Premier Ford, Ontario NDP praise Horwath for Hamilton mayoral bid

Hamilton | Latest News | Politics |

By

Published July 26, 2022 at 1:07 pm

Andrea Horwath

Premier Doug Ford, along with the party that Andrea Horwath is leaving to run for mayor of Hamilton, are sending her their best best wishes.

Both Ford and Ontario New Democratic Party interim Leader Peter Tabuns issued statements on Tuesday morning, about two hours after Horwath officially registered to run in the Oct. 24 municipal election. Doing so means resigning as the member of provincial parliament for Hamilton Centre after 18 years at Queen’s Park, including four as leader of the official opposition.

While he once infamously likened listening to Horwath to “nails on a chalkboard” while she was the highest-ranking female politician in Ontario, Ford offered praise for his former rival.

“As I said the day after the election, let there be no doubt that Andrea wakes up every day ready to fight for what she believes in,” a statement from Ford read. “I want to thank her for her years of public service, both as leader of the opposition and as MPP for Hamilton Centre.

“As municipal elections approach, I wish all candidates across Ontario the best of luck.”

Ford and the Ontario PCs have proposed passing “strong mayor” legislation in Toronto and Ottawa, the two largest cities in the province. Hamilton is the third-largest census metropolitan area in Ontario with a population of 785,000, which has fed into speculation about a similar change.

In their first term, the Ford-helmed Ontario PCs made several changes to specific to municipal governance. Ford cancelled regional chair elections in Peel, Muskoka and York Region. His predecessor as Ontario PC leader, current Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, had intended to run for one of those positions. The PCs also went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to defending using Section 33 of the Canadian constitution — the notwithstanding clause — to cut the size of Toronto city council after campaigning had already started.

The announcement from Horwath that she was leaving one elected position to seek another comes just 54 days after the Ontario election. On June 2, she announced she would resign after 13 years leading the party.

“On behalf of the NDP, I want to congratulate Andrea Horwath on her decision to run for Mayor of Hamilton,” Tabuns stated.

“Anyone who knows Andrea has heard her speak passionately about her hometown. Her heart is always in the Hammer. And we know she can deliver incredible progress for the people of Hamilton.

“Andrea never stops thinking about how to make people’s lives better. She’s a tireless fighter for what’s right. While we will miss her dearly at our caucus table, we wish her nothing but the best in this municipal election.”

That day, the NDP retained official opposition status by winning 31 seats. But that was nine fewer than they won in 2018, and they received 800,000 fewer votes amid Ontario having the worst voter turnout in the province’s history.

At the same time, when Horwath took the helm in 2009, the NDP was a third-place party with 10 seats.

There is, however, some criticism of the decision. Catherine McKenna, a Hamilton-born former federal Liberal cabinet minister, wondered how Horwath could make an announcement she was in the race while deflecting questions about detailed policies.

“Imagine announcing that you’re running for Mayor in the town you’re from and represented provincially for 18 years … and you don’t have anything to say to voters about your ideas,” McKenna wrote on Twitter. “Politics isn’t about politicians. It’s about people & policy.

McKenna was the infrastructure minister last year when the Liberals committed federal funding for the Hamilton light-rail transit project, before leaving electoral politics. The LRT commitment reportedly played a part in Bob Bratina leaving federal politics, and launch a bid for mayor.

‘Abandoning our riding’

Hamilton Centre is a deep-orange NDP stronghold and Horwath had a 40-point winning margin while holding the seat last month. Whether that success and base of support crosses over to municipal politics, where party lines are informal and unstated, could be an open question.

A pore over the commentariat on Twitter suggested there is skepticism about Horwath leaving a position she was elected to, in order to join a mayor’s race that is 90 days from the finish line. One narrative, albeit one that plays to mayoral hopeful Keanin Loomis being a first-time candidate, is that Horwath and fellow candidate Bob Bratina, an ex-Liberal MP and one-time mayor, are

“(Hamilton) is not a consolation prize,” said Bianca Caramento, a senior policy analyst with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which Loomis was previously involved with.

There was also discussion about how Horwath is leaving a job she was elected to fewer than eight weeks ago, even though that is not rare in politics.

“Whether spur of the moment decision or something mulled over for a long time, Andrea abandoning our riding for Mayor a month after a campaign doesn’t look good,” wrote Ryan Patrick Moran, a partner in CoMotionSpaces, a King St. E. coworking venue.

Horwath was on city council for more than six years. She represented the downtown Ward 2 from 1997 till ’04, when she won a byelection in the old Hamilton East riding. While Hamilton’s demographics have changed rapidly over the past decade, more long-time residents might recall the roots of her public service.

“She built a reputation as a hardworking, community-driven councillor who fought for what was just. She was a breath of fresh air in a city dominated by lobbyists and developers,” wrote Alan Deschamps, a self-described “lefty.”

(Hamilton city council has had a reputation for being deferential to the property development industry. Last November, Ward 11 Coun. Brenda Johnson said “bullying” developers were a problem for the city.)

Cory Judson, a Hamilton-native schoolteacher and one-time NDP candidate, wondered if there was sexism behind some criticism of Horwath’s decision.

“They say they want something new but all I am hearing is misogyny,” Judson wrote.

Hamilton is the second-largest Canadian city, after Vancouver, that has never elected a woman mayor.

The last woman to garner any noticeable support was Diane Elms, who finished third in 2006 after receiving 7.55 per cent in a race where current Mayor Fred Eisenberger unseated Larry Di Ianni. Elms was an iridology practitioner who ran as a reformer with a focus on fiscal mismanagement and lack of voter participation.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising