A transgender delegate added it was “frustrating” that a “cis gender woman had spoken over” her.
The New Democratic Party of Canada’ leadership convention turned chaotic over the weekend as heated disputes erupted among delegates over the use of so-called equity cards.
The weekend event in Manitoba was meant to elect a new party leader and bring progressive members together. Footage from the convention showed leftists at each other’s throats over the cards, which are color-coded to identify members from marginalized groups and grant them priority to speak.
One delegate criticized the speaking order, saying, “I was standing here with my gender equity card before you called on the previous speaker. That’s my point of privilege.”
Another transgender delegate added it was “frustrating” that a “cis gender woman had spoken over” her.
A black delegate noted that the equity cards had limited impact, saying, “Equity cards for women like her have no value outside of this space.”
Conference chair Adrienne Smith, a non-binary politician, intervened multiple times. At one point, after being addressed as “madame chair,” Smith replied, “I’ll thank delegates not to call me ‘madame chair,’ I’m a non-binary person, my pronouns are they, them, and their.” Smith also encouraged delegates to form a “straight line” behind the microphone with their cards prominently displayed to help manage speaker order.
Frustrations kicked off over a vote to rescind the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ notwithstanding clause.
A “racialized” transgender delegate spoke out, noting the challenges of using an equity card to gain speaking priority. “It’s frustrating when these are my rights being directly under attack right now in Alberta and the cis gender woman had spoken over me,” the delegate said.
Despite the tension, the convention concluded with the election of a new NDP leader. Former journalist and activist Avi Lewis secured 56 percent of the vote, defeating MP Heather McPherson.
Lewis delivered his victory speech to the delegates, saying, “Canada, mark your calendar: the NDP comeback starts now. This is about all of us coming together to find our place and our power in the thrilling work of building a shared future: a government that works for the many, not the money.”
