Ryan Painter: Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew proves to the Canadian Left you can be a ‘progressive patriot’

Segmentation on Canada’s political left

The modern Left has fully embraced identity politics and wedge divisions to create constituencies they can speak to and depend on come election time. The theory is that instead of trying to appeal more broadly, you micro-target based on identifying issues and characteristics, and then tailor your messages specifically to these voters. I should know. I’m a former NDP campaign manager.

For instance, the federal NDP’s recent open dalliance with anti-Zionism and antisemitism is a blatant attempt to eek out more support among Muslim voters. And let’s not forget that at all levels, the NDP still maintains its policy that any male elected official not running again may only be succeeded by a woman, person of colour, or someone else from an “equity-seeking group.”

Prairie populism

Kinew is walking a different path.

As the first First Nations premier of a province formed primarily due to the efforts of Métis rebel, Louis Riel, you might think he would naturally lean hard into identity politics.

Except Kinew, in being a unifier, is modelling behaviour and language that harkens back to the prairie populism of the pre and post-war years. These were times that saw the rise of United Farmers movements, Social Credit parties, the Progressive Party of Canada, and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)—which would eventually form the NDP.

The prairie populism of the type embraced by the Left-wing CCF or the more right wing Social Credit were both uniquely anti-establishment and aimed at carving out identities that were more in line with the hardscrabble life on the prairies in the early to mid-20th century.

If you listen to Kinew’s election night speech, you can make out lots of traditional prairie populist messaging, but you also hear him hint at exactly what is at the centre of his “patriotic progressive” vision for Canada. It’s the exact opposite of modern Left-wing identitarianism:

“I know that the road ahead will not be easy, but there is one thing that the results of tonight’s vote show crystal clear. And it is we can do amazing things when we stand together as one province. We can accomplish awesome tasks when we stand together as one people. And there is no challenge that we cannot meet when we unite as one Manitoba.”

Following his majority win he reiterated he was there to serve not just Indigenous Canadians, but all Canadians.

“I didn’t run on being the first First Nations premier, I put my name on the ballot to try and be the best premier,” he told journalists. “We’ve been so divided because of the pandemic and all the aftershocks from that. And people want us to come together again.”

While some of his first bills have included the usual left-wing labour-friendly gifts, like card check, two other bills focused on cracking down on crime by giving Manitoba police more powers to seize vehicles engaged in criminal activities and allowing the forfeiture of property that may have been purchased through “unexplained wealth” (read organized crime). These actions seem more at home with a law-and-order Conservative government, especially given what we’ve seen with slap-on-the-wrist NDP Premier David Eby. When Pierre Poilievre met with Kinew in March, the federal Conservative leader said the premier was, “very knowledgeable and he has a very ambitious set of goals and I share a lot of them.”

Wab Kinew also appears to be one of the few premiers who has been able to unify Manitobans after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 300. His call for a ceasefire was measured, acknowledging immediately that Hamas should be destroyed and that Israel had the right to exist, while being critical of decisions made by Netanyahu’s war cabinet. He stood against unfair blame placed on Canada’s Jewish community and introduced education changes, which were welcomed by both Jewish and Muslim communities post-October 7.

Just the other week, Kinew shocked many by urging the Trudeau government to meet its NATO promise to spend two percent of its GDP on the military four years early. The call out came from a man whose parent party once called for Canada to leave the military alliance entirely. The patriotic NDP leader said it was a matter of keeping the country safe.

Changing the game?

Kinew’s love of Canada is encapsulated in the belief that you can love your nation but also want to work like hell to make it better. This perspective challenges the traditional Leftist narrative that often centres on criticism without constructive patriotism. It’s anathema to be proud of your country in today’s Left. Kinew’s approach no doubt acknowledges Canada’ major missteps but it also celebrates our achievements, and seeks to build on them.

This balanced approach has earned him respect across various communities, contrasting sharply with other political leaders who have struggled to unite their constituencies during crises.

And the approach seems to be working. Today, he is the most popular premier in Canada with a 63 percent approval rating, ten percent above second place finisher Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. This is in spite of his previous run-ins with the criminal justice system.

Kinew may still be in his honeymoon phase. A real challenge to his government will be the true test of his newfound unitary progressive shift.

Until then, the Right should keep an eye on, and be concerned about, this novel approach. His unifying strategy should act as a reminder to the Right that they do not own Canadian patriotism.

If Kinew’s progressive patriotism can unify effectively, it will signal a significant shift in how the Left can brand itself. Other leaders might follow his lead. It could change the course of Canadian politics.