Is Andrea Horwath for real?

That's what the new Kathleen Wynne ad asks Ontarians after Horwath said NO to an increased child benefit, an Ontario Pension Plan, better transit, and a new job creation strategy for Ontario. I'm really digging the "I'm Kathleen Wynne and I stand behind this message" tag the Premier has been using.

I'm sure NDP'ers will complain about "going negative", to which I have to ask, isn't joining with Tim Hudak and Stephen Harper and saying NO to a strong plan for Ontario a tad more negative?

While Horwath is silent, labour and progressive speak: The Ontario Budget deserves support

While Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath was silent on Ontario's Budget today, continuing her approach that saw her take no position on the minimum wage and pensions, labour and other progressive are speaking loud and clear that Ontario's 2014 Budget deserves support for the people of Ontario.

JERRY DIAS, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, UNIFOR

“Things like pensions, things like infrastructure spending, taking care of child care, seniors, those are all things that have been, you know, the backbone of the NDP’s policies for years. I would expect that [the NDP] would support [the budget].

"Today's budget will make a positive difference in the lives of working families in Ontario - and should be supported by the NDP…We hope the NDP will work with the Liberals to pass the budget."

SUSAN ENG, VP – ADVOCACY, CARP CANADA

“The time is long past for debating whether we need a supplementary pension plan…CARP members have been calling for just such a plan…The proposed pension plan will benefit their children and grandchildren, not themselves directly, but it is a ballot question for them.”

LINDA HALSEM STROUD, ONTARIO NURSES ASSOCIATION

“With the improvements in the personal support workers, and supporting health care workers in the community…and with a real focus on ensuring that Ontarians feel like they are better living here in Ontario, we should stay the party line.”

ANDREA CALVER, COORDINATOR, ONTARIO COALITION FOR BETTER CHILDCARE

“There are a tremendous number of things in this budget that can do a lot of good for people for child care staff for personal support workers and for those with developmental disabilities.  I remain hopeful that the budget will pass and that we'll be able to make the gains for child care workers and personal support workers.”

FRED HAHN, PRESIDENT, CUPE

"There are important investments in the Budget...There's lots of good measures here, paying PSWs…that's incredibly important."

GAIL NYBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK
"Keeping poverty reduction on the table is always the right thing to do…Daily Bread has always been a strong proponent of the Ontario Child Benefit. Indexing it will allow low-income families with children to keep up with the rising costs of living such as food."

ONTARIO HEALTH COALITION
"The good news: An Ontario pension plan that will provide an enhanced public pension for those with no private pensions."

Family feuds in Ontario NDP as Horwath rushes to clamp down on dissent

Ontario NDP infighting is all over the news this week, as we saw sharp divides between Andrea Horwath's office and others in the party. Long-time Ontario NDP'er and front-bench critic MPP Paul Miller was booted to the backbench this weekend, after a dispute between himself and Horwath boiled over

The MPP from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek [said to Horwath] “Don’t you tell me to shut up.” It didn’t stop there. Horwath said something else that couldn’t be made out and Miller said, “Are you threatening me? Don’t you threaten me.” Even veteran MPPs from the other parties were taken aback by the family squabble that included Miller telling Horwath he “had enough from her and her office.” “What are going to do — throw me out of caucus?” Miller is quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the controversy over the shady selection of Adam Giambrone as Ontario NDP candidate Scarborough-Guildwood continues to simmer, as the issue dominated media coverage of the NDP provincial council over the weekend.

“You are all cowards,” said 90-year-old Joy Taylor, who along with other riding executive members has maintained that several ineligible members were allowed to vote, giving the two-person race to Giambrone, a last- minute entry ...After party secretary Darlene Lawson’s report assured delegates everything about the nomination was above board, a call for an independent probe into the results was ruled out of order. “I am very disappointed,” Viresh Raghubeer, president of the NDP’s Scarborough-Guildwood Riding Association, told the Star. “We are confident that things need to be investigated further and we needed further proof as to what happened at the nomination meeting,” he said, later adding, “whenever you try to speak about democracy (in the party) you are demonized.” ...Looking tiny sitting on an overstuffed couch at the Sheraton Centre, Taylor appeared near tears. She remains convinced that the vote was rigged given she could not confirm the names or addresses of most of the last-minute voters. “What I did in good faith as an honest member of the NDP has fallen by the wayside. It is swept under the carpet,” she said, adding she didn’t take on this fight for notoriety. “I did it for the love of the party. . . . I can’t tell you how highly, highly disappointed I am. I weep today." ...“This is a massive betrayal,” Wendy Whittham, a member of the Scarborough-Guildwood riding executive."

While Andrea Horwath is telling long term NDP members and MPPs to shut up and silence any real debate in her party, I'm proud Premier Kathleen Wynne has opened up the Liberal Party policy process to every Ontarian. PS: Why don't you take a look at my Common Ground policy while you're there?

Two-time NDP candidate and environmentalist quits Ontario NDP over Horwath adopting Rob Ford's transit policy

This is Trevor Hache earlier today, quitting the Ontario NDP over their rejection of revenue models to expand transit options for families in the Greater Toronto and Greater Hamilton Area.

Hache twice ran for the NDP in Ottawa-Vanier, and as Policy Director for Ecology Ottawa, a major Ottawa-area environmental organization which he was also a founding member of. (In the interest of full disclosure, I also worked for Ecology Ottawa for several months as a fundraising canvasser.)

Horwath moved the ONDP away from promoting public transit and sound environmental policy in the last election when the ONDP platform included a plank to use your tax dollars to subsidize gas prices for big gas guzzling cars. The ONDP's latest move to shows they continue to reject real models for public transit funding, and it'll be interesting to see how the rump environmental wing of the ONDP handles Horwath embracing the Rob Ford position on public transit.

Does Fordwath work as a nickname or is that too much of a stretch?

Horwath skips vote on Southwestern Ontario Economic Development Fund and runs Rob Ford supporter in Vaughan - what does her NDP stand for?

Kitchener-Waterloo NDP candidate Catherine Fife is running on a slogan of "Leadership that delievers", but a look at the actions of NDP leader Andrea Horwath and her fellow NDP candidate in Vaughan raises questions about what exactly she wants to deliver.

Yesterday, the Ontario Liberals gave new support to the Southwestern Ontario Economic Development Fund, to help create jobs for families across Southwestern Ontario, including Kitchener-Waterloo. And what did Andrea Horwath do? She walked out, not standing up for job creation in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Now, we already know that Hudak candidate Tracey Weiler has no qualms about flip-floping on supporting her leader, going from saying she ""supports the leader’s position on halting the rollout of full-day kindergarten in the province" to running away from Hudak:

But with Andrea Horwath running a Rob Ford supporter in Vaughan as Fife's candidate mate, will we see Catherine Fife start to back away from Horwath? Here's Horwath's NDP values on display in Vaughan:

With Tracey Weiler and Andrea Horwath's values all over the map, Eric Davis is the best choice for strong local leadership in Kitchener-Waterloo.

"Students putting students first" - Ontario Student Trustees' Association calls Putting Students First Act "a fair deal", but will the NDP and Catherine Fife listen?

The NDP and Catherine Fife have already come out against the Putting Students First Act, but will they listen to the students of Ontario themselves or their big union money interests?

Here's what the Ontario Student Trustees' Association says about the Liberal government moving to make sure students are in class from day one of the school year in Kitchener-Waterloo and across Ontario

Hirad Zafari, OSTA-AECO President and Toronto DSB Student Trustee, called upon "provincial leaders and teachers' unions, specifically those who have not agreed to the OECTA framework, to ensure full-service education for all students this coming year."

Provincial leaders are calling on teachers' unions to take a two-year wage freeze as part of province-wide austerity in the face of a large deficit and growing Ontario public debt - "a fair deal, given the nine years of labour peace and the progress made in our schools" said Kevin Michael, Catholic Board Council President and Student Trustee at Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB.



Tim Hudak showed he can't be trusted to protect stability in schools when he flip-floped and "condemned" full-day kindergarten, and Tracey Weiler showed she is no Elizabeth Witmer when it comes to standing up for Kitchener-Waterloo families by weakly saying she "supported [Hudak's] position". If Catherine Fife and the NDP put big union money (Fife hasn't issued any news releases about education, but she has about getting a public sector union endorsement) before what students want, what does that say about Fife's and the NDP's real priorities on education?

"The best choice for Ontario's challenges"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/dalton-mcguintys-liberals-the-best-choice-for-ontarios-challenges/article2188213/

That's what The Globe & Mail says Dalton McGuinty's Ontario Liberal team is in this election. With the global economy still unsteady, and big challenges looming ahead like the federal-provincial healthcare negotiations, Ontario families deserve leadership they can trust.

As for Hudak?
"[Hudak's]campaign was surprisingly lacklustre...and [Hudak] will move too aggressively and is too dogmatic about smaller government when some public investment is needed...[Dalton McGuinty] took on the pharmacists, in the process saving the province millions on the cost of drugs. Mr. Hudak was on the wrong side of that argument. Mr. McGuinty joined with the federal Conservatives to introduce the HST, a measure that has enhanced the competitiveness of Ontario businesses. Mr. Hudak was on the wrong side of that argument too."

And Horwath?
"The New Democrats, under leader Andrea Horwath, are dangerously flawed, and if given an opportunity to influence policy, either in government or in a minority parliament, would wreak havoc on Ontario’s economy"

Voting Ontario Liberal on Oct 6th is the only way to have a strong, stable government that will create and protect jobs in an uncertain global economy while strengthening services families rely on.

Andrea Horwath gets $200,000 of your tax dollars for nothing?

http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/09/27/ndp-gets-cash-for-accessibility-work-not-done

According to this report, the corporate fundraising arm of the ONDP has received $200,000 of your tax dollars for upgrades for making party HQ more accessible for Ontarians with disabilities, yet the party has seemingly sat on the money. This story, and Horwath's fuzzy math surrounding her billion dollar math mistake on education draw serious doubt on her party's commitment to progressive causes like advancing post-sec education and making Ontario more accessible.

"Thanks for the jobs"

That's what one man who worked for the solar company next to the Ontario Liberal tent told me today at the International Plowing Fest. From providing the way forward to tomorrow's economy with the Green Energy Act to protecting and growing Ontario's agricultural economy, Ontario Liberals are standing up for farmers and the economy.


Over the last eight years, Ontario Liberals have made rural Ontario and its farmers a priority because Ontario's farmers put healthy, locally grown food on Ontario tables.

Agri-food provides 700,000 jobs and also contributes $33 billion to the provincial economy every year. To support farmers, Ontario Liberals created a risk-management program for grain and oilseed farmers four years ago. Now, we're making it permanent and expanding it to other sectors. Liberals worked with Ontario farmers to create a program that meets their needs, providing predictability, bankability and stability.

Both the PCs and NDP voted against risk management.
The Hudak PCs have flip-flopped on risk management, refusing to stand up to the federal Harper Conservatives who oppose it. And the Horwath NDP barely mentions agriculture or farms in their platform. Only the Ontario Liberals have a plan to keep building a strong and prosperous rural Ontario - one that will continue to support farm families for generations to come.

Ontario Liberals protecting the environment and moving Ontario forward

Ontario Liberals are taking the next steps to safeguard our environment for Ontario families. Liberals are protecting precious water resources for future generations with a Great Lakes Protection Act that will be the next chapter in clean water for Ontario.


The Liberal $52 million program will ensure that Ontario keeps its edge as a world leader in clean-water protection.


Ontario Liberals are clean up pollution hot spots identified by Great Lakes scientists and bringing these bays and harbours back from environmental decline so people can enjoy them again.


Ontario Liberals are working to prevent runoff such as phosphorous from getting into the Great Lakes by building the links between communities, farmers, industry and others so that everyone understands what they can do.


Ontario Liberals are reconnect Ontarians with the Great Lakes in their communities by promoting recreational opportunities, improving beaches and supporting community programs.


Dalton McGuinty is leading the way with environmentally progressive governments in North America, stronger drinking-water standards, endangered-species legislation and pollution laws — and we'll continue moving forward.


Under the last PC government, Ontario was one of the worst places in North America for environmental safety. The Hudak PCs would take us backwards — their $14 billion hole would mean deep cuts to environmental protection.

The Horwath NDP has turned its back on the environment — their priority would be to subsidize gas-guzzlers and they have consistently failed to support our progressive environmental initiatives like the Endangered Species Act, the Far North Act and the cosmetic pesticides ban.

Only Ontario Liberals will provide the strong, steady environmental protection that will ensure our children and grandchildren fully enjoy the beauty of our province.

Here's a video of Premier McGuinty talking to David Suzuki about the Ontario Liberal commitment to the environment:

ONDP candidate mocks child abuse allegations in Catholic Church and posts dirty jokes on Twitter - Classy guy

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/17/facebook-101-loose-lips-hurts-election-campaign

Is this why Andrea Horwath is going to such extreme efforts to hide her "team"? Less than 3 weeks before the start of the writ, and the ONDP website still has zero mention of any ONDP candidate or MPP not named Andrea Horwath.

Dirty NDP

On the same day that we learn of massive cuts to Environment Canada coming from the federal Conservatives, it's important to remember that the ONDP is going off track on the environment in the same way.

Check out http://www.dirtyndp.ca/ for more info, and keep Ontario's green job growth and environmental progress on the right track.

What does Jack Layton's former chief of staff think about ONDP environment policy?

He think it is ''anti-environmental nonsense", "a serious disappointment", and "entirely the wrong direction"

Meanwhile, what do Rick Smith & Environmental Defence (of which he serves as executive director) say about Ontario's Green Energy Act?

They think it's "a great move", a "good initiative", "global best practice standard", that has made Ontario a "leader" in job creation.

Say No to Andrea Horwath's dirty schemes

The Ontario Liberals are the only party that will stand up for creating new green jobs and a cleaner environment.

Provincial nomination progress, NDP and Greens

Neither the ONDP or GPO have nominated a particularly large slate so far, so I combined them here.

The NDP haven't nominated a whole lot of candidates so far as I can tell, and they so far seemed to have focused on the GTA. I could only find one notice of someone running for an ONDP nomination up North, which I found surprising considering that the party wants to win more seats up there. 3 of the seats so far nominated could be described as target ridings - Ottawa Centre, London-Fanshawe, and York South-Weston.

The Greens obviously don't have any incumbent MPP's, and the focus has seemed to be on Eastern Ontario and the GTA. Of the seats where the Greens could be considered players last time around, only Ottawa Centre has nominated, with the top two targets for the party, Guelph and Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, still without candidates, although party leader

Mike Schreiner is running in Simcoe-Grey, which could provide a possible boost to the Greens in BGOS, particularly with no incumbent MPP running.

I'll periodically update these maps and have links to other provincial nomination news.

Fun times for the NDP in Ontario...

As a follow-up to my post on the youth wing of the ONDP being taken over by radical Marxists, an update on the drama.

Here is a message that got sent out to for a revote to elect the ONDP exec:


Subject: Call for Meeting to Elect ONDY Executive



Call for Meeting to Elect ONDY Executive





Provincial office has received a number of complaints from NDP members regarding the validity of the recent Executive elections at ONDY.



Upon investigation, the Administrative Committee of the party has established that:



A significant number of the attendees who voted, were not eligible to do so as they were not members in good standing, as stipulated in the ONDY and ONDP Constitutions
The conference was notified that the voting process for the Executive election must adhere to the ONDY Constitution to be valid
Ineligible ballots were cast, which affected the election results, and ineligible candidates were elected

Therefore, the Administrative Committee of the ONDP does not recognize the Executive election results for ONDY held on November 7, 2010.

The Administrative Committee is calling a special meeting on Sunday November 28, 2010 at 12:30 pm following Provincial Council at 89 Chestnut Street, Toronto with the specific purpose of holding an election for the ONDY Executive. ONDP members holding valid membership for 30 days or more, and who are under the age of 26 are eligible to run for election and to vote. Eligibility of valid membership in the ONDP will be verified and proof of age is required.



Administrative Committee

Ontario's New Democrats

And take a look at this website: http://wrightpercy.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/questions-the-ondp-dont-want-asked/

Apparently this is a list of questions that went out to delegates to at last weekends' ONDP convention by a group of insiders.

Finances

1. Why has the president continually evaded questions that relate to the finances of Cornerstone Corp.?

2. Despite the fact that boards of directors are required to provide shareholders with annual financial reports, the president has outright refused to properlty report to the party membership on Cornerstone Corp. Why?

3. Despite the fact that funds were raised to make provincial office accessible, the building remains inaccessible. How much money was raised for this purpose? Where is this money now?

4. Ethnic Liaison Committee co-chair Yvette Blackburn was the only member of provincial executive asking questions about Cornerstone. What are the detailed reasons Yvette Blackburn was pushed off provincial executive?

5. How many checks written by the party for the Cathy Crowe campaign have bounced and remain unpaid?

6. If so much money was raised during the Cathy Crowe campaign, why did so many checks bounce?

7. Why does Merv Richards no longer work at provincial office?

8. Are party members or provincial executive members liable for any default Cornerstone Corp. loans?

9. Why did the party donate over one million dollars, in estate bequeaths, to the United Way when we are in such financial turmoil?

10. Does the party have enough money to run a full campaign in all ridings in 2011?



Workers’ rights

As Organized Labour’s official political voice, it is revolting, embarrassing, and an insult to the founding principles of the party that we should preach against exploitation of workers while exploiting our own workers.

11. Until abuses were reported by staff, the Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union (COPE) was not aware of at least 12 employees at provincial office on contract for a period of years, in blatant violation of the collective agreement. How much in back-pay and benefits does the party now owe these employees?

12. Will the party contact provincial office employees who had left before COPE’s investigation, to back pay them what they are rightfully owed in wages and benefits? If not, why?

13. Why were labour practice violations, complaints, COPE’s investigation, and COPE’s resulting order against provincial office all kept from the party membership and executive?

14. Is it fair to party workers to be represented by COPE against the party’s management, when COPE is affiliated with the party? Is COPE more concered with the rights of party workers or the party when the two are in conflict?

15. How does the current Leader reconcile the exploitation of contract workers at provincial office and Queen’s Park, with her speeches across the province in which she speaks against the use of contract workers?

16. How many labour complaints are currently filed by provincial office or Queen’s Park staff against the party or members of the party?

17. Several complaints were lodged against the Horwath Leadership campaign by workers. What were the nature of these complaints and how were they resolved?



Hiring practices

18. What is Salome Cinqueira role at provincial office? Why was her title changed from special advisor to the Leader so suddenly? Did her duties also change at this time? If not, why?

19. Was Salome Cinqueira originally paid from public money through Queen’s Park? Was this money returned to the province? Why?

20. What was the hiring process for Salome Cinqueira? Was there a competition or was she appointed? Who made the decision to hire her?

21. As an employee of Queen’s Park, paid through public money, Deb Parent used her position to run the Leader’s Challenge fundraising project. Has the party repaid her salary back to the province?

22. Are riding associations who participated in the Leader’s Challenge potentially liable due to Deb Parent’s use of her Queen’s Park position to raise funds for the party?

23. What are the details of the process by which Darlene Lawson was hired as provincial secretary? Under what authority did the Leader’s office overturn the admin council’s nomination for secretary to be replaced by Darlene Lawson?

24. Was Penny Marno recently re-hired by the ONDP? If so, in what capacity and what was the nature of the hiring competition?


Resources and capacity

25. How did the party decide which municipal candidates it would assist and which it would not?

26. Did the party only assist municpal candidates Toronto?

27. Will the party provide a list of all municpal candidates that received NDP support in the recent municpal electsion?

28. Did the party consider how it might offend members it did not lend support to during the municipal elections in the lead-up to the 2011 provincial election?

29. What happened to the Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Committee that was doing so much work?

30. How, and for what purpose, did the Ontario New Democratic Youth (ONDY) Committee de-charter the Toronto Young New Democrats (TYND) that was doing so much work?

31. Will the Party assist any candidates, including incumbent MPPS, with resources for the 2011 election?

32. Will the party assist some incumbents and not others? If so, which incumbents will it assist and how will these decisions be made?

33. How many Leader’s Challenges have there been, how many made money and how many have lost money?

34. Is it within the best interest of the party, considering its dismal state of affairs, to attack one of its youth wings (TYND) in the lead-up to a provincial election? Is this the best use of our time and resources before an election?

35. Who made the decision to target TYND?

36. How many members have left the party in the last year compared to how many have joined as first-time members?



Transparency and meaningful participation

37. How many members has the party lost since the 2009 Convention?

38. In 2004 the party had about 35,000 members, but by the 2009 Leadership Convention, we were below 20,000. What is the leadership’s explanation for this massive decrease?

39. How many Preauthorized Checking (PAC) memberships has the party lost since the 2009 Convention?

40. Has the party ever purged its membership list of members-in-good-standing, for internal votes – such as an AGM or candidate selection meeting – to assure a specific outcome?

41. Were unions supportive of Peter Tabuns in the 2009 leadership race prevented from affiliating with the party? If so, who was responsible for preventing affiliation? Was this does according to the constitution?

42. How does the party justify applying the constitution to the recent ONDY elections but not to the vote that postponed the 2011 convention?

43. Does the party believe that applying different rules when it suits the leaders is democratic and transparent?

44. Is it transparent and accountable to allow members with paid positions within the party to also hold offices on executive council or on riding associations?

45. Who is responsible for continually jeopardizing the good name, standing and legality of the party with acts like those described above? Are we as members liable for these acts?


Combine this with the horrible showing of the NDP candidate in Vaughan in the by-election, who won 1.7% of the vote by borrowing talking points on the HST from Andrea Horwath, and putting it at the forefront of his campaign, and it looks like the NDP in Ontario is having some rough times lately.

Ontario New Democratic Youth taken over by radical Marxists

No longer is it hyperbole to attack the Ontario NDP as unacceptably left-wing, after the Ontario NDP Youth wing was taken over last weekend by the so called "Slate for a Democratic and Activist ONDY" , an openly Marxist group linked with Fightback magazine, and the recently de-ratified and far-left Toronto Young New Democrats.

The far-left take on it here: http://www.marxist.ca/content/view/613/47/

And here: http://www.rabble.ca/babble/central-canada/ondy-slugfest

And lest you think the ONDP caucus is recoiling in fear at the Ontario NDP Youth turning to the Marxist left, here are two letters in support of the TYND from Cheri DiNovo and Michael Prue:

Dear ONDY Executive,

As the MPP for Beaches-East York, I add my voice in support of the Toronto Youth New Democrats

The decision to de-charter TYND came as a great surprise. This club has done phenomenal work in the past year, what comes to mind is the great work and support they provided in the Cathy Crowe Campaign. They have succeeded in building vibrant working communities, throughout the city, implemented a successful summer camp, strive to help the needy, and lend a voice to the silent... I am in support of the TYND being re-chartered, to allow them to continue their great work.

Yours truly,
Michael Prue, MPP
Beaches-East York

To Whom It May Concern

I am loathe to comment on ONDY activities as they are in every sense a separate organization but a letter has been brought to my attention that merits comment because it misrepresents the history of my party, the NDP, in shall I say, a Stalinist or McCarthyist manner (yes there are similarities).

We were founded as the CCF and the NDP on principles which have included socialism and one of our founders who was both a social gospel adherent and a Socialist, JS Woodsworth defined himself as such. So have Tommy Douglas, Jack Layton and Stephen Lewis among dozens of other in our history, using 'Democratic Socialism' as their descriptor.

The definition of what socialism is, whether socialism is our position, what kind of socialism etc.has also been part of our DNA as a party and ONDY has often been the appropriate place for such debates. That is simply democracy at work.

We are a big tent party with room for many different opinions and robust dialogue. This is also democracy at work.

To expel members or de-charter chapters of ONDY because we disagree with some opinions using as cover a skewed history of our party is not democratic. It is called 'red-baiting'. Put it to a vote under the rules of democracy we have always held dear.

We need unity yes, but never at the cost of democracy.

Wishing you all a wonderful and rich with debate, convention.

Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo
MPP Parkdale High Park

And from the most recent issue of Fightback, vocal words of support in favour of Andrea Horwath:

There is, however, an alternate trend developing within the NDP and in the labour movement that needs to be strengthened. The recently elected leader of the Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath, in her speech that won over the most trade union support and ensured her victory in the contest for new party leader, clearly stated, “We New Democrats won’t check our socialism at the door when it comes to building a better future.” Many unions, such as the CEP and Steelworkers, are also making statements criticizing the capitalist system. Given the economic crisis and the failure of capitalism, this is quite obviously the direction the party should be moving in.

http://www.marxist.ca/content/view/609/47/

Apparently now the ONDP administrative committee is looking into the election, saying that illegal voting occured. Let's see how this plays out for the newly elected comrades of the ONDY.