Honestly, if the NDP were more like Sweden's Sweden's Social Democratic Party (a social-corporatist party) , or the Conservative Party more like Poland's Civic Platform (a liberal-conservative party), I could consider voting for them. Unfortunately, with the NDP being more of a labour-socialist and the Conservatives being more of a neo-conservative party, I have a hard time voting for either. Again, i'll consider the candidate, but most just blindly follow their party platforms.
As for the Liberal party, it really doesn't have much imagination and so just rehacks whatever is popular, never willing to push its boundaries.
The Green party's platform has some social-corporatist elements to it, but still not very imaginative. Really just a greener version of the old progressive Conservatives.
I was just in Sweden and its far more socialist than the NDP. You are cherry picking information to support your perceptions.
Sweden is a social welfare system where everyone is guaranteed a minimum standard of living. So they have no need of minimum wage, when even the poor have a relatively high standard of living. In fact, an unemployed swede who hasn't worked in years can afford to go to Spain every winter on vacation. You don't even have to be a Swedish citizen to enjoy full benefits. Being a resident is good enough to enjoy their social welfare system.
Yes schools are private. The way it works is that all schools get so much money from the state per child. Some schools are run by the government and some aren't. Parents can choose where they want to send their children to school. A poor person can send their child to any school, because school/education from day care through university is a state responsibility and free. So its not like the US private school system, which is class oriented and expensive. BTW, University is free, but merit based. You can't build a new house easily, but the government is responsible for housing everyone. Wait times for new homes are in the years/decades.
Hospitals and most medical services are free for everyone. But if you want cosmetic surgery or go to the head of the line, you pay. I guess that's two tier, but the lower tier is about equal to what's available in Canada, but with far shorter wait times.
Beer is $10 or more each in their bars and not much cheaper when you buy it in the store. A 10 minute taxi ride costs about the same as taking the train from Stockholm to Oslo and back (8 hours on a train = 10 minutes by taxi). Wealthy people pay far more in taxes than Canada or the US and poor people pay nothing.
Most Swedish workers (about 85%) are unionized. Unskilled laborers have relatively high wages compared to Canada, which explains taxi fares and beer prices, while skilled workers make far less than here in Canada and pay far more taxes.
You are right, that the NDP platform isn't like Sweden. The NDP is not nearly so socialist as the Swedish model.
Not cherry picking at all. I was pointing out specifically that the Swedish system, as 'socialist' as it is, still adheres to basic economic principles. Yes their taxes are high, and yes they have co-determination laws (which I'm in favour of). And yes, education is free.
All that said, their socialist system still functions within a market reality, rather than being disconnected from it. For example, any economist will tell you that minimum wage laws are more harmful to the poor than they are beneficial, and so Sweden has followed their advice. Can you imagine the NDP eliminating minimum wage laws on the advice of economists?
Sweden, as socialist as it may be, is still pro-free-trade in recognition of the fact that, again, that is the recommendation of trained economists.
Co-determination legislation is also a good idea as, unlike minimum wages, it does not create any kind of price floor yet still ensures democratization of the workplace.
The NDP could also learn from Margareta Handzlik, Member of the European Parliament from Poland's Civic Platform (a liberal conservative party). Though ideologically more right-leaning, she still proposes economically sound solutions to promoting language equality in the EU. Ironically enough, though she essentially leads the charge at the EU on that front, most of supporters are among left-leaning MEPs. Just goes to show that you can't be so blindly ideological. Swden's Social Democrats and Poland's Handzlik are prime examples of this, how a platform must be socially liberal or progressive while also being fiscally responsible and that requires far more imagination than ideology will will allow.
