1971 Ottawa Leadership Convention
The 1971 NDP leadership convention was a battleground between the party establishment and the Waffle. About 2000, out of the NDP's approximately 90,000 membership, were members of the Waffle in 1971. The Waffle tried to get as many of their supporters on to the party's governing bodies, but were rebuked by the large block of union voters at the convention. Carol Gudmundson — of the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Waffle — ran unsuccessfully for the party presidency. She was up against former Ontario NDP leader, Donald C. MacDonald and lost to him during the April 23, 1971 vote. University of Toronto professor Mel Watkins, lost his vice-president position, but managed to get elected to the party's federal council. The campaign for leader of the NDP pitted David Lewis against James Laxer. Through the strong support of the labour unions Lewis succeeded in defeating Laxer on the fourth ballot on April 24, 1971. Laxer did surprisingly well, by getting approximately 37 percent of the final ballot vote, and established that the Waffle had some strength in the party and were no longer a small fringe group.
Read more about this topic: The Waffle
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