Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza says he's not telling his members which party to vote for in the coming Ontario election -- he just hopes they choose to block out the Conservatives.
In a move similar to former Newfoundland premier Danny Williams' "ABC (Anything but Conservative)" campaign during the 2008 federal election, Lewenza is encouraging the union's membership to vote strategically. The goal is to support incumbent Liberal and NDP candidates, or go with the person most likely to beat an incumbent Conservative.
"We're asking our members to get politically involved," he told CTVNews.ca in a recent telephone interview. "Look at the campaign and ask yourself... who represents your community and your household the best. I think (people will see) the alternatives are clear. We can't waste our vote on a third party candidate that could split the vote and allow a Tory to win."
A rough-around-the-edges joker with a passion for social justice, Lewenza has been leading the union since Buzz Hargrove retired in 2008. The union was once closely aligned the with the New Democratic Party, but began advocating increasing support for the Liberals in the last decade.
"We marched the New Democrat line," he explained. "We thought, ‘this is our party,' but today we have to be more proactive. You have to think strategically to avoid a disaster... If I had it my way, I would try and convince the New Democrats and Liberals to form an electoral coalition so they're not knocking each other off."
His reasoning? Lewenza's not keen on Conservative rhetoric that governments should let the economy regulate itself. Without the auto industry bailouts [Note: feds were part of this too, not just Ont. liberals] and green energy initiatives that have saved or created numerous jobs for manufacturing workers, the industry would be in a much worse place than it is today, he said.
The main issue going into this election, according to Lewenza, is building on that success and creating more jobs.
"Even though some would suggest Ontario has recovered on a per capita basis... the fact of the matter is that most jobs being created are part-time and precarious in nature," he said. "Government intervention in jobs is important."
According to Statistics Canada, Ontario lost 22,400 jobs in July when compared to the previous month. However, the province has added 1.6 per cent more jobs when compared to the same time last year, a rate in line with the Canadian average.
Many of about 3,000 manufacturing jobs recently created in Windsor, Lewenza's home turf, are jobs building windmills and solar panels, and came on the heels of the Liberal government's Green Energy Act. Tim Hudak's Conservatives have promised to can the act if they win power, a move that doesn't sit well with many in a region still recovering from the auto industry's spectacular crash.
"The whole landscape of the province of Ontario could change or could not change," he mused. "What I find fascinating (is that) the only real criticism (Premier Dalton) McGuinty is getting is that it's time for change. Well, I don't know about that. I think, quite frankly, he's governed pretty responsibly in a pretty tough economic (situation).
"When you take a look at what's been done in the last eight years -- the infrastructure spending comparable to the eight years under the Harris government. What you hear from people all the time is, ‘more roads are getting blocked, a bridge getting fixed, these are roadblocks.' Well, those are inconveniences, but the government's been rebuilding the province."
Lewenza said his ideal legislature would have a minority government, likely Liberal, with the NDP riding on the momentum of the federal election and making up the balance of power. The alternative he fears is a Conservative majority that will be quick to dismember workers' rights.
"We know the history of Mr. Hudak in cabinet with (former Premier Mike) Harris... I remember it like it was yesterday. The first act Mike Harris introduced in the legislature was to dismantle legislation to allow workers to join a union harassment-free," he said. "They disbanded the wage protection program for workers."
Considering the current climate for organized labour -- with the right-leaning Toronto City Council removing transit workers' ability to strike and the federal Conservatives forcing back-to-work legislation on locked-out postal employees -- Lewenza is preparing for a fight if Hudak's party takes power.
"Even though (labour unions) represent 30 per cent of the Ontario population, we influence 100 per cent of some of the public policy issues on things like minimum wage, pensions and health care," he said. "People are going to have to be reminded that if there's an aggressive challenge against the labour movement, it normally results in more lost time off work."
