ONDP convention next weekend in Hamilton
This afternoon I got a robocall from someone at Ontario NDP telling me about the convention next weekend in Hamilton. It sounds interesting -- a chance to hear Mulcair, K'Naan and more, as well as (I hope) some thoughtful discussions of Ontario issues. The robocall directed me to the ONDP website for more information, but I must have the wrong website b/c on the main one, there's a notice about the convention, but when you click on the link that says something like "Join Andrea and the team" it's a link to join the party. Already been there, done that. Where can I find info on the convention -- what is happening when and where, what does it cost, how accessible is it (still on crutches from an injury so not up for walking a long way).
Hope someone here has inside information, or can at least direct me to the right place.Is there a members section of the website? I couldn't find it but maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.
ONDP Convention
It will be a mess. Martin Regg Cohn is a Liberal hack but he does identify the serious tensions in the party that will spill over into a full blown shit show: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1159962--cohn-will-ndp-let-andrea-horwath-dance-with-the-liberal-devil?bn=1
Socialist Caucus resolutions (.pdf).
Working link to Cohn's column in the Star.
Is the resolution book (ie all resolutions proposed for this weekend's convention) online anywhere? Cohn's column discussed a few of the resolutions but I can't find anything on the ONDP website (or anywhere else).
Is it procedurally possible to vote on one resulition that says "Be it resolved that all resolutions proposed by the Socialist Caucus are hereby rejected"?
That's handled by the resolutions priority committee, I believe.
Very true.
Abolish the HST and eliminate tuition....in the same term of office. Regardless of the benefits of either of those resolutions they pretty much sum up why the resolutions process really isn't a great way to make policy. In the real world, things are connected. Abolish the HST and you have a $21 billion hole in the provincial budget to fill with something. Eliminate tuition you have a somewhat smaller but still substantial hole. Someone with an interest in social services, tranportation or the environment might say, "Hey! I have a beter idea to use those resources!" They may or may not be right. With resolutions you can assemble a wish-list of ideas but there's no way of determining what's more important.
Is the convention being live streamed? If so, where?
It bears noting that the Ontario NDP goes into this convention essentially tied for 1st place in opinion polling. How the convention goes will probably have a major bearing on what direction those poll numbers head in.
I doubt the party brass sees the convention as very important at all.
The provincial party website seems to be going out of its way to play down the convention as anything other than a "celebration" of the results of the last election! You will search in vain for a schedule of events or any mention - let alone actual discussion - of policy.
And absolutely no attempt is being made to connect the convention in any way with the present Ontario budget controversy - either as an opportunity for the party to respond to the Liberal austerity agenda or as a way for the leadership of the party to take advice on the budget from the members, as they seem so willing to do from the public at large. It's a convention in a bubble.
I heard that they voted on a resolution to stop the freeze on welfare & increase taxes on the rich, which passed by the narrow margin of 218 to 208. Can anyone confirm this? Did a resolution to support ending a freeze on welfare really come down to a mere 10 votes?
Confirmation would be easy if the NDP would put the information on their goddam useless website. But like every other convention resolution they pass, this one will be buried and forgotten, while the NDP props up the Liberal budget.
Where is the Love for Horwath?
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/13/where-is-the-love-for-horwath
"The fact a motion aupporting Leader Andrea Horwath's conciliatory approach failed to pass at the Ontario New Democratic Party convention doesn't mean her grip on the party is slipping.."
I'm starting to think that Ontario has one of the most left sections of the NDP. It is also one of the furthest sections from government. Next time the ONDP holds a convention, I hope they do it in Northern Ontario. At least in that part of the province, the party wins elections.
This is actually good - all Horwath has to do now is say no to McGuinty, and that she really wanted to support his budget but unfortunately her hands are tied by the convention decision.
And surviving a leadership review with 76.4%:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/04/14/horwath-leadershi...
IMO that's not a comfortable margin for Horwath, especially after she returned the party to competitive strength in her first election.
That's a weak result. She did very well in her first campaign. Many of the new MPPs are very strong representatives. Party unity is not where it should be.
Surprisingly low considering that the ONDP just had its best election result since 1990 and she actually got a lower level of support than Hudak's 78%, though still far from John Tory/Joe Clark territory. Of course, since this is the first time the ONDP has ever had a leadership review vote (it was brought in along with OMOV for leadership electiosn) there's no baseline to compare this result with. I suspect had this system been in place before, Hampton would have scored much worse on several occasions.
Still, along with the deferral of the motion endorsing Horwath's approach to negotiating with the Liberals, this may be a reflection of party unease (particularly labour unease) with the likely possibility that the NDP will give in and support the budget without getting anything substantial in return.
I also have to say it's rather disappointing that the NDP isn't even livestreaming this convention let alone have the resolution package available online.
Executive election results:
Pres.: Neethan Shan
Treasurer: Jacob Leibovitch
VPs: Susan Barclay, Barb Dolan, Rowena Santos, Taras Natyshak, Scott Piatkowski, Myles Sullivan
Anyone know the vote totals?
Uh that's not low, unless you are predisposed to want to already believe such things. As leadership reviews go it is actually pretty healthy and standard across most parties. This isn't the rank and file at the Convention afterall.
Not low in an absolute sense but low compared to what you'd expect in a party that had almost doubled its seat total and also low compared to what you usually get at a leadership review. By comparison Layton, received 92% support in 2006 after the NDP had gone from 19 to 29 seats, Harper received 84% support in 2005 despite a disappointing election, even Carole James of the BC NDP received 84% support at a convention in November 2010, just months before she was forced out (as did Gordon Campbell at his last convention). In 1999, after a disappointing election performance and facing a determined "Dump Dalton" campaign, McGuinty received 81.1% support at his leadership review. I don't think Horwath is any trouble - anything over 70% is safe, but the fact that it's not higher does show some disquiet. I would have expected her to do better than Hudak's 78% for instance or the 77% support that Ed Stemlach received at his last convention and certainly better than McGuinty's 1999 score.
I will agree with Martin Regg Cohn that Andrea Horwath and her fellow NDP MPPs will likely support the Liberals on the government's budget. My one problem is that it will appear that the NDP will be in de-facto support to the Liberal's wage/salary freeze plan. The NDP may be able to oppose any Liberal back-to-work legislation should any public sector union go on strike. However, the Conservatives will likely support the government. Essentially, the budget vote is the effective vote on wage/salary freezes. Any future bill to legisate workers back will be mere window dressing. Any NDP opposition will be meaningless.
If the Ontario NDP supports the Liberal budget, it may win a phyric battle. I can't spell phyric so maybe I should use phallic. The NDP may win a guarantee or two in an amended Liberal budget. Unfortunately, it will lose support of some of the union leadership whose unions may choose not to donate money to the party. I do believe in Ontario, business and unions can still donate to political parties.
An awful lot of those unions went Liberal in the last election, especially the teachers unions. The Catholic English teachers even garinsheed member wages specificly to campaign for the Liberals. I don't think it is at all a forgone conclusion that there is that big a price to pay. Those unions made their bed, I am not sure why it should be up to the NDP and eveyone else in the province to rescue them from it.
Here's something no one is talking about but I think might be a plausible explanation for the review number. There are an awful lot of rural New Democrats heartsick by the party's energy policy in regards to the ramming through in our communities of industrial wind projects. They could easliy have used the one avenue open to them to send a message about that. Guess we'll never know.
Hudak said he would vote against the budget even before it was released, and since then he has upheld that position.
I think SD meant on back to work/wage freeze legislation, not the actual budget.
Horwath Hopes for Deal, Prepares for Election
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/705441--horwath-hopes-for-deal...
"...[Sid] Ryan was not alone in his distaste of the budget. 'That disgusting document was nothing more than Dalton McGuinty giving a slap in the face to every working person in this province,' Tyler Mackinnon of Etobicoke told delegates during a session on electing a new party executive.
Horwath said she wasn't surprised by Ryan's move, saying many are disappointed in the budget and would like to see 'as much change as we can possibly get,' She said, however, that she remains committed to making the minority government work, does not 'believe in drawing lines in the sand,' and believes she has put 'some pretty practical proposals' on the table.
'We know the people of Ontario sent us here with a job to do, which is to work together,' she said. 'That's why I'm trying to make the budget better and I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen.'..."