly asked all members and convention delegates to support this pledge to renew and rebuild our Party.
EDA Empowerment
As both the NDP’s 2025 Review and Renewal report and our work with the NDP Renewal Initiative have indicated, “Strong, resilient EDAs (Riding Associations) are fundamental to the Party’s electoral success.” “EDAs are the Party’s greatest local assets.” EDAs are the very foundation of our movement and should be the centre of Party Structure, not the bottom of an organizational chart. We proposed the following:
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Adopt a Permanent Organizing Model by supporting EDAs to focus local relationship-building, issue-based canvassing, and community presence.
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Put in place a National Training Program for EDAs that treats EDAs as the foundation, not the periphery, of the Party’s political power.
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Encourage and support the formation of regional Councils of Electoral District Associations (CEDA) by providing logistical support to facilitate their creation and sustainability.
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Explore funding and cost sharing best practices that allow the Central Party and EDAs to have a strong financial foundation to rebuild after elections.
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Encourage EDAs to establish a designated labour seat on their executive, or an equivalent role, to strengthen engagement with unions and working people in their communities.
Party Accountability
We heard from members that we need to continue and expand the scope of the 2025 Review and Renewal Process to rebuild our Party. That Party policy should be a continuous process and not just be something we debate at convention every two years. Members said they want a Party that strives to be more accountable and accessible, embraces modern digital tools and aligns itself in the community with our Labour and social movement allies.
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Establish a standing Committee on Party Renewal to foster a culture of continuous improvement through member and affiliate engagement that continues the good work of the 2025 Review and Renewal process.
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Establish a standing Policy Review Committee (PRC) that continuously engages members, EDAs, affiliates, commissions and subject matter experts to develop and debate policy ideas between and prior to Conventions.
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Explore adopting governance best practices used by Provincial NDP to improve Federal Council, EDAs and Convention through increased democracy, transparency, effectiveness and accessibility, including the adoption of standard bylaws, quarterly council meetings and hybrid conventions.
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Launch a national youth outreach campaign to build the party for the next generation of activists.
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Commit to strengthening the Party’s digital organizing and movement-building capacity as a core part of rebuilding the Party by working in partnership with our labour and social movement allies to align organizing strategies that support grassroots engagement, leadership development, and sustained participation between and beyond election cycles.
Renewal is not a one-time process. It is a shift in culture.
It means returning the party to its grassroots, rebuilding democratic participation, and becoming a bold, people powered movement once again.
We invite you to sign this pledge. Together, we can renew and rebuild our Party.
I pledge to continue to renew and rebuild Canada’s NDP following Federal Convention!