Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath delivers a speech at the party's convention in Toronto on Nov. 15.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Andrea Horwath survived a leadership review Saturday, beating back a wave of discontent among the party rank-and-file over last June's poor election result.
The Ontario New Democrat Leader took 77 per cent support at a party conference – thanks to back-channel manoeuvring, a shakeup among her advisors and a shift to the left over the last five months.
"Thank you for your vote of confidence," a beaming Ms. Horwath said as the results of the vote were announced shortly before 7 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. "We'll get on with the business of forming government in 2018."
The vote was an opportunity for party grassroots to let out pent-up frustration.
During the general election, Ms. Horwath's critics accused her of abandoning traditional ambitious NDP policy in favour of small-ball populist promises. She campaigned on such things as hydro rebates while Premier Kathleen Wynne outflanked her on the left by pledging a new provincial pension plan and some raises for social workers. The Liberals won a majority government and the NDP lost the balance of power in the legislature.
But in the end, Ms. Horwath's re-embracing of more progressive politics – such as attacking planned Liberal budget cuts – and reaching out to the rank and file since the election was enough to blunt their anger. The final tally had 811 votes against a leadership race – effectively voting for Ms. Horwath to stay – while 244 voted in favour of putting the party's top job up for grabs. She took a point more than she had in her previous review two years ago.
The result had looked uncertain earlier in the day, when Ms. Horwath's conference speech received a tepid response – despite some fire-breathing rhetoric.
Attacking the Liberals' plan to privatize Hydro One's distribution businesses, she said: "Essential services like electricity [should] stay in the public sector – not eaten like oysters in a Bay Street Bar, for somebody's private profit."
Then she took aim at corporate tax breaks, and accused both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives of being too chummy with big business.
"People who have treated themselves and their friends to a twenty-year fiscal drunken orgy financed by debt and service cuts to pay for billions in tax cuts for people who need them the least, have no business lecturing us about the budget," she said.
While she received a standing ovation, many delegates either remained sitting or applauded only faintly. The speech was less contrite than other recent addresses, and seemed to lack the passion of the tour-de-force performance Ms. Horwath gave at provincial council two months ago.
"Well, she tried," shrugged one delegate of the performance.
But Ms. Horwath's behind-the-scenes work carried the day. Since the election, she has been meeting with rank-and-file party members – including many of her detractors – trying to win them back. The play appears to have worked.
A slate approved by Ms. Horwath's office swept the elections to the party executive, with Mary Rita Holland, a Kingston, Ont. city councillor, acclaimed president and Cindy Hackelberg, a party activist from Thornhill, Ont. elected treasurer.
Tellingly, veteran party activist Janet Solberg was elected a vice-president as part of the slate. Ms. Solberg, sources have said, attended a meeting of discontented party activists last summer. Prominent union leader Fred Hahn, who was also said to have attended that meeting, endorsed the slate.
The only candidates to run on explicitly anti-Horwath platforms were all members of the marginal, hard-left Socialist Caucus, suggesting there was little organized opposition to her leadership from the mainstream grassroots.
In recent months, Ms. Horwath has also sought to placate her detractors by shaking up the team around her that masterminded the June election strategy. She replaced her top aides – Gissel Yanez and Elliott Anderson. Party president Neethan Shan, meanwhile, opted not to seek another term.
Ms. Horwath also brought in Michael Balagus, former chief of staff to Manitoba premiers Gary Doer and Greg Selinger to run her office. In a speech to the convention shortly before voting got underway around 5.30 p.m., he signalled that he would manage her office differently.
Mr. Balagus promised the party will craft more serious policy – seen as a deficiency in the last election – and respect organized labour.
And he referenced one of the NDP's largest problems last June: the way the party ignored Toronto ridings in the last election in favour of fighting for gains in Southwestern Ontario. In the end, the New Democrats lost three of their five Toronto seats.
"You don't expand the tent by throwing out some of the chairs," Mr. Balagus said. "This tent is big enough for everyone."
The room, in the cavernous, subterranean section of the convention centre, was tense throughout the day.
Ms. Horwath spoke at 9.30 a.m. But delegates voted to hold the review at 5:30 p.m. – reversing a plan by party leadership to vote right after Ms. Horwath's speech. The results weren't tallied until shortly before 7 p.m.
Ms. Horwath said after the vote that she had not set a threshold of support necessary to stay on as leader. Although a leadership race would only have been triggered if her support fell below 50 per cent, party leaders usually opt to resign unless they receive substantially more than that.