The apparent revival in the political fortunes of the federal New Democratic Party under Jack Layton has opened up important discussions and debates on the left, particularly with the prospect of a federal election looming. Many people would like to see electoral advances for a party historically linked to labour and social movements, one which took an anti-war position over the recent invasion of Iraq.

At the same time, elections are far from the be-all and end-all of politics, particular radical politics. How, then, ought we to approach the NDP when it comes to the long-term project of building a radically anti-capitalist movement in the Canadian state? A series of complex problems arise concerning parliamentary and extra-parliamentary politics, types of movements and parties, and the transformative goals of socialism.

As part of the process of encouraging and developing this debate, New Socialist has invited contributions from activists associated with three different left-wing currents: Herman Rosenfeld from the Socialist Project, Corvin Russell from the recently-disbanded New Politics Initiative, and Todd Gordon from the New Socialist Group.