what happened, though?

it was nafta. first the '88 election, then the '93 election, then the collapse of the manufacturing sector. then layton came in and swung the party hard to the right because he had to because there weren't any workers left.

the ndp removed the word "socialist" from their platform some time in the 00s (i don't remember when).

then, they elected thomas mulcair, who was to the right of margaret thatcher, and followed it up by jagmeet singh, who still hasn't told us why he's running, yet.

but, it was nafta that killed them, and they haven't been the same since.

so, if you're in your late 70s and still think it is the late 70s, we need to insert a giant nope, here. the ndp bear essentially no resemblance to the parties of broadbent, lewis and douglas, sometimes for the better (they've dropped their bigoted opposition to queer rights, at least on the surface, although if you ask around it's not total) and sometimes for the worst (they're essentially a milquetoast neo-liberal party like the rest of them, and have been for decades, now).