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OFL & Sid Ryan say "Vote NDP", Unifor and FTQ say "Vote strategically to beat Harper"
Sat, 2015-09-05 21:12
#1
OFL & Sid Ryan say "Vote NDP", Unifor and FTQ say "Vote strategically to beat Harper"
Sat, 2015-09-05 21:15
#2
[url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/election/ofl-urges-blanket-labour-support... urges blanket labour support for NDP; other unions urge strategic voting[/url]
And Unifor is supporting its own Chris Buckley, former president of Oshawa GM Local 222, in the race against Sid Ryan for the OFL presidency.
I'll be watching this one.
Sun, 2015-09-06 07:23
#3
alan smithee
ABC is growing and growing. It seems to me that there is a comfortable majority of Canadians who want Harper gone by pretty much any means possible. I gives me hope for this place.
Sun, 2015-09-06 15:10
#4
Odd that FTQ would call for strategic voting, though, given that there are essentially no ridings in Quebec where it be applicable.
Sun, 2015-09-06 17:15
#5
Odd that FTQ would call for strategic voting, though, given that there are essentially no ridings in Quebec where it be applicable.
The FTQ has not called for "strategic voting". They are calling on people to vote, and not to vote for the Conservatives. They've apparently identified 10 ridings where such a campaign might make a difference. They are not supporting any party (that decision was made last year). And they are making sure people know how bad Harper and his Conservatives are.
My mistake in that thread title - I basically summarized what that OP linked article said. It wasn't precise when it came to the FTQ.
Sun, 2015-09-06 17:56
#6
Odd that FTQ would call for strategic voting, though, given that there are essentially no ridings in Quebec where it be applicable.
Megantic and ridings around Quebec City.
Sun, 2015-09-06 18:48
#7
And Beauce and Saguenay.
Sun, 2015-09-06 20:51
#8
Isn't Beauce at least a pretty safe Conservative seat?
Sun, 2015-09-06 21:42
#9
Beauce is ruled by the Bernier dynasty. It is safe indeed. If Beauce falls, the world will never be the same again!
ETA: Again, for clarity, the FTQ is not calling for "strategic voting" as such. They're organizing against the Conservatives, period. And unlike Jerry Dias and Unifor, they're not supporting NDP incumbents or anyone else. So far at least, it's purely negative. I think they might have a difficult time getting any more definite consensus out of the affiliates - as the OFL's experience and split has shown.
Mon, 2015-09-07 14:55
#10
Better than usual turnout today for the Labour Day parade in Ottawa ... good representation from the local NDP campaigns with most candidates and many supporters there. (To be fair, there was a delegation of Liberals there, as well a Green Party candidate and some Communist Party pamphleteers.)
Lots of political energy in the air, - though the big cloud hanging over the day is a nasty conflict between and amongst taxi-drivers, who work nominally for different companies but are all members of UNIFOR. One company (holding the airport contract) has locked the drivers out, and the Union is in a strike position with another company. Best as I can tell, both of these companies are owned by the same holding company. And in the past week, it appears that the drivers on strike at Blueline have started serving the Airport, where their brothers are locked out. What a mess.
So there have been some taxis vandalised over night, and this is likely to get nastier before it gets resolved... Jerry Dias just spent a week in town trying to sort things out, but if any progress has been made, it has not been reported. And none of the drivers I spoke to today seemed to think a resolution is imminent.
And through out of course, Uber lurks in the background.
Mon, 2015-09-07 21:17
#11
swallow
FTQ promised candidate endorsements in the targeted ridings in late August, according to media reports at the time. Nothing yet.
Wed, 2015-09-09 21:41
#12
FTQ promised candidate endorsements in the targeted ridings in late August, according to media reports at the time. Nothing yet.
Patience!
[url=http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/449647/ville-de-quebec-la-ftq-a... FTQ announces its choice of 5 NDP candidates [/url]
The FTQ deployed its electoral strategy in the region of Québec City Wednesday by targeting five ridings where it is determined to defeat the Conservatives. And it has at least 10,000 members in each of the five ridings.
The FTQ is lending its support to five NDP candidates who have the best chance of beating the Conservatives in the targeted ridings, namely Raymond Côté in Beauport-Limoilou, Anne-Marie Day in Charlesbourg Haute-Saint-Charles, G. Daniel Caron in Louis Saint-Laurent, Denis Blanchette in Louis-Hébert, and Élaine Michaud in Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier.
In an interview Tuesday, FTQ Secretary-General Serge Cadieux insisted that this was not about the FTQ supporting the NDP as a party, but rather local support to candidates who have the best chances of beating the Conservative candidates.
Great start, no?
Wed, 2015-09-09 22:11
#13
swallow
Indeed. They have everything to win!
Wed, 2015-09-09 22:15
#14
I just want to underline that this is history in the making. In 2011 I had to fight like spit for my union (let alone the FTQ) not to stomp on me for daring to support Mulcair in my riding - let alone the NDP as the best chance for beating Harper in general.
To my knowledge and recollection, this is the first time, ever, that the FTQ has formally endorsed an NDP candidate, anywhere.
Faîtes vos jeux, mesdames et messieurs!!!
Thu, 2015-09-10 14:00
#15
And... the FTQ is endorsing NDP candidate François Lapointe in Montmagny – L’Islet – Kamouraska – Rivière-du-Loup.
CBC (English) radio said yesterday that the FTQ is backing NDP candidates on all 10 of their "targeted" ridings, but by my count there's only 6 so far (all NDP), with the other 4 yet to come. Unless I missed something.
Fri, 2015-09-11 22:18
#16
swallow
They've endorsed the Liberal in Mount Royal.
[url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/dossiers/elections-federales... FTQ entre dans la campagne[/url]
Is 10 the final target number? I've heard 10-15, too. I would imagine that Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, Levis-Lotbiniere, Lac Saint-Jean, Beauce, Richmond-Arthabaska, Drummond, and Megantic-L'Erable are all on the target list (several Con incumbents, plus a couple of Con targets) are on the FTQ list, and best bets for each would be NDP endorsements, on the numbers. Though perhaps they'll endorse the Bloc in one to mollify some of their members. Richmond-Arthabaska went Bloc last time, not likely to do so again.
Sun, 2015-09-20 22:24
#17
swallow
FTQ endorses three NDP candidates in the Saguenay-Lac St. Jean region.
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2015/09/20/005-ftq-npd-e...
Wed, 2015-09-23 04:16
#18
Back to Ontario... So Sid Ryan has decided to concede the OFL presidential election, presumably to Unifor's Chris Buckley. Will this have any effect on the OFL's support for the NDP (vs. Unifor's "defeat the Conservatives" stance)?
Wed, 2015-09-23 17:54
#19
Ridings where strategic voting may make sense.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/09/21/strategic-voting-2015-election-c...
Tue, 2015-09-29 09:53
#20
I am calling on every worker, in every riding, to make Thomas Mulcair the next Prime Minister of Canada.http://ofl.ca/index.php/sid-ryans-presidents-report-fall-2015/
Sid Ryan's decision to step down will represent a loss to the union movement. He'll be remembered for his courageous stands on BDS and many other issues.
Tue, 2015-09-29 10:08
#21
Meet the Economic Team Helping Mulcair Tack To Canada's Middle
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-28/meet-the-economic-team...
"The following, based on discussions with six party insiders, is a list of the most influential advisers and economists on Mulcair's policy and the role they may play if the NDP wins power..."
Tue, 2015-09-29 10:25
#22
Meet the Economic Team Helping Mulcair Tack To Canada's Middle
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-28/meet-the-economic-team...
"The following, based on discussions with six party insiders, is a list of the most influential advisers and economists on Mulcair's policy and the role they may play if the NDP wins power..."
Thanks. Interesting article.