In a fight that was tougher than winning the Kenora-Rainy River riding, local MPP and NDP leader Howard Hampton and his family fought back tears while giving a heartfelt, emotional speech to supporters here Thursday night at La Place Rendez-Vous.
They were tears of joy and sorrow all at once.
Some, no doubt, were falling in joy because Hampton had won the riding for the fifth time, but some also falling in sorrow because he had learned his party lost two seats—and official party status.
In the midst of his speech on that bitter-sweet night, Hampton won the battle with his tears and found the strength to thank his supporters and give them hope for the future.
“I’m really happy about the way people in the Kenora-Rainy River riding supported me,” he said. “I look at some of the poll results and they’re amazing.
“I especially want to thank the people of northern First Nations in this constituency where they have supported me in overwhelming numbers.”
One of those areas where numbers were “amazing” was Kenora, where he lost to incumbent Liberal MPP Frank Miclash in the 1999 election (the first in which the previous ridings of Kenora and Rainy River had been merged into one).
“I knew we were going to do well in Kenora,” Hampton admitted, though the final tally may have been surprising—losing only two polls in the largest community in the riding.
“I knew from the response at the doorstep.”
Hampton ended up with 15,666 votes (60.1 percent). Liberal candidate Geoff McClain received 6,746 votes while PC challenger Cathe Hoszowski took 3,343.
Green Party candidate Dan King received 305 votes.
Despite the decisive defeat of his challengers, when asked if the campaign here was a tough battle, Hampton had a less than positive response.
“No,” he said bluntly. “It was a rather bizarre campaign in the riding.
“Basically, we had both [challenging] candidates claiming they [the people] need [to elect] a member of government,” Hampton noted. “I think you may swing some with that line, but if that’s all you’ve got. . . . It gets a little silly.”
The frustrated leader had another problem to deal with.
On election night, and every day since, he’s been bombarded with questions about his future. More specifically, will he stay on as party leader?
“That’s not a question for tonight,” Hampton said repeatedly on election night, but the next day added, “Who knows, those are things you think about down the road.”
“First thing I’m going to do is spend some time with my kids,” he continued. “I haven’t seen my wife [Sudbury MPP Shelley Martel] in two weeks. First I want to talk to my wife.
“Then I’m going to spend time [thinking of those things],” he added, indicating he would have to discuss that kind of decision with his family and party strategists.
As of this week, Hampton has re-iterated his dedication to stay on as leader, continue fighting to get official party status at Queen’s Park, and leave leadership decisions to the rank-and-file membership.
“It’s time to get back to work,” he commented. “There are lots of issues to be dealt with.”
But cynics and distraught supporters, especially from this riding, wonder what kind of effectiveness the NDP can have without an official voice in the legislature.
“People here will not notice a difference,” Hampton vowed. “People can count on me to raise issues locally. Many of the issues that are being felt provincially are being felt locally.
“Party status is more about media attention,” he remarked, adding that by not getting party status, “it means some of the financial resource you won’t have access to. We won’t have as many tools.”
As an official party, the NDP would receive nearly $1 million for travel and other expenses in addition to time to ask questions on the floor of the legislature.
“How you do things may change,” Hampton said of having less funds, adding that rather than having a direct flight from here to Toronto, he would have to take the long route through many centres because it’s cheaper.
“We will still have the stage,” he added of being able to question the government in the legislature. “Just not as often.”
Hampton said there are other ways to be heard, citing the challenge to hydro privatization the NDP made over the last couple of years as an example.
“Things like [challenging] hydro privatization was all done out of legislature,” he noted. “We’ll have to be more creative.
“It presents a challenge,” he admitted, “but we’re used to dealing with challenges. I’ve never met a challenge I didn’t like.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
