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﻿<title﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, NDP Reeling as Ontario Tories Win Re-election - Article﻿</title>﻿

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﻿<b﻿>﻿NDP Reeling as Ontario Tories Win Re-election

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by Susan Bender﻿<br﻿>﻿

﻿<i﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, July - August 1999﻿</i>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

﻿</center>﻿


The fact that Dave Johnson, former Tory Minister of Education, lost

his seat (along with two other former Tory ministers) provided small

comfort while watching Mike Harris and his PC party win 59 of the 103 seats

in the Ontario legislature on June 3rd. The election also resulted in the

loss of official party status for the New Democratic Party which secured

only nine ridings, and won only 13 per cent of the popular vote, its lowest

level since 1937. The election may also have given expression to the

disregard the NDP and many of its traditional supporters have for each

other.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

The campaign and the lead-up to it represented a turning point in

electoral politics in Ontario. Some unions like the Canadian Auto Workers,

and their president Buzz Hargrove, publicly endorsed a strategic voting

tactic based on the negative slogan Kick Harris out. Perhaps understandable

in terms of sentiment, and strongly felt by many across the province, the

slogan betrayed a lack of in-depth political analysis. In and of itself,

the call to "Kick Harris out" made no demands about who or what should

replace him.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

To be critical of the viability of the NDP as a party that fights

for the interests of workers and oppressed people is not the problem. The

problem is that in suggesting a vote for a party of business, the Liberals,

would in any way benefit workers and oppressed people, unions and members

of the left ignored the class basis of the Liberal Party (as a party of big

business) and the current bad track record of the federal Liberals.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Strategic voting failed in its own terms. Although the Liberals did

succeed in increasing their take of the popular vote by nine per cent, from

31 per cent in 1995 to 40 per cent, it was not enough to defeat (or to even

challenge) the Tories. True, the Tories did get only 45 per cent of the

popular vote at the end of the day, the same as in 1995. However, they and

their supporters are crowing about the historic back-to-back majority

victories and the endorsement of the neo-liberal agenda that this victory

supposedly represents. Their victory is probably more of an indication of

the generally good economic situation of the province.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

In contrast to the Liberal campaign which took a decided turn to

the right, the NDP talked more left during this campaign than many would

have expected. The idea of redistribution of wealth was dusted off in

Hampton's pledge to take back the tax cut which benefited the wealthiest in

the province.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

The consequences of the failure of the strategic voting gambit is

two fold. On the one hand, it is hard to see how these unions can ever

argue with credibility that the NDP is the electoral option for its members

after this election. The feeling among many workers that they do not have a

party which represents their interests has been reinforced by the cynicism

demonstrated by the call for strategic voting.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

On the other hand, despite going to the polls with no illusions,

many voters who are outraged at what the Harris agenda has done to people

receiving social assistance, homeless people, teachers and students, and

users of the health care system are now hugely demoralized.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

And what was Howard Hamptons rallying cry? Just wait unit next

time. There can be no clearer example of the pacifying nature of electoral

politics in liberal democracies under capitalism. The results of the

election also provide the clearest evidence of how wrong were the pink

paper unions (who worked to demobilize the anti-Harris Days of Action) in

claiming that we could rely on the elections to bring about change.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

What is clear is that neither the union bureaucracy nor the NDP are

willing to lead and sustain the fightback against the attack on the rights

and living standards of workers and others such as young people, people who

are homeless, people receiving social assistance and those who cannot

afford privatized services. The indications from this election are that

success in workers mobilizing themselves and in building and supporting

left movements will be long-term and hard won. Nevertheless, these

successes will be crucial for bringing about real change.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿


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