Frustrated and furious, Ontario New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton lashed out at Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory and the media Thursday, accusing them of ignoring the real issues in the provincial election campaign.
During a speech in Hamilton, Hampton appealed to voters of all stripes to prevent the Liberals from getting another majority government.
Tory has been a disaster as an Opposition leader for letting the question of whether to fund faith-based schools dominate the campaign and give the Liberals a "free ride" back into government, Hampton said.
After the speech, Hampton — a passionate and persistent advocate for social reform despite his party's distant third-place showing in recent campaigns — appeared to have run out of patience.
"We've become the child poverty capital of Canada — don't any of you people care?" he railed.
"Don't you care that there are seniors living in soiled diapers? Don't you care about that? I'm asking you, 'What do you care about?' That's what I know people care about. These are real issues."
Hampton's handlers said he was simply expressing his frustration at the thrust of the campaign coverage.
Voters who turn on the TV news or read newspapers are bombarded with talk of the faith-based school debate and little else, he said.
"There's this disconnect — I raise the issues, I know people care, but there's this void in the middle, this huge void in the middle," he said.
"I'm saying I'm going to raise the issues that matter to working people and I'm going to raise them especially hard over the next six days. I wonder if anybody's going to report on it, that's all."
Related
Ontario Votes 2007 »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
District Profiles
More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
