By Pepper Parr
January 6th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Elections are going to take place.
When, no one knows for certain – but it s clear that there will be elections at the federal and provincial levels.
Election fund raising tends to come from two sources: large thick wallet corporate donors or smaller sums from individuals that, on occasion, in the past proven to be a winning formula.
The reality is that the big bucks from the big corporations are what pay for the cost of running an election. They pony up because the donation gives them access – and with access things get done.
Marit Stile’s: Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature.
Marit Stiles, Leader of the Opposition at Queen’s Park announced during the holidays that the Ontario NDP raised $2.4 million over the past quarter, smashing yet another online fundraising record.
“The Ontario NDP’s grassroots support is stronger than ever as the party gets ready to hit the ground running ahead of a potential 2025 provincial election” said Stiles.
Ontario NDP team is starting off 2025 strong with more than $10.4 million raised from over 220,000 contributions.
Ontario NDP Provincial Director Kevin Beaulieu said: “Unlike other parties, our movement is not beholden to insiders and big donors.” “Our movement is powered by everyday Ontarians who are looking for hope and are ready for change. Our team is stronger than ever, with a growing campaign fund, we are building the strong, progressive movement that will beat Ford and his Conservatives.”
With growing political uncertainty in Ottawa, the possibility of a 2025 provincial election is at an all-time high.
David Drummond, the NDP candidate in the last election found the Liberal candidate, Marian Manaa on his doorstep with campaign literature.
Fund raising is said to be going well. Finding candidates – well not so well in Burlington. To date the NDP does not have a candidate and there doesn’t appear to be a date set for the nomination of a candidate.
We reached out to Andrew Drummond, who the NDP candidate in the last election – no response.
Burlington Liberals have selected their candidate. Andrea Grebenc is out knocking on doors and talking about what she wants to see done at Queen’s Park.
Bonnie Crombie, struggling to get some traction and mount a strong, well funded campaign.
Bonnie Crombie, leader of the provincial Liberals has yet to declare which constituency she will run in. Her challenge is to move the provincial Liberals out of the rut they were left in when Kathleen Wynne,the Liberal leader at the time, ended up holding her own seat but the party didn’t elect enough members to qualify for provincial funding which meant no financial support to run political party operations.
The hope for the province would be a minority Progressive Conservative government with the NDP holding the balance of power.
I agree with Penny Hersh, though perhaps not in the way they’d hope.
Ontario’s best hope is a repudiation of Ford’s “progressive” Conservative party and a strong NDP government. Per usual, it falls to the real progressives to clean up the damage done by conservative governments, and there’s a lot of damage to clean up.
I shudder to think what would happen with another Ford-led term.
Whose” hope for the Province would be a minority Progressive Conservative government with the NDP holding the balance of power” is it? Certainly not mine.
Have we not learned anything from living with a minority Federal Liberal Government with the NDP holding the balance of power?
Some say that history repeats itself. I say we repeat history. Hopefully not this time around.