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The Steering Committee is not mandated to conduct a comprehensive review of Party policies. As stated before, the NDP must establish itself as a national political alternative and express clear policies in all matters of national importance. However we believe that three policy areas, because they have arisen repeatedly in the renewal discussions across the country, merit special attention here, and thus the Committee recommends that the Party:

  1. Maintain and expand efforts, especially in collaboration with other groups, to propose fair, rules-based trade; and to continue to oppose trade agreements that do not meet the tests of democracy, equity and sustainability.
  2. Incorporate the principle of sustainability, especially with respect to the environment and ecological issues, in all aspects of Party policy.
  3. Make proportional representation the focal point of an examination of a broad range of electoral reforms, and appoint a committee to conduct consultations to develop a preferred model of proportional representation.
This last point leads to an action plan for the next steps in a renewal process that is not only about the NDP, but also about revitalizing democracy in Canada. Democracy is about more than just electoral process. People want to be involved in a more meaningful way than just casting a vote every few years. In the immediate term major changes to the electoral and legislative processes to allow for genuine democratic involvement must be achieved. The Committee recommends that the Party:
  1. Examine a range of electoral and parliamentary reforms including campaign finance reform, proportional representation, and a range of citizen involvement measures to achieve full participation with particular attention being paid to reducing systemic barriers.
  2. Invest in communications, local organization and outreach to deliver its message across Canada, and to include people meaningfully in the development of Party policies.
  3. Identify and strive to eliminate the barriers to the full participation of traditionally marginalized groups, in all its work within the Party, in outreach, in policy development, and within Parliament.

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