A legacy tarnished

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/10/2011 (5500 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For a party that decided to run on the legacy of the late federal NDP leader Jack Layton, Manitoba’s New Democrats have fallen far short of his ideals this election.

Jack Layton was both an inspirational and tragic figure in Canadian politics. With his walking cane in hand, the late federal NDP leader battled the cancer that threatened his life, while scrapping in the political trenches in the May 2011 election. He led the federal New Democrats to the largest political victory in the party’s history to become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.

One cannot deny that the poignant drama of his illness and death following the election captured public attention and served as a rallying point for NDP members across the country. He exuded confidence and fortitude until the bitter end.

By invoking Layton’s name in August, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger tied his bid to reclaim the legislature to the memory of the beloved and idealistic NDP leader.

“People were so inspired by his example, the values he represented,” Selinger said of the late federal NDP leader that day. “He dedicated his last campaign to (former Saskatchewan premier) Al Blakeney. It’s only fitting that we return the honour to him and dedicate our efforts and energy to his memory.”

But instead of rising to the occasion by providing a new vision for this province, Selinger ran an uninspired, sarcastic and often dirty campaign that played upon one single and overriding vision of the future — fear of a Progressive Conservative majority.

In nearly every single NDP political advertisement that Manitobans were subjected to, the NDP expertly played upon the fears of unionized workers and women in this province. If you listened carefully you could almost hear Chicken Little’s line that “the sky is falling.”

And Manitobans have seemingly bought into it, as evidenced by the second Probe Research poll published in the Brandon Sun over the weekend.

More than half of Manitobans who were surveyed by Probe approved of Selinger and the NDP heading into the final stretch of this election. Selinger scored an approval rating of 52 per cent, compared to 43 per cent for Progressive Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen and 39 per cent for Jon Gerrard.

The NDP were also seen as the best to handle health care in this province, an issued that emerged as a top priority among Manitobans in this campaign. The New Democrats also were seen as the best party to improve schools and manage Hydro.

Selinger remained far more popular than McFadyen among women, university- and college-educated voters, and Winnipeggers. The two were statistically tied among men and rural Manitobans.

No doubt the Tories are responsible for their own political fortunes, for good or ill. As we stated on Saturday on this page, McFadyen knew what he had to do to win back female and union voters, and thus far it appears he has had mixed results. Whether these poll results are accurate or merely a blip on the election radar will be shown tomorrow after the polls close.

Nevertheless, that does not excuse Selinger from falling short of the high ideals to which he tied his campaign, or the NDP for showing a decided lack of imagination. The NDP platform has provided no ingenuity when it comes to better educating our citizens and preparing them for difficult economic times ahead as the country teeters on the brink of a second recession.

Where was the bold plan to grow Manitoba’s economy so we could one day proudly renounce our status as a have-not province? Where was the pathos that voters have been so hungry for?

The NDP campaign offered no flavour, and no originality, just more of the same bland — and rather expensive — meat and potatoes, which we argue will do little to move Manitoba forward. Any dregs of pathos were used up in the wording of their numerous attack ads.

Perhaps we can’t expect much more from a three-term government, but winning an election because you’ve convinced the electorate that you’re less scary than the other guy simply proves a lack of imagination and vision. And that does not bode well for Manitobans over the next four years if indeed the NDP are returned to power in a minority or majority government tomorrow night.