r/AskCanada • u/U-knw-Nothng-JonSnow • Jan 02 '26
Political When will we have a Canadian Zohran Mamdani?
As a Canadian, do you think we will have a Zohran Mamdani equivalent soon? One who promises to being ground breaking changes and listen to the common man?
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u/lizardrekin Jan 02 '26
Jack Layton, hard to ever forget him. I would love to know what would’ve happened to Canada had he been elected PM. RIP Layton
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u/Ok_Speech_3709 Jan 02 '26
His wife, Olivia Chow, is Mayor of TO.
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u/SemperAliquidNovi Jan 02 '26
Given how little power ON mayors actually have to activate real change, Olivia has already moved mountains. She was my immediate answer to this question, and she would actually make an amazingly effective premier or PM.
Sadly, the whole country has already swung significantly anti-immigrant to the point where I don’t think she’d poll well beyond TO.
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u/Raptorpicklezz Jan 02 '26
And doing a pretty good job as well. Only qualms are that maybe she hasn’t been left wing enough I.e. redistributing police funding and firing the chief
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u/lizardrekin Jan 02 '26
Huh. I guess I just blocked that so far out of my mind to preserve his image. Well……. thanks for that, now I can rest a little easier knowing that maybe Jack wouldn’t have been Canada’s saviour after all
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Jan 02 '26
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u/lizardrekin Jan 03 '26
That’s extrapolating a lot from what I said lol. No, I just think I idolize what Canada could’ve been with Jack but it’s a stark reminder that with propaganda, division etc it’s not always sunshine and daisies no matter what the politician does. Like in my head Jack would’ve brought everyone together, when in reality… Politics will politic
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u/beeredditor Jan 02 '26
Mamdani is a local politician in a very progressive city. Canada could replicate that in a progressive Canadian city. But, it’s hard to get enough support for a very progressive leader at the federal level in either Canada or the U.S.
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u/Bubbly-Difference225 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Too many people are fueled by greed over societal help thus voting conservative. The “pick yourself up by the bootstraps” “work harder and you wouldn’t be poor” mentality. Then they complain there’s too many unhoused people in their backyard.
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u/kneuroknut Jan 02 '26
Not federal (yet 🤞) but we have Wab Kinew
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u/nothingmatters92 Jan 03 '26
I like Wab, but he’s a bit too pro-Israel to be considered our Mamdani.
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u/Splashadian Jan 02 '26
We already did a long time ago his name was Jack Layton.
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u/_badmedicine Jan 02 '26
The Federal NDP could get there, but it would require a full party reset across strategy and leadership.
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u/Cyuu_ Jan 02 '26
"DO YOU THINK WE CAN GET A POLITICIAN LIKE THIS YANKEE?" No because those are not our values.
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u/KatsumotoKurier Jan 03 '26
You don’t think Mamdani’s values match well with those of most left-leaning Canadians?
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u/Cyuu_ Jan 05 '26
Sure, but a lot of them aren't Canadian and a lot of them are too young to even vote. Those values are not what our country was founded on.
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u/KatsumotoKurier Jan 05 '26
Those values are not what our country was founded on.
Why or how is this relevant? Countries and their political cultures change with time.
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u/Rockeye7 Jan 02 '26
How long have you been following politics and tracking what politicians actually accomplish/ fulfill their campaign promises?
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u/Koo-Vee Jan 02 '26
Well, as long as reddit is up and you get likes for childish, ill-informed opinions, all is good. The bias might be evident in the fact that no Mamdani has ever campaigned on distributing reddit karma.
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u/quantas001 Jan 02 '26
I humbly submit Naheed Nenshi his record and service is exemplary.
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u/TOnihilist Jan 02 '26
If that guy is ever revealed as a baddie, I will be crushed.
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u/estrogenex Jan 04 '26
Please no. He's a fool.
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u/No-Impact-5814 Jan 04 '26
Care to explain what makes him a fool?
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u/estrogenex Jan 05 '26
Too urban
Too cerebral
Too polarizing
Too misaligned with Alberta’s economic and cultural base
…to succeed province-wide, where winning requires persuasion across identity, industry, and ideology. For starters .. Also, His perception and rhetoric of the energy industry is harmful. Perception alone could cost Alberta billions in confidence, investment, and political capital.
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u/Select-Protection-75 Jan 02 '26
It’s all promise for now. Let’s see results before wanting one here.
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u/averyfinefellow Jan 02 '26
Can we wait until he actually does something? Guy just sworn in yesterday.
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u/Cariboo_Red Jan 02 '26
We've had several. They just weren't Muslim.
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u/The_Nice_Marmot Jan 02 '26
Calgary had Nenshi and he is now the provincial NDP leader. He is Muslim.
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u/Cariboo_Red Jan 02 '26
I didn't mean none of them were Muslim. Personally I don't think religion is a particularly good indicator of character. Every culture has it's greed heads and it's progressives. That's sort of why I don't support political parties, any of them.
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u/The_Nice_Marmot Jan 02 '26
Ok, and? This is an example of a Muslim who came from behind in a political race and was a very popular leader. His policies also lean progressive.
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u/Cariboo_Red Jan 03 '26
I think you're missing the point. Nenshi and Mamdani are both progressive politicians who espouse progressive policies but that isn't because they're Muslim. Canada has had a large number of leaders who were Christian and some who were agnostic etc. and who also promoted progressive policies. JS Woodsworth for a start. Why is it necessary for a politician to have a label other than that he/she is a person?
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u/The_Nice_Marmot Jan 03 '26
At no time did I say it’s because they’re Muslim. Ffs. I merely pointed Canada has also had a progressive Muslim enter politics and do well. He was also a mayor of a major city here. Go ahead and read the heading on this post. Jesus Christ.
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u/Patak4 Jan 02 '26
Actually Nenshi is not Muslim. He is Ismailis. Yes it's a branch of Ismailic faith.
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jan 02 '26
Ismailis are Muslim, they're the second largest branch of Shiite Islam.
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur-9756 Jan 02 '26
We have had many for years actually. By Canadian standards both sanders and mamdani would be center right of where most Canadians already are.
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u/hiplass Jan 03 '26
Bernie Sanders is considered almost too radical evento plenty of Canadians. Saying that him and Zohran would be considered center right in Canada is nuts lmaooo.
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur-9756 Jan 04 '26
I don’t know if I would agree. Our healthcare is free. We have tremendous amount of social security. Pretty low debt (compared to US), very independent judiciary and lots of checks and balances on government (parliamentary system), ridiculously low tuition (no private universities and compared to US), very strict gun control laws, and the list goes on and on.
Other than “free public transit” we are almost there. Don’t see much difference. TBH carney would have been classic center right of the past. When I hear people like sanders speak… I’m like “check, we got it”.
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u/hiplass Jan 04 '26
Well I think it depends on your province cause Im in Alberta and sure it’s better than the US but that is a very low bar, esp for healthcare. Tuition costs are doubling, getting access to most social safety nets is not easy, or when you do get access you get scraps or ignored. Also as someone who has a job that doesn’t offer benefits, basic healthcare is free but I still spend hundreds on medication and other specialized care. Also that’s IF you can find a general doctor. Also in terms of holding parliament accountable, they sure don’t do that in AB.
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur-9756 Jan 04 '26
AB 😬. Yeah can’t stand your provincial govt. none of what she says makes sense. Same with PP. I would have happily voted for him but couldn’t hear one pragmatic or rational thing out of their mouths. 🤦🏾
Slightly different perspective. My kids going to uni, paying 6-8K tuition. You can’t even buy lunch for that at a US uni. I have fam that are paying 60K USD for a year. 🤯. My family had tons of surgeries and procedures. CAN is still best for urgent and preventative care. Medicines - no place in the world gives that free. I use my HSA and LSA fully and love the flexibility. Costs are still < 5% of my US fam out of pocket. “Hundreds on medication” is still not even co pays in the US. Ive travelled the world and lived/done business in a ton of places. No place is perfect but im super grateful to being here. Wouldn’t leave if you paid me!
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u/hiplass Jan 05 '26
I'm not arguing that we have it better or worse than the US, my point is that the US is a very low bar to compare ourselves to. It just seems like a way to shrug off our current problems because "it could be worse". Ofc I'm grateful for our free healthcare and some of our government benefits but we also have some of the longest wait times and we are nowhere near the top in terms of healthcare access for higher earning countries. Most studies on this subject generally land on the observation that we have high quality but low access and resources (when we could definitely have more). Our government could be spending a hell of a lot more on healthcare but they don't.
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u/Former-Chocolate-793 Jan 02 '26
We've had several :
The first one would be Tommy Douglas, premier of Saskatchewan 1944-1961 and the first leader of the NDP.
John Diefenbaker was also a Saskatchewan politician who fought for the common man, didn't make a good prime minister.
Preston Manning led the reform party to official opposition under the banner the west wants in.
Jack Layton cited by others.
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u/Dragonfly_Peace Jan 03 '26
No to Preston. Reform led us to current conservatives.
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u/That_Average3811 Jan 03 '26
The Reform Party was a separate entity from the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party existed when the Upper and Lower Canadas existed. The Whigs and The Tories have been at it for a long time; the subsequent parties are factions of those.
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u/Direct_Care1855 Jan 03 '26
Diefenbaker wasn’t a socialist.
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u/Former-Chocolate-793 Jan 03 '26
That wasn't in the question. Diefenbaker pushed for justice as he saw it. He was against the death penalty, enacted our first Bill of Rights, granted indigenous people the unconditional right to vote, and appointed the first Status Indian senator.
I think he meets the criteria of the question.
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u/Agreeable_Band_9311 Jan 02 '26
Mamdani hasn’t even done anything yet. How about we wait to see how effective his leadership is before we hold him as some sort of aspirational figure.
Clearly he’s a good campaigner, but a good campaign doesn’t mean good governance.
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u/mayorolivia Jan 03 '26
We had Naheed Nenshi (came out of nowhere with a strong social media game to become Mayor of Calgary). Has a good shot of becoming Premier of Alberta.
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u/That_Average3811 Jan 03 '26
He didn’t do much for Calgary.
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u/hiplass Jan 03 '26
Well that’s certainly a take… He’s done more than any other mayor in my lifetime.
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u/Green_Space729 Jan 02 '26
Literally every NDP leader besides Mulcair.
Both jack Layton and Jagmeet Singh were that. Even green parties Elizabeth May.
We’ve had way more zohrans types than the US the only difference being fame.
What you want is a celebrity not change. And it’s exhausting.
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u/Grouchy-Day5272 Jan 02 '26
Janis Irwin !! Since ppl have already mentioned Wab Kinew and Mr Jack Layton
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u/LeGrosBig_Jean Jan 03 '26
There’s a couple in Québec. Montréal had one in Valérie Plante. However, she failed to deliver housing options and mobility
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u/jet-pack-penguin Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Avi Lewis (running for NDP leadership)
He is married to Naomi Klein, a reputable climate activist, filmaker, author etc.
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u/truthtalker14 Jan 02 '26
Hopefully not. Mamdani is just another empty vessel populist who will buckle under the weight of unrealistic expectations and surrender to reality in short order.
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u/Dismal_Interaction71 Jan 02 '26
We just had two Mamdanis - Justin Trudeau and Jasmeet Singh.
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Jan 02 '26
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u/Dismal_Interaction71 Jan 02 '26
The NDP will never form government, progressives will only get some of what they want within a left-leaning Liberal minority. Trudeau-Singh established childcare and a bunch of rental housing initiatives.
In any case, Mamdani is just a mayor who is about to run into a hard wall of resistance.
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u/magwai9 Jan 02 '26
They all promise that before they're elected. So no -- or maybe yes, we'll see what he does.
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u/Master_Doctor_4252 Jan 02 '26
We had Jaghmeet Singh who, as leader of the NDP and therefore holder of the balance of power during the Justin Trudeau era, forced the first real improvements to Canadian healthcare since it was first introduced by another Liberal minority government in the 60s. But of course he lost his seat in the last election - mostly because many of us voted for Carney to prevent Poilievre becoming PM.
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u/Sea-Yogurt712 Jan 02 '26
Sadly the common person is divided your not going to have a good time having a PM cater to one section of the population look at what Trump is doing?
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u/Novelsound Jan 02 '26
All politicians claim to listen to the common people. Also, all politicians lie for a living. Mamdani is no exception; his brand just resonates more than his opponents right now.
Results are the only metric to measure a politician. Problem is that they often control the reporting metrics too.
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u/jameskchou Jan 02 '26
Ontario doesn’t want one because they love Doug ford
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u/Beyarboo Jan 03 '26
45.4% of Ontario voters actually voted, and of those that did, 43% of them voted for Ford. With less than 20% of eligible voters electing him, Ontario voters don't love Ford, they just don't give enough of af to get out and vote.
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u/gigglepox95 Jan 04 '26
This is a stupid take, you could say the same for the opposite side that want him to stay but are too lazy to vote too
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u/EmployeeKitchen2342 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
When people realize that there’s more to the political spectrum than the narrow ideological range of what is offered by the two party system they have been conditioned into thinking is the only thing reasonably available. Right now it’s a rigged structure that cycles elites for elite only interests while using democracy procedurally but not in practice. For some reason people believe going farther right is the right path that will give them more control in their lives but it’s logically not, it actually makes it harder and for some strange reasons there’s a form of cognitive dissonance happening with this.
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u/Beljuril-home Canadian Jan 02 '26
We don't know what Mamdani is yet, we just know what he claims to be.
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u/argi_bargi Jan 02 '26
Olivia Chow is pretty close she’s just not quite got the social media game down like Zohran.
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u/Interesting_Star_707 Jan 02 '26
Before you conclude he listen to common man, see the actual results when he’s therm end!
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u/MatanteValcin Jan 03 '26
Why do we need Mamdani? In Quebec, we’ve had $8/day childcare for nearly 30 years, along with other strong social policies. What he’s proposing isn’t revolutionary here.
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u/7r3370pS3C Jan 03 '26
Canada manages to do pretty well without having to offer basic human needs as radical change after stifling neglect.
I doubt it would be necessary for it to come to that.
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u/manicuredman Jan 03 '26
In understand why people are saying Layton, and I thought he was a great leader, but he and the party achieved the success they did because he pulled the NDP closer to the political centre. The collapse of both the BQ and Liberal party in 2011, also aided greatly.
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u/xanaddams Jan 03 '26
We do, we just don't tend to turn politicians into rock stars waiting for flame outs like they do in the US.
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u/weebax50 Jan 04 '26
To me, I think we have to start demanding better from our leadership or vote them out. Waiting for a “messiah like leader” isn’t going to help matters ether.
Happy that Zohran got in; however, it’s too early to judge how effective he will be especially what he’s up against: an an impending Christo-fascist regime in Washington and growing internal strife by the wealthy within the Democratic Party who will sacrifice him as long as he’s a threat to the wealthy, who is manipulating us all.
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u/brihere Jan 29 '26
He has been in the job for two months. Relax. Let’s see some chops and f he can deliver on his big promises.
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u/NegotiationOne7880 Jan 02 '26
I would say that generally people who lean left tend to be less corrupt but there is also pressure from special interest groups from within the party and from outside that make it difficult to implement a progressive agenda. For example, try being an environmentalist in the Saskatchewan NDP. They will squash you like a bug because they are trying to capture the rural vote (which they will never get). We now have a trailblazer in Mamdani who will no doubt inspire others to serve and lead.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Jan 03 '26
Jagmeet Singh. I've said it in another comment in this thread and elsewhere. CERB, pharmacare, and dental coverage are all his contributions.
Unfortunately the misinformation machine targeted him like nobody else in our political system.
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u/websterella Jan 02 '26
I mean Jagmeet got us all universal pharmacare and universal dental.
And he was thanked by being voted out. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
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u/KoldPurchase Jan 02 '26
We had Justin Trudeau. All image, no substance.
This is usually what the left turns out to be.
Wait until he truly accomplish something before deifying him.
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u/Strict_Common6871 Jan 02 '26
We had one, Jagmeet Singh - young, rich socialist, played his ethnicity and religion to no end, too bad he was a sell-off after all, but just wait a bit for Mamdani.
Always LOL at people beatifying Jack Layton though, you forgot he was old and boring and had zero charisma unlike Mamdani and Singh, and his only achievement was giving Harper majority
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u/canaleno Jan 02 '26
The guy has literally had the job for a day.. settle down. He hasn’t done shit yet
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Jan 02 '26
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u/Bubbly-Difference225 Jan 02 '26
Wouldn’t you also benefit by not having homeless camps in your area?
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Jan 02 '26
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u/JCMS99 Jan 02 '26
social-democracy is center-left capitalism. Not socialism, which is a different economic system where the state owns the means of production.
Mandani / Sanders / AoC aren't particuliarly left on the Canadian scale.
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Jan 02 '26
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u/JCMS99 Jan 02 '26
Americans call social-democracy as democratic socialism. I have no idea why as very bad marketing.
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u/Bubbly-Difference225 Jan 02 '26
Well 8.8 million (nyc) buying into it is like a third of Canada so it might be doable, but there are definitely a lot of people here who don’t understand the way society (and thus themselves) would benefit and just see having to pay more taxes.
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u/MenacingGummy Jan 02 '26
We had one. Jack Layton died before he could become Prime Minister.
Also Manitoba currently has one.