I’m writing from a place of empathy and experience. I remember how hard it was speaking to supporters on election night in 2022 when the municipal party I helped build won no seats and I lost mine as mayor. Winding the party down has been tough and taken much longer than I expected, and I’m deeply grateful to those still helping. This experience taught me that leadership means taking full responsibility—for the loss, for misjudging the aftermath, and for doing what I can to make things right, no matter how hard that is.

The NDP too has gone through a terrible election. Leader Jagmeet Singh abruptly resigned. The party lost over two-thirds of its seats and party status. Defeated MPs had to let go scores of dedicated staff. Yet, as bad as this all is, there’s reason to be optimistic and good leadership could make an immediate difference.

The NDP still holds seven seats in the House of Commons and has the resources that come along with these positions. More importantly, those seven MPs are highly capable and respected, well-known for their dedication to constituents. Canadians associate the NDP brand with doing what’s right—standing up for everyday people and taking on powerful interests. The party’s legacy is rich: from Tommy Douglas, the "father of medicare," to Jack Layton, who brought the party to Official Opposition status in 2011. Over a million Canadians still voted for NDP candidates in the last election, and millions more thought hard about doing so. 

But right now the main obstacle stifling recovery is that NDP MPs Jenny Kwan, Leah Gazan, and Lori Idlout are alienated from the caucus. When I served as MP between 2011 and 2018, I observed those at the top rarely listened to those of us at the bottom. I’ve witnessed NDP MPs brutally punished behind closed doors then have their reputations later damaged by party-aligned media commentators. I’ve also seen underperforming MPs unfairly attack hardworking staff and party officials. One of the reasons I left the organization was the toxic work environment.

Although Don Davies has just taken on the role as interim leader, it is his job to bring together the fractured caucus. This is what leadership is. My read on the situation is that the three racialized women NDP MPs who were badly treated by the leadership team in the previous parliament continue to be marginalized in the post-Jagmeet Singh era. For example, in a leaked letter, they indicated they were excluded from discussions surrounding the appointment of the interim leader and only found out about it in the media.

Reconciling with Kwan, Gazan, and Idlout must be Davies’ top priority. He should meet with each of them to understand their concerns and how they want to engage moving forward, then act quickly to make space for their leadership. The old top-down model—where a few voices dominated—won’t work with a caucus of seven. Relying on narrow 4–3 vote splits will only cause further division. The NDP needs a flatter, consensus-based structure—less pyramid, more circle—with all seven MPs sharing the responsibility of rebuilding.

Showing up for Question Period, committees, and votes matters less now than creating a happy, respectful, and unified caucus culture. That shift begins with the leader. I wish Don Davies and the entire caucus the very best as they take on this challenge. Many of us are ready to help—and millions of Canadians are counting on you.

Kennedy Stewart is an associate professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy and former NDP Member of Parliament (2011-2018) and Mayor of Vancouver (2018-2022)