Mediaboss Marketing

Breadcrumb Trail Links

One of the more notable aspects of the otherwise sleepy Ontario provincial election has been the endorsements announced by labour unions.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

While it was once typical to see the NDP dominate on this front, incumbent Premier Doug Fords Ontario Progressive Conservative party is elbowing in.

This past week, the PCs sent out a release celebrating how the thumbs up they received from the Ontario Pipe Trades Council brings to six the number of unions that have endorsed their re-election. (Others include the IBEW Construction Council of Ontario and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers).

While the NDP still got the nod from the much more activist Ontario Federation of Labour as well as the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, theres no spinning this trendline as positive for them. None of the six unions endorsing the Ontario PCs this time around did so during the last election in 2018.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

A lot of this support can be explained by specific Ontario policies on the file that labour minister Monte McNaughton has focused on this past term. But its also part of a broader phenomenon of the progressive left becoming out-of-touch with the working-class and blue collar voters who used to form a significant chunk of their voter base.

This isnt a phenomenon specific to Ontario either. Its currently a big focus for American political strategists both those on the right who want to woo over even more blue collar votes and Democrats who want to get back some of that common mans touch that Bill Clinton was known for.

The Left has lost the white working class and is bleeding working class people of color at a rate no one expected, writes Jason Nichols, senior lecturer in the African-American Studies department at the University of Maryland College Park, in a recent Newsweek op-ed.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Nichols says vaccine mandates and pandemic school closures have played a role in this voter migration. He argues that while there are no quick fixes to this lagging support for progressives it is very possible to address specific racial justice issues and simultaneously address the issues of working people of all backgrounds.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

While there are some progressive activists and politicians who seem to want to make almost everything about race (and gender and sexuality), often in an acrimonious way, it could just be that during these challenging economic times voters of all backgrounds are more interested in coming together to find solutions than being pushed further apart by identity politics.

This battle is now playing out in real time in the Ohio Senate race that pits relative newcomer Republican J.D. Vance against longstanding Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

As a recent Washington Post story explains: [Ryan] will try to separate himself from those aspects of the Democratic Party that have alienated working-class voters. Beyond the issue of crime and funding the police, he will highlight problems on the border and the issue of immigration. He will run hard against China and free trade pacts generally.

The emphasis on woke politics in left-leaning circles has clearly seen them increasingly move away from the everyday reality of voters of all backgrounds. Theyre now being punished in the polls and ballot box because of it.

If your primary motivations as a voter are identity politics and climate alarmism, the left still has a lot to offer you. But if youre more focused on the cost of living, jobs, infrastructure and good schools, the advantage now goes to right-leaning politicians. As the economic situation worsens, this will only prove more so.

The big question in the months and years ahead is whether progressives will realize theyre out of touch and course correct, or choose to stay on the same path.

Check out the Postmedia podcast Full Comment with Anthony Furey where youll find engaging feature conversations with interesting Canadians, including recent episodes with Conservative leadership candidates Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis and Roman Baber.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

See the rest here:
FUREY: Progressives keep bleeding support from the working class - Toronto Sun