This is Jacobin Radio. I'm Susie Wiseman.

This is Jacobin Radio. I'm Susie Wiseman.

Today we remember Ed Broadbent who died on January 11th and we honor his

legacy. Ed was on this show several times over the years and was a very dear

friend. He was the very popular leader of the NDP or the new Democratic Party in Canada

between 1975 and 1989 and he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1968 from

Oshawa, Ontario.

We even had him on during the earlier Otto strikes

to talk about what it was like to grow up in Oshawa

and be part of a union family or to have members of his family,

I think an uncle who was almost 104 or something that had been an auto worker.

And Ed was always at the forefront of the parliamentary struggle for Democratic

socialism in practice. He was also vice president of the Socialist

International and the founding president of Rights and Democracy that promoted human rights around the world

And in 2011 he founded the think tank the broadband Institute. We're going to talk about all of that

But Ed was also known for his honesty and his decency, and he was often called the best Prime Minister Canada never had. He was an expert in theory and practice of policymaking and as his partner Francis Abel said,

it was like a meteor in Canada. He was indeed a meteor, a beacon for social justice and an all-around stand-up guy, warm and

compassionate, brilliant and fun to be around. We were going to interview Ed this

month on this book that we're going to talk about today seeking

social democracy. Today we'll interview his co-authors. The world has lost a

fierce voice for working people, a champion for justice and democracy, and we've lost a close friend.

In the postscript to the book, Ed leaves us with an enduring vision and his hopes for what is to be done

...