06) SLIGHT SHIFT TO LEFT IN WINNIPEG ELECTION

 

By Darrell Rankin

 

            In the Winnipeg civic election on Oct. 22, working people voted to shift City Council slightly towards the left. Left and centre Council members will find it easier to win votes at Council meetings.

 

            However, right wing councillors could still win some votes demanded by their big business and developer backers, such as gutting pensions for 9,000 civic workers as promised by Mayor‑elect Brian Bowman.

 

            Mass action may help block such votes. The dire economic condition of working people was an important factor in creating increased scrutiny of platforms.

 

            By far the most important development was the rise of a significant minority of voters who understood the need for fundamental change. They promise to be an important influence outside City Hall when it comes to important issues.

 

            This is reflected in the combined vote for Robert-Falcon Ouellette (37,000) and David Sanders (4,000), or a combined 17.3% of voters. Both ran for mayor on policies that stood for working people regarding taxes, labour and social policy.

 

            The two largest trends among candidates' platforms were, firstly, the policies of continuity and regressive taxation, reflected in NDP and Liberal‑backed campaigns.

 

            The most prominent example of this was Wasylycia‑Leis' platform of four years of property tax hikes, ahead of the historical rate of wage increases, while freezing business taxes. Her campaign was widely acknowledged to include both NDP and Liberal party activists.

 

            Secondly, there was the big business‑backed trend, advertising promises that were vague and enticing (Bowman and other right wing candidates). The promises were intended for the gullible and uneducated, and helped to hide reactionary threats such as attacking pensions.

 

            Today, the main question the NDP must be grappling with is how will it win in 18 months provincially with only 58,000 more or less solid NDP voters who voted for Wasylycia‑Leis, in contrast to Bowman's 112,000?

 

            It is clear that the NDP in Manitoba requires a fundamental review to examine why it is losing the trust of workers. It will be important to see if such a rethink happens and how widespread the self‑criticism will be, if it occurs.

 

            Wasylycia‑Leis' called herself the most fiscally‑conservative candidate. It is not wrong to have a balanced budget, but too often social democrats have balanced budgets on the backs of workers, not just in Europe, but here (sisters and brothers, remember Bob Rae!).

 

            Thanks to mayoral candidate David Sanders, workers were aware that Winnipeg is facing a serious fiscal crisis. It is no wonder people stayed away from Wasylycia‑Leis after her pronouncement of being fiscally conservative.

 

            By rejecting the idea she was the most pro‑union candidate, union supporters began to look for the best alternative. The Winnipeg Labour Council endorsed Wasylycia‑Leis, but it did not seem to mean much to her. Both Ouellette and Sanders benefited from her comment about unions.

 

 (The above article is from the November 16-30, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)