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opinion

Toronto election results reveal a polarized city

Photo: flickr/Martin Cathrae

Are we fed up yet? Between a seemingly interminable campaign season and a record 64 per cent voter turnout, election-weary Torontonians might be forgiven for being a bit bleary-eyed in the days following, while the reality of an end to the Ford era sinks. But what have we woken up to?

We've woken up to the disappointing reality of a polarized city that is the mirror image of those neighbourhoods that are plagued by social inequity. And the blame for this doesn't necessarily fall entirely on every downtown voter's favourite punching bag -- the Ford brothers.

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John Tory olivia chow Toronto politics Toronto Mayoral Election Ford Nation Ontario election social inequality

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No love lost between newly elected Wynne and PM Harper
By
Karl Nerenberg
| June 13, 2014

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Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is back -- with a majority no less -- and there's going to be lots of tension between her government and Stephen Harper's.

The news release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday night was terse and dry.

You could almost hear the gritting of teeth.

"On June 12, 2014," the PMO started out, "the people of Ontario gave Kathleen Wynne a mandate to continue to serve as their Premier." 

No mention of Wynne winning a majority; she is merely, it seems, permitted to "continue to serve ..."

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Kathleen Wynne
Ontario election: OK, that didn't really work … can we get back to being New Democrats now?
By
David J. Climenhaga
| June 13, 2014

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Well! That didn't work out quite as well as we'd hoped, did it? Can we get back to being New Democrats now?

I speak, of course, of the results of last night's Ontario provincial election -- in which it seems to me from my vantage point out here on the Great Plains that there are lessons in the vote for New Democrats in the west and the New Democrats in Ottawa too.

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Fear of Hudak may tip Ontario election to Wynne
By
Geoff Stevens
| June 9, 2014

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Ontario party leaders
'Likely' voters crucial as crunch time in Ontario election nears
By
Geoff Stevens
| June 2, 2014

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Will Tuesday's Ontario leaders' debate determine the outcome of provincial election?

The custodians of our public airwaves -- that is to say, the TV networks -- have grudgingly agreed to sacrifice 90-minutes of pre-prime time (6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.) to accommodate this province-wide exercise in democracy.

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What's missing in election commitments to stoke Ontario's Ring of Fire?
May 28, 2014 |
Ontario's political leaders have been circling the potential mining developments known as the Ring of Fire during the 2014 election campaign. Here's a breakdown of the different platforms.
Tags:
Ontario Politics canadian mining Ontario election
opinion

Andrea Horwath, the Left, and the unintended consequences of strategic voting

Image: wikimedia commons

Purists in the Ontario NDP who expected their party to run in an ideological straightjacket, and then punished them for it with calls for strategic voting, should not now be surprised that their former party has stopped listening to them.

In a prescient Facebook post a few weeks ago, a long-time observer of the NDP, political scientist Chanchal Bhattacharya, distilled this insight in response to Rick Salutin’s grumbling column in the Toronto Star about Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s new direction.

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Andrea Horwath strategic voting Ontario election

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Columnists

The practical results of voting symbolically

Photo: postbear/flickr

The act of voting is less simple than it seems. It looks straightforward. Mark paper, stuff in box. But precisely because it's so simple, it's susceptible to multiple interpretations. It's like communion: person kneeling takes cracker in mouth. Ya, right. Try explaining what that's about. Sheer mystery.

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Elections Canadian politics strategic voting voting voting intentions Federal NDP Ontario election

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We welcome your comments! rabble.ca embraces a pro-human rights, pro-feminist, anti-racist, queer-positive, anti-imperialist and pro-labour stance, and encourages discussions which develop progressive thought. Our full comment policy can be found here. Learn more about Disqus on rabble.ca and your privacy here. Please keep in mind:

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Ontario ballot box
Ontario election is an unpleasant, unpredictable affair
By
Geoffrey Stevens
| May 20, 2014

The Ontario election on June 12 is one of the most unpleasant -- and unpredictable -- contests in recent memory.

There is no excitement in this campaign, no sense that a brighter future lies ahead. The emotions generated by the three principal parties are negative. There is disgust with the Liberals -- disgust both with the scandals of the previous Dalton McGuinty regime and with the lack of contrition displayed by the Liberals currently clinging to power under Kathleen Wynne. Why can't they say they are sorry, tell us how much their malfeasance has actually cost Ontario, and ask  forgiveness for treating public funds with such contempt?

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Hudak's job-killing plan will dismember the economy
May 12, 2014 |
Tim Hudak's plan to eliminate 100,000 jobs in the public sector will dismember the Ontario economy and sets the scene to drive the province into another recession.
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unemployment tim hudak Canadian economy job losses Ontario election
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