Fourth consecutive majority victory for Manitoba NDP
Paul Waldie and Roy Macgregor
WINNIPEG— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2011 10:19PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Oct. 05, 2011 12:09AM EDT
Source - Globe and Mail
Manitoba NDP Leader Greg Selinger waves to supporters after winning the provincial election in Winnipeg on Oct. 4, 2011.
Fred Greenslade/Reuters
Greg Selinger has won a historic victory for Manitoba’s NDP, riding a strong economy and the return of the Winnipeg Jets to a fourth consecutive majority government.
The NDP was leading in 35 seats in the province’s 57-seat legislature on Tuesday night with nearly all votes counted. The result was Mr. Selinger’s first victory since becoming party leader in 2009 after Gary Doer stepped down as premier to become Canada’s ambassador to the United States. The NDP has ruled the province since 1999.
Mr. Selinger's win ties a string of majorities set by the Conservatives between 1900 and 1915.
The NDP's victory, however, demonstrated there is a sharp urban/rural split in the province, with the Mr. Selinger's party doing well in the cities and the Progressive Conservatives dominating rural areas.
The NDP also managed to win even though it received far fewer votes than in the last election. The New Democrats received about 45 per cent of the vote and the Tories about 44 per cent. And yet the seat standings barely changed, reflecting a series of tight races that ended up in NDP hands. Most of the added Tory total came from the Liberals who saw their vote collapse.
Nonetheless, the victory was a turnaround for the NDP, which had trailed the opposition Progressive Conservatives in the polls for months. Last March, about half of Manitobans polled said they wanted a change in government. But some aggressive campaigning by the NDP, and Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen’s inability to shape his message boosted the NDP’s fortunes. By last weekend, the NDP was ahead in the polls and Mr. Selinger’s approval rating had soared above Mr. McFadyen’s.
In the end, the the NDP held 35 seats and the Tories 21. The Liberals held off elimination, as party leader Jon Gerrard barely hung on to his seat, the party’s lone victory.
Mr. McFayden quit as Torty Leader Tuesday night after the results became clear. He had been leader for five years and was clearly banking on an improved result this election after making some progress in 2007.
Mr. McFadyen told reporters that he expected to win 26 to 30 seats, and he had already decided that if he didn't win that total he would step down.
Mr. Selinger, 60, benefited from the province’s sound, if plodding, economy. Manitoba’s unemployment rate is 5.4 per cent, below the national average, and its economy is expected to grow by 2.8 per cent this year, better than many provinces. Economic issues barely registered during the campaign and the NDP and Tory platforms showed little difference, giving the incumbent an edge.
"I've never been more optimistic about the future of Manitoba," Mr. Selinger told supporters. "We have a very good positive future ahead of us if we all keep going on the right track. ... We have made history"
The NDP also tapped into the emotional tidal wave that has swept the province as a result of the return of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets. The NDP played up the team in its campaign literature, and Mr. Selinger was front and centre at the press conference last May announcing the club’s rebirth after a 15-year absence. He even caused a controversy during the campaign when he announced a provincial government partnership with the team’s owner, True North Entertainment, to address at-risk students. Mr. McFadyen and Dr. Gerrard said the announcement violated election laws, but the issue never gained traction.
The election results could bode well for campaigns in other provinces. In Ontario, the incumbent Liberals can take comfort in the return of a governing party to a consecutive majority. The Ontario NDP can also see the Manitoba victory as a continuation of the rise in the party’s support under federal leader Jack Layton.
Mr. Selinger dedicated the NDP campaign to Mr. Layton’s memory, but many political observers question whether that had any effect. They note that the NDP failed to make gains in Manitoba during the May federal election. The federal Tories won 11 of the province’s 14 seats, the NDP two and the Liberals one.
Mr. McFadyen, 45, tried to reshape the party and expand it beyond its rural base and into Winnipeg, long dominated by the NDP. He McFadyen cast aside long-time party veterans and brought in younger, urban candidates such as Olympic champion speed skater Susan Auch, who lost. He also refined party policies to make them more attractive to city voters, particularly women. He hoped to emulate Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, whose Saskatchewan Party won office in 2007 after losing one election and moderating some of its policies.
"The reality is this in politics, is that you have to deliver bottom line results if you want to carry on as leader of the party," Mr. McFadyen told supporters Tuesday night. "We didn't get the result we wanted and so I am announcing tonight that I will be stepping down as our party leader."
Mr. McFadyen, a long-time party strategist, also steered clear of many traditional Tory issues. He didn’t promise tough austerity measures or government cutbacks, even though he attacked the NDP for badly managing the province’s finances and ringing up a huge debt. Instead, he vowed to boost spending on health care and run annual deficits four years longer than the NDP. He also criticized the NDP for plans to spend billions of dollars on a new hydro line to bring power from the north to the south.
The Tory message throughout the campaign was, “Where have the NDP left us after 11 years?” But the slogan didn’t capture voters’ attention. In the end, they couldn’t see much difference between the leaders and they didn’t have enough enthusiasm for change.
Mr. Selinger said he wished Mr. McFadyen had taken more time to make his decision, but wished him the best and honoured his contribution to politics.
The election was the first under the province’s fixed-date election system, which meant the parties had been campaigning for months. Mr. Selinger got out to a head start by putting Mr. McFadyen on the defensive, attacking him for having a secret agenda to privatize Manitoba Hydro and the provincial auto-insurance system. Mr. McFadyen had to run ads countering the attacks, leaving him less time to craft his own message.
Paul Waldie and Roy Macgregor
WINNIPEG— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2011 10:19PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Oct. 05, 2011 12:09AM EDT
Source - Globe and Mail
Manitoba NDP Leader Greg Selinger waves to supporters after winning the provincial election in Winnipeg on Oct. 4, 2011.Fred Greenslade/Reuters
Greg Selinger has won a historic victory for Manitoba’s NDP, riding a strong economy and the return of the Winnipeg Jets to a fourth consecutive majority government.
The NDP was leading in 35 seats in the province’s 57-seat legislature on Tuesday night with nearly all votes counted. The result was Mr. Selinger’s first victory since becoming party leader in 2009 after Gary Doer stepped down as premier to become Canada’s ambassador to the United States. The NDP has ruled the province since 1999.
Mr. Selinger's win ties a string of majorities set by the Conservatives between 1900 and 1915.
The NDP's victory, however, demonstrated there is a sharp urban/rural split in the province, with the Mr. Selinger's party doing well in the cities and the Progressive Conservatives dominating rural areas.
The NDP also managed to win even though it received far fewer votes than in the last election. The New Democrats received about 45 per cent of the vote and the Tories about 44 per cent. And yet the seat standings barely changed, reflecting a series of tight races that ended up in NDP hands. Most of the added Tory total came from the Liberals who saw their vote collapse.
Nonetheless, the victory was a turnaround for the NDP, which had trailed the opposition Progressive Conservatives in the polls for months. Last March, about half of Manitobans polled said they wanted a change in government. But some aggressive campaigning by the NDP, and Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen’s inability to shape his message boosted the NDP’s fortunes. By last weekend, the NDP was ahead in the polls and Mr. Selinger’s approval rating had soared above Mr. McFadyen’s.
In the end, the the NDP held 35 seats and the Tories 21. The Liberals held off elimination, as party leader Jon Gerrard barely hung on to his seat, the party’s lone victory.
Mr. McFayden quit as Torty Leader Tuesday night after the results became clear. He had been leader for five years and was clearly banking on an improved result this election after making some progress in 2007.
Mr. McFadyen told reporters that he expected to win 26 to 30 seats, and he had already decided that if he didn't win that total he would step down.
Mr. Selinger, 60, benefited from the province’s sound, if plodding, economy. Manitoba’s unemployment rate is 5.4 per cent, below the national average, and its economy is expected to grow by 2.8 per cent this year, better than many provinces. Economic issues barely registered during the campaign and the NDP and Tory platforms showed little difference, giving the incumbent an edge.
"I've never been more optimistic about the future of Manitoba," Mr. Selinger told supporters. "We have a very good positive future ahead of us if we all keep going on the right track. ... We have made history"
The NDP also tapped into the emotional tidal wave that has swept the province as a result of the return of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets. The NDP played up the team in its campaign literature, and Mr. Selinger was front and centre at the press conference last May announcing the club’s rebirth after a 15-year absence. He even caused a controversy during the campaign when he announced a provincial government partnership with the team’s owner, True North Entertainment, to address at-risk students. Mr. McFadyen and Dr. Gerrard said the announcement violated election laws, but the issue never gained traction.
The election results could bode well for campaigns in other provinces. In Ontario, the incumbent Liberals can take comfort in the return of a governing party to a consecutive majority. The Ontario NDP can also see the Manitoba victory as a continuation of the rise in the party’s support under federal leader Jack Layton.
Mr. Selinger dedicated the NDP campaign to Mr. Layton’s memory, but many political observers question whether that had any effect. They note that the NDP failed to make gains in Manitoba during the May federal election. The federal Tories won 11 of the province’s 14 seats, the NDP two and the Liberals one.
Mr. McFadyen, 45, tried to reshape the party and expand it beyond its rural base and into Winnipeg, long dominated by the NDP. He McFadyen cast aside long-time party veterans and brought in younger, urban candidates such as Olympic champion speed skater Susan Auch, who lost. He also refined party policies to make them more attractive to city voters, particularly women. He hoped to emulate Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, whose Saskatchewan Party won office in 2007 after losing one election and moderating some of its policies.
"The reality is this in politics, is that you have to deliver bottom line results if you want to carry on as leader of the party," Mr. McFadyen told supporters Tuesday night. "We didn't get the result we wanted and so I am announcing tonight that I will be stepping down as our party leader."
Mr. McFadyen, a long-time party strategist, also steered clear of many traditional Tory issues. He didn’t promise tough austerity measures or government cutbacks, even though he attacked the NDP for badly managing the province’s finances and ringing up a huge debt. Instead, he vowed to boost spending on health care and run annual deficits four years longer than the NDP. He also criticized the NDP for plans to spend billions of dollars on a new hydro line to bring power from the north to the south.
The Tory message throughout the campaign was, “Where have the NDP left us after 11 years?” But the slogan didn’t capture voters’ attention. In the end, they couldn’t see much difference between the leaders and they didn’t have enough enthusiasm for change.
Mr. Selinger said he wished Mr. McFadyen had taken more time to make his decision, but wished him the best and honoured his contribution to politics.
The election was the first under the province’s fixed-date election system, which meant the parties had been campaigning for months. Mr. Selinger got out to a head start by putting Mr. McFadyen on the defensive, attacking him for having a secret agenda to privatize Manitoba Hydro and the provincial auto-insurance system. Mr. McFadyen had to run ads countering the attacks, leaving him less time to craft his own message.