Ontario Elections | The importance of leader leadership

With the tabling tomorrow of the budget that will serve as the Progressive Conservative Party’s election platform, Ontarians will begin to worry about the June 2 election. In addition to the various public policy issues, it is the leadership of party leaders that will mainly hold their attention.

Many voters vote primarily for a party leader rather than a local candidate or political party. In the Ontario context, each leader has their own leadership style and their personality traits create unique challenges.

Ford and his relational leadership

Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford has embraced a relational style of leadership. He excels at what’s called “retail politics,” in the sense that he’s good at interacting one-on-one with voters. He thus copies the style of his late brother and controversial former mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, known for his ability to bond with people.

Ford has been widely criticized for his multiple flip-flops, whether on systemic racism or school closures during the pandemic. However, the humility with which he admits to having made a mistake demonstrates that he listens to the public. Since it is human to err, changes in the Prime Minister’s position can give the impression that he is “like everyone else” and that one can sympathize with his errors. A quality you rarely see in politics these days.

Ford’s relational leadership has been noted for several years, when he invited citizens to contact him directly on his personal telephone number.

We will remember that last winter, he helped motorists stuck in the snow. Although this media stunt was decried by many as opportunistic, it nevertheless showed the Prime Minister in his comfort zone.

Ford, however, seems less comfortable in a more institutionalized setting like Queen’s Park. Throughout his tenure, he was criticized for not showing up often for Question Period and thus avoiding exposure to criticism from the opposition.

To make sure of getting a second majority government, Ford will therefore have to show voters that he can assume major state responsibilities such as limiting the harmful effects of inflation on the purchasing power of citizens.

Del Duca and his unifying leadership

As for Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, he is trying to adopt a unifying style of leadership. We have seen this approach deployed in recent months, for example when he organized a non-partisan conference on the shortage of staff in hospitals or when he did not exclude the possibility of collaborating with the New Democratic Party after the ‘election. By positioning himself as an open leader working for the common good, he wants to show that he represents a viable alternative to Ford.

For a politician who calls himself a team player, it often felt like Del Duca was a one-man show by often appearing alone on the podium. When he took the reins of the Liberal Party, it was reduced to seven legislative seats. However, as he fills out his list of candidates for the next election, we notice that Del Duca is surrounded more and more at a press conference.

Although many Ontarians identify as Liberals and the Ontario Liberal Party ranks second in voting intentions, Del Duca, who has been leader for two years now, is struggling to make himself known to the public.

According to the polls, Ontarians know him little or not at all. Del Duca would therefore have an interest in selling his person and his original ideas more as a leader rather than emphasizing his team and consensual decision-making.

Horwath and his conviction leadership

Andrea Horwath, the leader of the NDP and official opposition at Queen’s Park, demonstrates leadership by conviction and fights passionately for her ideals of social justice. Her leadership style seems to be paying off, as she is more popular than her own party, which ranks behind the Progressive Conservative Party and the Liberal Party in voting intentions!

Over the past decade, Horwath has downplayed NDP ideological rhetoric and tried to charm Ontario’s middle class. The fact remains that she must convince Ontarians that the province can assume the more expenses necessary to implement her idealistic promises. Which could prove difficult in the context of a pandemic where government spending has exploded.

Horwath’s challenge will be to demonstrate that she and her party are credible options for forming the next government.

She will also try for the fourth time to become prime minister next June. If she does not improve her party’s performance in the next election, she may well be shown the door unless she decides to leave of her own accord.