Mellower Mulcair appeals to Ontario
NDP leader growing into his role as retail politician
OTTAWA— Canadian cities do not need the federal government to tell them what to do, but they do need its money, New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair said during his swing through battleground ridings in Ontario.
“I’m not looking to replace the provinces and territories in their dealings with municipalities. I want to be a reliable, long-term partner,” Mulcair said in an interview with Star this week, while he spends eight days on the road from the GTA to Windsor and Thunder Bay.
“Right now, we are proposing to transfer more of the existing gas tax. That is going to provide billions of dollars per year for things like housing, for things like infrastructure, for things like transit. That’s the type of approach we are going to take. We are going to work together. We are not going to try and dictate terms. We think that belongs primarily to the provinces and the municipalities together,” Mulcair said.
The remarks were in response to a question about the Scarborough subway extension and whether, by giving the city of Toronto the entire $660 million it had asked for to build it, the federal government had rewarded what the Star has since revealed to be a problematic process.
It is the type of local question that Mulcair will now have to face many times a day as he transitions from being official Opposition leader in the House of Commons to party leader on the campaign trail.
Known for his sometimes brusque manner, earning the nickname “Angry Tom,” Mulcair appears to have grown into his role as retail politician, looking comfortable as he travels through Ontario in an attempt to convince voters that they want a change in government, and that he, not Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, is the one to bring it.
“We are bearing that responsibility with a big smile and a very positive, optimistic attitude of what we can accomplish together,” said Mulcair, who added that if he becomes prime minister he would like to make “creating opportunity and reducing inequality” — specifically through child care that costs no more than $15 per day — the defining achievement of his tenure.
Mulcair said he has learned to be more patient and a better listener in the three years since he was elected NDP leader following the death of Jack Layton.
“I had seen what a tough job it could be and there are tough issues that come up, but I think it was Jack who taught me the most, to be honest with you, about forbearance, patience, learning how to listen to people and it’s something over the past three years I’ve developed and I’ve developed remembering how Jack used to do it,” Mulcair said.
Mulcair’s personality is often compared unfavourably to that of Layton, who appealed to voters with a folksy charm. But on this pre-campaign campaign trail it is clear the man who has tried to get people fired up about “competent public administration” has also worked on his common touch. When holding a news conference about his plan for small businesses at a woodworking plant in Mississauga Tuesday morning, he sometimes turned and spoke directly to the owners, rather than the cameras, as if he wanted to underscore how much he knew they were the ones he needed to win over.
The recent polls, which show a close race that puts the orange team within grasp of winning the Oct. 19 election, no doubt have contributed to this relaxed and smiling version of Mulcair, but when asked about the momentum, he chooses to measure it in his reactions from people.
“The two thumbs up. The ‘you go get ’em, you get it done’. That’s the one that we’ve been getting a lot,” Mulcair said.