Last week, with all the hoopla going on around Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and the riff in the Liberal Party, Alexa McDonough, leader of the federal New Democratic Party, Canada's major leftist party, decided to hang up her skates, pass the torch.
Although her resigning the leadership was an eventuality, due to criticism about her leadership and her commitment to the left (bringing the party more centre), the timing was unexpected. In her place prospective leader candidates prepare, taking their time before officially confirming their candidature. Among the names mentioned to replace her are Svend Robinson and Lorne Nystrom, who were beaten by McDonough in the 1997 leadership election, NDP House Leader Bill Blaikie and Toronto Councillor Jack Layton.
Alexa Shaw was born in Ottawa on August 11, 1944, daughter of long-time Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member Lloyd Shaw and of Jean McKinnon. Soon after she was born, the family returned to Nova Scotia where their roots were. She grows up and is educated there. Leftist militants such as NDP founder Tommy C. Douglas surrounded her. She participated early on life in the fight for social justice.
Alexa earns a Bachelor of Arts at Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1965 and goes on to get a Masters in social work at the Maritime School of Social Work in 1967. She works as a Social Worker in the States (Dallas and Hartford) and reinforces her belief in the need to reduce the gap between rich and poor.
McDonough, in 1979 and in 1980 loses two federal leadership bids. However, instead, she is elected leader of the Nova Scotia NDP becoming the first woman leader of a recognised Canadian political party. She also becomes the only New Democrat and woman in the legislature when she is elected MLA in 1980. She is re-elected in 1984, 1988 and in 1993.
In 1995, just as she is about to leave for Africa, Paul Martin issues a budget that revolts her and she stays on, running for the NDP federal leadership and winning it, becoming the NDP's fifth leader.
In the 1997 general federal elections, She leads the NDP from its mere 9 seats to official party status of 21 seats. However, in the 2000 elections the NDP suffered loses and her critics have argued that she was not visible enough and lacked the leadership that once made the NDP conscience of the house under Tommy Douglas, David Lewis and Ed Broadbent.
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