Explores the rise and fall of the Waffle movement and its lasting impact on Canadian politics and national identity.

Offering a vivid account of the Waffle movement, The New Left in Canadian Politics follows the rise of a faction within the New Democratic Party that fused electoral politics with the restless energy of 1960s social movements. Bursting onto the political scene in 1969, the Waffle urged the NDP to embrace leftist nationalism—pushing for socialist policies that could counter American economic dominance and secure Canadian independence.

Its vision drew momentum from the student, anti-war, and women’s liberation movements, yet met resistance from party leaders and allied trade unions wary of its radicalism. Within just a few years, the Waffle’s influence waned, and by 1975, it had largely disappeared from the political stage. Even so, as this history reveals, the Waffle left an imprint that outlasted its brief life, shaping debates on national identity, socialism, and the future of the Canadian left well into the 1970s and beyond.