The New Democratic Party (NDP) is “disconnected” from the workers. The opposition parties have “turned their backs” on this segment of the population. The formulas differ, but the message of the Progressive Conservatives in Ontario has remained the same for the past few days: only their party will defend the working class. Allegations not entirely accurate, according to experts.
Six unions have supported Doug Ford’s party so far. On Wednesday, the Conservative leader took advantage of his visit to Hamilton, in New Democrat territory – a party traditionally close to the unions – to announce the arrival of two new coalitions in its ranks: workers in the metal sector and workers in the piping. “They recognize our historic investments in the trades,” Doug Ford said.
This is a turnaround for a party that has championed anti-union measures for the past decade. Their support, however, represents only 5% of Ontario’s labor movement, estimates Brock University professor Larry Savage, who specializes in the political participation of unions. One of the coalitions behind Doug Ford, the International Union of Workers of North America, already supported him in 2018.
Not only are the supports limited, notes Stephanie Ross, a professor of labor studies at McMaster University, but they are also offered by a homogeneous group. The unions that lined up behind Doug Ford are mostly made up of men, she says, while the average Canadian union member today is a nurse or a teacher. Women made up 43% of union members in Ontario in 1997; the number increased to 53% in 2020.
In April, Labor Minister Monte McNaughton described the workers building the Ontario of tomorrow as those who “shower at night.” “The Conservatives have a traditional idea of the male union member,” says Stephanie Ross. Rob Gilmour, a manager in the Conservative caucus from 2019 to 2020, finds M’s commentme Offensive Ross. “How many unions does it take to conceive that something positive is happening? ” he asks.
Strategic support
The supporters may be few, but they nevertheless have a role to play for the conservatives. “It’s an image,” says Howard Hampton, who was leader of the NDP from 1996 to 2009. “It’s a good way to demoralize New Democrats,” says Professor Stephanie Ross. “Mme Horwath, for years the unions have supported you. Now you are disconnected from the workers,” Doug Ford told NDP leader Andrea Horwath. during the debate Monday leaders.
“Winning the hearts of the unions neutralizes the idea that the party is not on the side of the workers”, explains Larry Savage. According to the Brock University professor, the Conservatives have been able to secure this support in return for significant investments in skilled trades and in projects — like Highway 413 outside Toronto — that will employ thousands of unionized workers. Conservative strategist Rob Gilmour instead thinks it demonstrates an openness from Doug Ford and Monte McNaughton.
Construction unions have long lent a hand to the Liberals, who were in power in Ontario from 2003 to 2018, until the election of Doug Ford. “Labour unions want a lot of money for construction, so if you have a Liberal government that says, ‘We’re going to build roads,’ those unions are going to support it,” illustrates Howard Hampton.
Most other unions line up behind the NDP. Some coalitions do this almost systematically, while other labor groups, such as teachers, are in an anti-Conservative camp, notes Larry Savage, and choose before or during the campaign which of the New Democrats or the Liberals has the best chance of defeat the conservatives.
The Legacy of the “Rae Days”
Things weren’t always like this. At one time, the labor movement was practically united behind the NDP. But austerity measures imposed in the 1990s by the only NDP government in the province’s history, led by Premier Bob Rae, divided the movement. As they were not very popular, the Conservatives of Mike Harris took advantage of them and won, relegating the NDP to the second opposition.
It was after the NDP slap in the 1995 election that some unions took a strategic approach to avoid another Conservative government. The phenomenon is still visible today. The secondary school teachers’ union, which has 60,000 members, has, for example, supported some Liberal candidates and others from the NDP. “Teachers’ unions vote really strategically,” confirms Stephanie Ross.
Two clans exist, one loyal to the NDP and another strategic, but even the latter tends to support the NDP, explains Larry Savage. On May 12, the Ontario Federation of Labor announced, for example, that it was siding with the New Democrats, citing in particular its opposition to the Ford government’s Bill 124, which capped pay increases for public servants and parapublic sector in 2019. The federation represents one million workers. The biggest unions are in the public sector, notes Stephanie Ross, “and they don’t agree with the Progressive Conservatives.”
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada