Our History

Courage was launched in early 2017 by a group of socialists from across the country.

In our earlier incarnation—Renewal— we played a role in the ousting of Thomas Mulcair as leader of the NDP, and in members endorsing the principles of the Leap Manifesto, at the 2016 party convention in Edmonton.

In 2019, we released ambitious and comprehensive policy proposals, calling for Communications for All and a Green New Deal of the North. We pressured Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to run on a Green New Deal in the 2019 federal election. We called on the party to create a credible plan to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% by 2030, drawing on ideas like a federal jobs guarantee, an expansion of Canada Post, free public transportation, and a massive build-out of green, non-market housing.

For years, we have also pressured both the NDP and the Canadian federal government to call out U.S interference, resist Western imperialism, and stand up for peace and justice abroad. Since the founding of Courage, we have also pressured the federal NDP to take concrete action in support of Palestinian liberation, and have repeatedly called on the Canadian government to sanction Israel.

In Spring 2026, after a period of organizational dormancy, organizers and socialists from across the country—many of whom were involved in Avi Lewis’s leadership campaign—began the process of reviving Courage, recognizing the critical need for a democratic, mass-membership organization that can bridge both movement and electoral politics to advance socialism in Canada. In April, the existing members of Courage democratically elected a new national steering committee, mandating it to develop a constitution for ratification at a forthcoming general assembly to reconstitute the organization.