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Tommy Douglas and the NDP: Poverty, swingers, and hoopla

Tommy Douglas was the most influential politician never to be elected Prime Minister. He pursued his radical ideas relentlessly until they became so mainstream rival politicians claimed them as their own. Called a communist and threatened by in-party fighting, Douglas battled hard to bring the New Democratic Party to legitimacy in its first ten years. He was often criticized for his singular idealism but through it all Douglas was undeterred, convinced that he was helping to create a better, more humane society. In 2004, Douglas was voted number one in CBC's The Greatest Canadian contest.

The foremost issue is Canada's slowing economy, Tommy Douglas insists. But voters and the media seem to be more interested in the Liberal candidate, Pierre Trudeau, and the frenzy he's sparking with his swinging hipster campaign. Douglas, now 64, admits that everyone likes hoopla and swingers and the festival atmosphere. He also concedes in this interview that image seems to be much more important than it used to be. But, he insists, politicians must return to the true politics.
. Teenager Phyllis Yaffe and friends tried to stir up Douglas-mania during the 1968 election. Calling themselves "go-go girls for Tommy" they would show up at his rallies and scream "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy." "We would be cheering when he said the things he said," Yaffe said in a Life & Times interview. "Trudeau always attracted people who cheered before he said anything."

. In the 1968 election, Douglas was not elected to Parliament by his Burnaby-Coquitlam riding. Liberal candidate Ray Perrault narrowly defeated Douglas.
. The Globe & Mail reported that Douglas offered a terse congratulation to the new national leader, Pierre Trudeau. The newspaper reported that Douglas believed that Trudeau avoided important issues in his flashy campaign. "The Prime Minister can't avoid the problems that confront Canada. They are still here," he said.

. Douglas was subsequently re-elected in a by-election in the Nanaimo-Cowichan Islands region.
. In the 1968 election, the NDP won a total of 22 seats. Pierre Trudeau's Liberal party won 155 seats and the Progressive Conservative party claimed 72.
Medium: Radio
Program: Political Broadcasts
Broadcast Date: May 22, 1968
Guest(s): Tommy Douglas
Interviewer: Bruce Rogers
Duration: 4:21

Last updated: March 7, 2012

Page consulted on March 25, 2013

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