In 2011, the NDP stunned political pundits by becoming the Official Opposition in the House of Commons. After near collapse in the 1993 election, how did the NDP manage to win triple the seats of its Liberal rivals and take more than three-quarters of the ridings in Quebec? This book examines the federal NDP’s transformation from “nearly dead party” to new power player within a volatile party system. Its early chapters – on the party’s emergence in the 1960s, its presence in Quebec, and the Jack Layton factor – pave the way for insightful analyses of issues such as party modernization, changing ideology, voter profile, and policy formation that played a significant role in driving the “Orange Crush” phenomenon.
Introduction / Lynda Erickson and David Laycock
Part 1: Setting the Stage
1 Party History and Electoral Fortunes, 1961-2003 / Lynda Erickson and David Laycock
2 Building for a Breakthrough: The Layto
