Four populist tricks for Kathleen Wynne
What do Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Toronto Maple Leafs have in common? Both parties are engaged in an uphill battle against a bitter foe, and both are predicted to lose.
And yet, even when taking into account their uneven play in recent days, I suspect the Leafs have a better chance of besting Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins than Wynne has of besting Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs in June. The Leafs are turning it around at home where everyone is pulling for them. The premier, on the other hand, may have more fans in Boston than she has in many parts of Ontario.
According to several recent polls, Ford is projected to win the June election by a landslide. According to poll-by-columnist — a.k.a a cab driver I talked to the other day — Ford will win because he is looking out for the average person and Wynne is not.
It doesn’t matter that the Ontario government under Wynne launched the Ontario Basic Income Pilot and recently proposed free child care. Ford invites people up to his cottage.
For anyone attracted to the populism of Ford Nation, personal generosity is far more appealing in a leader than the promise of generous government policy.
Wynne could offer voters the world; many would still prefer a burger on the Ford family dock.
As the Star’s democracy reporter Sabrina Nanji wrote this week, “As more citizens feel insecure and disconnected from the political ivory tower, populist sentiment in Ontario may weigh heavily on voters’ decisions at the ballot box.”
This is why, if Wynne truly wants to prevail, she should throw caution to the wind, take a page out of the Fordian book, and go full populist between now and June. Honestly, what does she have to lose?
She can’t change the forces working against her. She can’t change the fact that her party has been in power for what feels like forever, nor can she expunge the stench of the gas plant scandal (nor any other scandal).
Nor can she convince socially conservative voters to actually read the sex education document they abhor. But she can do the following. (NDP leader Andrea Horwath, wherever you are, please feel free to appropriate any of the below to your own advantage.)
1. Throw a party We’ve all heard of Ford Fest, the Ford family barbeque, where members of the public line up for complimentary burgers and to shake hands with the blond brood. Why haven’t we received an invitation to Wynne Fest? Or better yet, Wynne-ter Fest. The premier should use the depressing resurgence of ice and snow in Ontario to her advantage and throw several carnivals throughout the province inside a gigantic heated tent, where she serves up smores and hot chocolate, and participates in a dunk tank for a charitable cause.
2. Take up a new sport We know that the premier likes to run outdoors, but running is an individual sport and to the populist, individual sports (except maybe race car driving) are elitist. She should take up a team sport, perhaps curling, and join a rec league in a conservative riding.
She could encourage teammates to call her K.W. or Kath, which has a more populist ring to it.
We already know the premier has experience with the sport. In late March, she ventured onto the ice at the Leaside Curling Club before she announced her government’s proposed drug plan. So impressive was her performance, apparently, that the club’s general manager told the Toronto Observer Wynne “knows how to throw a rock.” This should be her campaign slogan.
3. Follow sports loudly and religiously Wynne could become a vocal Toronto Raptors fanatic and tweet running commentary of the team’s playoff journey. This is more of a Norm Kelly tactic than a Doug Ford one, but it works. Millennials are obsessed with Kelly, a social media addict, Drake fan and city councillor who has adopted the moniker “6 Dad.” And contrary to popular prejudice, millennials actually do vote. The Raptors are also a big deal province wide, especially so in the suburbs. Rooting for them is a slam-dunk.
4. Lastly, say “Folks.” And say it a lot These suggestions are, I am aware, extremely silly, but it’s my sincere belief that if attempted in some fashion they would help the premier win favour with voters who know nothing about Ontario politics beyond the names of the top two candidates.
Which is to say, they’d help her win favour with a whole lot of voters.
It’s probably a dispiriting thing to accept if you’re a politically involved person, but it’s the truth: Many elections, especially those with a Ford in the running, don’t come down to the question of “what can this leader’s policies do for me?” but rather, “what will this leader do for me, personally, right now?” Free hot chocolate is a good start.