DCHP-2

Waffle DCHP-2 (November 2016)

• n. & adj. — Politics, historical

  a socialist and nationalist wing of the New Democratic Party formed in 1969 and disbanded in 1974.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — The self-styled Waffle caucus formed in 1969 and in that year issued a manifesto, dubbed the "Waffle Manifesto" (see the 1969 quotation) calling for the party to adopt stronger socialist policies and to promote Canadian independence from American ownership. Waffles supported women's rights, opposed the Vietnam War, and sympathized with the Quebec sovereignist movement (see the 2013 quotation). In 1974, the caucus was disbanded, except for the Saskatchewan Waffle (see Canadian Encylopedia reference). Ed Broadbent, leader of the federal NDP from 1975 to 1989, is credited with naming the movement, which has its origins in a joke; Broadbent is quoted as saying "that if they had to choose between waffling to the left and waffling to the right, they waffle to the left" (Morton 1986: 92).
  The term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also COD-2, s.v. "waffle"(2. Waffle), which is marked "Cdn hist".

  See also: New Democratic Party  sovereignist