In their gleaming union headquarters, the top leadership of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario has assembled for a “historic” election endorsement.ETFO President Sam Hammond begins by recounting his bitter battles with Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals. And then proclaims his 80,000-member union will swing its support behind “the next premier of Ontario....”That would be New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath.To the beat of “Feeling Good” (by The Sheepdogs), Horwath has already made her grand entrance, working her way through an upbeat crowd. But why the tears?“Happiness tears,” a beaming Horwath assures the union loyalists.It is an unguarded moment in a campaign that is on a roll and resonating according to carefully laid plans — right down to Horwath’s strategically-placed Teleprompter, Hammond’s pre-printed union endorsement ready for distribution, and a carefully calibrated election platform that is appropriately progressive and predictably evasive.After a disastrous 2014 campaign where Wynne stole her thunder, Horwath’s NDP is back in the game again — older, wiser, and in winning form. She has also raised her game — after nine years of laboriously reading her texts and relying on Teleprompters, Horwath has found her stride speaking without notes, delivering winning performances in two leaders’ debates held earlier this month.But does Ontario’s traditionally third-place party have enough traction to go all the way — overtaking a weary Liberal party and then triumphing over the Progressive Conservative populism of Doug Ford that leads every poll?This time, unlike last time, the New Democrats are putting forward voter-friendly policies such as partial pharmacare and cheaper child care. While their platform has echoes of the Liberal program — with the notable exception of an NDP promise of dental benefits for all — the pitch is backed b ...
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