Who is Don Davies, the newly appointed interim leader of the federal NDP?

The New Democratic Party of Canada has chosen Don Davies as its new interim leader, after Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation as head of the party. Singh lost his own Burnaby Central seat in British Columbia in the April 28 federal election. Who is Don Davies? Don Davies was born in Edmonton in 1963 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta. He worked as a researcher at the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and an assistant in policy and communications for Ray Martin during his time as NDP leader of the official opposition of Alberta. Davies later moved to Vancouver and was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 in the riding of Vancouver Kingsway. He has won six straight elections in that riding, although the latest, in this year’s election, was his narrowest victory when he beat Liberal candidate Amy Gill by just over 300 votes. What Parliamentary groups does he belong to? Davies has a long list of membership in Parliamentary associations and inter-Parliamentary groups. He is currently a vice-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association, which provides a forum for the discussion of challenges facing the two countries and the Asia-Pacific region. He is also a member of the executive of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, a similar group that fosters the exchange of information and ideas between Canadian parliamentarians and those from Europe. Davies has also been also a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians since 2020, his term ending when the latest election was called. He was also named the NDP’s critic for finance in April, ahead of the election. How was he chosen as interim leader? In a statement, the NDP said its Federal Council had made the decision in consultation with its reduced caucus. “While the recent election results were not what we hoped for, our commitment to building a better Canada has never been stronger,” party president Mary Shortall said in a statement. She added: “With a renewed sense of purpose, we will hold the government to account and keep fighting for the issues we heard about on doorsteps across the country – public health care, affordable homes, good jobs, and making the ultra-rich finally pay their fair share.” What’s next for Davies? The NDP fared poorly in the election, dropping to 7 seats from 24, and falling short of the 12-seat threshold required to retain official party status . So Davies will not have access to the budgets and staff positions available to the official parties in the House of Commons. Add to this the fact that Alberta’s New Democratic Party has voted overwhelmingly to cut traditional membership ties with the federal NDP. Delegates in Edmonton voted on Saturday to allow provincial members to opt out of joining the federal NDP, a move its leader, Naheed Nenshi, campaigned on last year. And Charlie Angus, a former NDP MP who did not run in the latest election, told the Canadian Press that the party lost touch with its core supporters by focusing too much on Singh. “I think it’d be really dangerous to tell ourselves that we were simply the victims of strategic voting, and it was the times and there was nothing we could do,” he said. “We stopped being the New Democratic Party of Canada some time ago and we became a leader-driven movement.” When will a permanent leader be chosen? No date has been set for when the party will choose its permanent leader. NDP MPs Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) and Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East) told National Post they did not rule out running for permanent party leadership to help “rebuild the movement,” but said they were focused on meeting with caucus mates and party members first. Other’s who have signalled they might consider a run for NDP leadership include former MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau , outgoing Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and NDP MP Heather McPherson. Quebec MP and party stalwart Alexandre Boulerice had been considered by many as a leading contender for interim leadership. — With files from Canadian Press

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