Canada Is Edging Toward a Two-Party System. That Would Be a Mistake | The Walrus

"The race doesn't seem to be a coronation, there are strategic and ideological differences between the candidates, and everyone seems to be raising money. The fundraising numbers suggest that there's more interest in the party than you might expect or have predicted a few months ago, when so many people were writing off the orange side as a goner. By the end of March,"

"The NDP doesn't have much time to lose, as rumours of an early election creep across Ottawa like a metaphor in a T. S. Eliot poem. I don't think an election is likely any time soon, but who knows. In the meantime, federal polls suggest a polarized electorate similar to the one we saw during the election this past spring, with voters split between the Liberals and the Conservatives, with everyone else left behind in the dust."

The New Democratic Party leadership contest is competitive, featuring strategic and ideological differences and substantial fundraising. Fundraising figures indicate renewed interest after recent doubts about the party's viability. A new leader and fresh energy are expected by the end of March. Rumours of an early election increase urgency for the party to consolidate support. Federal polls show a polarized electorate concentrated on the Liberals and Conservatives, leaving other parties marginalized. Under first-past-the-post theories, the system may encourage consolidation into two dominant parties, raising questions about the role and necessity of smaller parties.

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