In Ontario and New Brunswick, the NDP go back to populist roots — with much moaning and whining

We all know about the soi-disant “high-profile” New Democrats who complained in the middle of the recently concluded Ontario election that NDP leader Andrea Horwath had abandoned core NDP principles and, as a result was risking core NDP votes in a crucial election. They “leaked” a letter on May 23 in which they scolded Horwath, saying  “you are abandoning those values and constituencies that the party has always championed.”  My Parliamentary Press Gallery colleague Tim Harper pithily described this as “a manifesto that reads like it was written at an Annex dinner party that went one bottle of red over the line.” In other words, this was the whining of your downtown Toronto NDP, a certain species of New Democrat that has, at times, been more trouble than it’s worth to a party that was born of Prairie populism and sober down-home common-sense 50 years ago. Continue reading In Ontario and New Brunswick, the NDP go back to populist roots — with much moaning and whining

In new ad, Kathleen Wynne asks: Is Andrea Horwath for real?

Here’s the latest ad to hit the Ontario election campaign trail. It’s from the Liberals and that’s the voice of Liberal leader and premier Kathleen Wynne jumping on Andrea Horwath for failing to support the Liberal budget.

If you haven’t yet seen it, Continue reading In new ad, Kathleen Wynne asks: Is Andrea Horwath for real?

Dear Andrea: Why won't you get in Kathleen's grill? Signed, your friend, Tim.

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Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Northern Ontario Municipal Association p president Ron Nelson, and Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak at a debate in Thunder Bay, ON on Sept. 23, 2011 (IAN THOMPSON/SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY)

Open letter from Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak to Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath:

October 27, 2013

Andrea Horwath, MPP
NDP Leader
Room 113, Main Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A2

Dear Ms. Horwath,
I write to you today in hopes that you will agree that it is time to put Ontario on the right track and restore Ontario’s faith in their elected leaders. I concluded some time ago that, given the Liberals’ pattern of self-interest-only decisions, we need to change the team that leads this province.

I remain somewhat astounded, though, that you and your party don’t grasp that continuing to prop up the Wynne government by being at its beck and call is doing Ontario no favours.

Continue reading Dear Andrea: Why won't you get in Kathleen's grill? Signed, your friend, Tim.

In Ontario, do Horwath's NDP have the this fall's spring in their step?

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne seems to be threatening an election — threatening, in fact, to do what Prime Minister Stephen Harper did in 2008 and break a fixed-date election law — which could see Ontario voters having to choose between Wynne, PC Leader Tim Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in a fall vote.

Pollster Abacus Data was in the field recently and found that the three parties are basically tied with around 30% support of committed votes. But, as Abacus CEO David Coletto writes:

… the results suggest thatt the Ontario NDP and its leader Andrea Horwath have the greatest opportunity to expand its support since Horwath is the most popular provincial leader and its potential pool of support is equivalent to the Liberals 45% would consider voting NDP and Liberal and higher than the PC Party 42% would consider voting PC.

Find the polling data and methodology here:  Ontario Politics: Tories lead by 3; Ontario Liberals and NDP tied at 30% | Abacus Insider.

We’ll have more on this tonight on my television program Battleground on Sun News Network at 6 PM ET and 8 PM Pacific with Abacus CEO David Coletto and Sun Media National Affairs Columnist Anthony Furey.

And don’t forget to read my colleague Antonella Artuso’s take on this latest poll.

Biggest winner in Ontario politics this summer? Andrea Horwath. Biggest loser? Tim Hudak

Andrea Horwath and the Ontario are going to finish the summer with a caucus that has grown by 2 MPPs and with some decent political momentum. Horwath was on my program Battleground on Sun News Network Monday night and I asked her for her interpretations of the summer’s byelections and about her political objectives for the fall:

Continue reading Biggest winner in Ontario politics this summer? Andrea Horwath. Biggest loser? Tim Hudak