Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horvat arrives at his local polling station in Hamilton, Ontario, on June 2nd. Eduardo Lima / The Canadian Press
Andrea Horvat has stepped down as head of the Ontario NDP, with the party losing a number of seats in Thursday’s provincial election.
The Left Party retained its official opposition status in the Ontario legislature, which it secured four years ago when the Liberals broke up in previous elections. But the failure of the new Democrats to expand their support on Thursday called into question Croatia’s leadership.
After an exciting campaign-style speech to her supporters in Hamilton, Ms. Horvath burst into tears as she spoke about her own future.
“My commitment to you will never waver and I will continue to work to gain your trust,” she told a small crowd. “But tonight is the time to hand over the torch … to hand over the baton. To hand over the leadership of the NDP. “
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At the dissolution of the NDP there were 39 seats. Incomplete results on Thursday night suggested the party would win 31. The total number of votes had not yet been announced in several races, where polling stations were open late.
Ms. Horvath, 59, is a very safe NDP rider in Hamilton and easily won her own seat on Thursday. A former city councilor, she has led the provincial New Democrats since March 2009. This was her fourth election to head the party.
When the results came out, she faced an open challenge at her meeting. NDP MPP Joel Harden, who represents the Ottawa Center, told reporters he wanted to congratulate Ms. Horvath on her leadership, but that it was time to change the top.
The departing leader did not specify her next role. Some in the hall for her speech on election night speculated that she would be encouraged to run for mayor of Hamilton.
People began breaking into Ms. Horvath’s headquarters on election night at the Hamilton Convention Center just as polling stations closed at 9 p.m.
Victoria Shimloski, a retired teacher at a public school in Hamilton, applauded the crowd as television reports declared the NDP the official opposition shortly before 9:30 p.m.
The new Democrats have tried to portray an economically populist terrain amid rapidly rising inflation, years of rising house prices and the aftermath of a pandemic that has hit the elderly particularly hard. The party has promised to limit the price of gas and regain control over rents. He also promised to facilitate the construction of 1.5 million new homes, hire health workers and withdraw from long-term care for profit.
Last week, the party advertised what it said was an increase in total donations compared to 2019, with more donors.
Dimitri Anastakis, a professor of business history at the University of Toronto, said the NDP’s message is struggling to connect with voters, as the broader economic picture runs counter to the daily financial worries that Ontario residents may have about prices. of petrol or food costs.
“The policy options that Horwath and the NDP are proposing would really fit the bill in a recession,” he said. “And I don’t know if this can be called a recessionary moment, when you have record low unemployment and GDP is not declining.
David Christopherson, a longtime Hamilton MP, campaigned for the party on Thursday. He told voters he looked tired during this election.
“They are tired of life. It was difficult for people to focus on the campaigns, given that there was no specific problem, “he said.
Ms Horvath had to suspend personal events on election day after giving a positive test for COVID-19, but otherwise running a smooth campaign. There were disputes about the individual candidates, but there were no major gaps.
In the fierce struggle for the progressive vote during this election campaign, in which the NDP and the Liberals often fired at each other instead of the ruling progressive conservatives, neither party was expected to come close to forming a government.
The PC has invaded the labor support of the new Democrats in this election campaign, winning the approval of several unions – a development that could complicate things for the NDP, which now needs to rebuild and think about its future.
An Ekos survey earlier this week found that personal computers have almost as much support among union members (35%) as among the general public (37%). The survey consulted 1,430 people from May 30 to June 1 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percent, 19 times out of 20.
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