Bill Kelly: Are federal NDPs abandoning ship?

The next federal election is slated for October of this year, but when the leaves begin to turn orange in that autumnal time of year, there could be a lot less orange in the next Parliament.

Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair, who was unceremoniously dumped by his party after the last election, told CTV News that a number of veteran NDP MPs have indicated to him that they won’t be seeking re-election in the next federal vote.

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That story surfaced amid rumours that long-time NDP MP Nathan Cullen is considering stepping away from federal politics, and that’s on top of announcements that other NDP MPs, including Hamilton’s David Christopherson, won’t be on the ballot this fall.

So why the exodus? Could it be because of a growing discontent with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who has yet to show signs of the charismatic leader the party had hoped for?

But, it could also be that this is a political party without an identity.

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1:54 Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh under pressure to win Burnaby-South byelection

Are they still the socialist party of Tommy Douglas, or do they want to move toward the middle of the political spectrum where Mulcair tried to bring them?

A few elections ago, the combination of an inept Liberal Party and a charismatic NDP leader in Jack Layton, gave the NDP its highest seat total in their history.

But, with sagging popularity numbers, difficulty raising campaign contributions and long-time veterans abandoning ship, those halcyon days of political relevance seem to be a distant memory for the NDP.

Bill Kelly is the host of the Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.