As Toronto enters its fourth day of the CUPE city worker’s strike, temperatures are rising, on the picket line and on the thermometer. A Recent Angus Reid survey found that more than 76 per cent of Toronto residents do not support the CUPE strike.
A vast majority of respondents to the
Angus Reid Survey -- 84 per cent -- said the No. 1 service missed is garbage collection. With temperatures remaining in the 30°C (90° F) range, garbage piles at temporary sites are causing fears of health issues, including rat infestations.
The “Toronto Garbage Strike” is evoking passionate debates and altercations between the public and picketing CUPE members at garbage transfer stations and other public service locations throughout the city. This passion seems to cross all political, ethnic and cultural barriers. In fact the city seems fully united in their disdain for city workers who have been portrayed as lazy union workers looking to keep perks unheard of in the private sector.
This anti-union, pro-individual-rights point of view is very uniquely conservative. Mayor David Miller may in fact realize this sooner than later. A recent
Ipsos-Reid poll has found that former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory would beat Miller in a mayoral race if one were held today. This is due mainly to the long-standing tradition of municipal elections not being affiliated with political parties.
Those in the know realize that Miller is as close to a socialist as you can get in Ontario, supporting NDP candidates in federal elections and Tory is very much a conservative and a Conservative. Without political affiliation, voters can vote freely without the sense of politically correct voting that comes in provincial and federal elections.
With public support almost completely against striking CUPE workers, an interesting paradox has occurred that speaks volumes to the current collective Canadian sense of self. Many Canadians like to believe they are a liberal nation of fair-minded individuals who support quasi-socialist ideas of governance. This of course comes as a relative comparison to their closest neighbours to the south.
In the last provincial and federal elections Torontonians did not elect a single Conservative or Progressive Conservative member of parliament, yet today as the city enters its fourth day of the CUPE strike Torontonians are beginning to sound like old school conservatives. Toronto has long been a Liberal Party strong hold, with 22 political ridings, it has the same number of ridings as the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island combined. Meaning that if a party can hold Toronto there is a very good chance they will win an election, particularly in a provincial election.
Many Torontonians feel that the Liberal party is the natural governing party.
The “immigrant party” label has also had a lasting effect on the Toronto populous. As Toronto’s ever growing population continues to be comprised of a majority of people born outside of Canada, the “immigrant party” label is very important to all political parties.
With large populations of Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, South American and West Indian immigrants Toronto is a virtual United Nations of cities. As religion is very important to immigrant populations, being a focal point of community gatherings and cultural celebrations, conservatism is rampant. The problem for the Conservatives is that many new Canadians do not know they are conservative. Many immigrants have been told the Liberal party is the “immigrant party” and as such the Liberals have experienced a great deal of loyalty.
If you ask a staunchly observant Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, Sikh or Jew they will most likely tell you that they do not agree with same-sex rights or abortion rights, yet the Liberal party continues to receive a great deal of support from these groups. It is interesting that many of these groups as a whole hold more conservative views than the Conservative Party.
The Canadian brand of conservatism is in fact one of fiscal conservatism and has dominated the Canadian political landscape for years now, under both Liberal and Conservative governments. As Finance Minister, former Prime Minister Paul Martin eliminated the Canadian deficit during his term. Although the elimination of the deficit came at a time of great prosperity for Canada, it has been a Liberal trophy in the past three federal elections.
This of course goes back to the melding of social-conservatism and fiscal conservatism. In the last two federal elections the Conservative Party wisely decided to steer clear of social-conservatism and focus on more fiscally conservative ideas, similar to those of Paul Martin’s in the late 1990's. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, they came into power right as the global economy experienced its worst slide in almost eighty years.
While Canadians still enjoy universal health care and education, subsidized post-secondary education, lenient marijuana laws and legislated same-sex rights, Canada and Toronto have become very conservative.
The paradox of voting left and leaning right is one that will most likely persist in Toronto as long as it is politically incorrect to proclaim yourself as conservative. While Conservatives speak about their inroads into the 905, 519 and 705 regions of Ontario the biggest block of seats will remain Liberal – Toronto.
