WIIITy FREE pR.ESS, WEDNESDAY,,JANUAIW .11 -1989, PR 7 PAGE SEVEN NiK r TEFUTURE 0F TUHE NDP In 1960 the 00F, the predominantly western agrarian reformn party founded in the thirties, and the Canadian Labor were confident, buoyant days for the democratic left in Canada - the amalgamation of workers, farmers and intellectuals would be an unbeatable combination. Before the year was out, they had elected their first MP, Walter Pitman, in a by-election in Peterborough. I was a high-school student in Toronto at the time, and, as fate would have it, the son of one the New Party» organizers was a classmate. He was every bit as effective an organizer as his Dad and I became a delegate to the founding convention of the Ontario New .Democratic Youth at the Westbury Hotel in Toronto. Over the next few years I- party but as defeat followed defeat, the initial promise of the CLO-COF marriage waned and I drifted into a supportive but inactive role. Like ail major parties, the NDP is an alliance of diverse elements. The. NDP unites the agrarian reform movement, The mouse that roared, got flooredl the intellectual left and organized labor. But the latter two are far from natural allies and there bas been frequent friction between them. This was particularly evident in the_________________________________________ early seventies when labor's dominance effectively silenced the so-called Waffle wing of the party. My own support was sorely tried on that occasion. ~~A Y~~L The NDP is by now a party of soul-searchers. Every election it fails to meet its expectations - it licks its wounds, counts the money it's spent and starts planning for the big breakthrough next time around. But this time, with the possibility of Ed Broadbent stepping down as leader, the debate in the party bas taken on a wider dimension - the NDP knows it's at the crossroad. Paradoxically it bas neyer lacked support for its policies - indeed they've been so successful that the other parties have feltý compelled to adopt NDP policies like Medicare, hospital insurance, universal daycare, or Petro Canada (a national oul rcompany) in order to take the wind out of their sails.NPfo over twenty years, I have remained by-and-large a supporter. It still remains closest to my ideals - a party of the little guy. But the 00F was that too, and the NDP bas done only marginally better than its parent after 28 years. The union of the 00F with the COF was supposed to ~ lff create a party that could achieve power. In that it bas clearly failed. The CLO bas given it a measure of guaranteed finan- - cial security but even that has been less than expected and the mandatory check-off system bas left the party under constant attack, both legal and moral, for using compulsory union dues for purposes opposed by the original 'donors'. But apart from money, the union with organized labor was supposed to, corner the market on the labor vote. It hasn't. Poils show that union members vote much the same THE STEAMER "BAYFID AT WHITY HARBOR,ý C. 1910 as te rst o th poplaton.Unio mebers onavergeareThis steaniboat; is moored, 'n the slip beside the Whitby Harbor Company's sstrey grain party of Big Labour. The little guy stilI bas no place to, go. Street on Jan. 6. The relationship between the NDP and labor bas been a e Fred Gale, the oldest living past Master of Composite Lodge, laid the corner stone for the frustrating one. Labor is frustrated 'that they have not new Masonic Hall on Cochrane Street on Dec. 28, 1963. achieved political power and everybody else is frustrated that e One of the wildest Donnybrooks ever witnessed at the Whitby Arena broke out in the final labor bas not delivered that power. Bob White's open 20 seconds of a local hockey game. The referee had te cail the police te break up the flght. criticism. of the NDPs handling of the recent election is a reflection of those frustrations. The coming debate in the NDP has to include the reality 75 YEARS AGO that the formai union with lahor bas not worked. The NDP from the Thursday, January 8, 1914 edition of the needs to be independent; it would get just as many votes WHITY GAZETTE AND CHRONICLE from labor without the connection and could convincingly 0 W.H. Elviss of Brooklin advertises a skate sharpening service. paint itself as the party of the little guy. It would then be free 0 Uriah Jones of Brooklin is selling a McLaughlin cutter, made in Othawa for $35 and a to forge new alliances with farmers, environmentalists, social parlor stove for $37.50. activists, peace groups and small business. 0 The Royal theatre advertises 'Iligh Clas Moving Pictures." Adulta 10 cents; children Canada needs such a party - a party with a conscience, under 12 years, five cents admission. yet independent of the ail the major power brokers. The NDP could be that party.________________________________________