Hampton reflects on McDonough’s resignation

Alexa McDonough’s decision to resign as leader of the federal New Democratic Party last Wednesday shows how classy a politician she is, provincial NDP leader and local MPP Howard Hampton said.
Hampton added that unlike the federal Liberals currently battling over the leadership of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Mc-Donough’s decision actually will help boost the party in the next election.
“I think Alexa showed how it should be done and the PM showed how it shouldn’t be done,” Hampton said late Tuesday afternoon from Toronto.
“She said, ‘I’ve done this for 18 years, seven years at the federal level, and I [feel] it is the time I should go.’”
McDonough has been leader of the federal NDP party since 1996, but started her political career as leader of the one-person Nova Scotia NDP party before that.
Hampton felt McDonough acted with dignity by announcing she’d step down from leader but retain her seat as MP for Halifax for as long as her constituents would allow her.
This, he felt, was in sharp contrast to the federal Liberal party, which is tearing themselves up after the demotion of Paul Martin from finance minister to back-bencher.
“I thought that under very difficult circumstances, Alexa was a very good leader and a very decent individual,” Hampton said. “She was very open and very honest, and I think people across Canada appreciated that about her.”
He also said McDonough would be remembered as the leader who took the party from not having official party status with only eight seats to being recognized as a party with 14.
Hampton speculated a new leader would be chosen at a party convention in late November or January. He added candidates such as Toronto city councillor Jack Layton or veteran parliamentarian Bill Blaikie would be excellent leaders.
“Do I have any interest in running, no,” Hampton said equivocally, adding that issues of the provincial government were closer to his heart than those at the federal level.
“Health care, education, the environment, and labour—those are all provincial issues,” he said.