The Election Thus Far

This has been a bizarre week for federal election watchers. Yesterday, Buzz Hargrove, who has been seen for many years as a progressive union leader, openly endorsed the Prime Ministership of Paul Martin. Today he is calling for an open NDP-Liberal alliance. Despite being a self-described “life-time member of the NDP” yesterday, Hargrove openly encouraged his members to vote Liberal if there is little chance of an NDP candidate winning in a local riding.

Not surprisingly, NDP members are furious. They are busy calling for the Ontario or federal NDP to expel him from the party. Perhaps this is not a bad idea. I fully agree that Hargrove’s endorsement of the Liberal Party represents a historic turn for the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). By endorsing Martin, Hargrove has legitimized the Liberal program that has included cutting millions of dollars in corporate taxes while unilaterally dismantling important elements of the welfare state.

To be sure, Hargrove’s endorsement of the Liberals is linked to the 450 million dollar bail-out program announced by the Federal and Provincial wing of the Liberal party over the past year. But despite this bail-out program, General Motors has been overly aggressive in laying off Canadian workers, which the union seems to have openly accepted. By endorsing the company’s plan, which includes endorsing the Federal Liberal party, Hargrove has really taken the wind out of the left.

But Hargrove alone can not take full responsibilities for the NDP’s inability to carve out an alterative on the left. The federal NDP has been openly moving to the right for over two decades, and in many cases, the provincial parties have openly distanced themselves from the labour movement. In government, the Provincial wings of the NDP have been as openly aggressive with public and private sector unions as any government on the right.

So what is happening? There seems to be a universal belief that many on the left are battered and tired, and are now courting the devil they know (the Liberals) while trying to avoid the devil they don’t know (the Conservatives). This is a fool’s game.

While the NDP is guilty of being visionless, they still are a third, left alternative to the federal Liberals. Without a third party, Canada's democracy would resemble the limited, and ultimately narrow choice that US voters face: a right-party or a slightly farther right party. While the NDP, as well as most social democratic parties in the Western world, embraced many aspects of third way neo-liberalism (especially at the Provincial level) the party system still forces the NDP to campaign on deepening the welfare state. It is a mistake for Hargrove to make this endorsement, if for nothing else, he will be helping to defeat even progressive NDP candidates that are running neck and neck with Liberals, including Peggy Nash (and autoworker) in Parkdale-High Park or Oliva Chow in Trinity-Spadina. A mistake all around Buzz…