Buzz Off

The NDP has expelled Buzz Hargrove, the country's most prominent labour leader, for actively promoting strategic voting and Liberal candidates in last month's federal election. The Ontario NDP provincial executive voted yesterday to pull the membership of Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers, for violating the party's constitution regarding provisions against endorsing other candidates. It also automatically revokes his membership in the federal party.

He claims to be surprised! I had to fight like a pitbull to gain his endorsement for one of his own union brothers in the last federal election - not that an endorsement from Buzz amounts to a hill of beans, it was a matter of principle. In the end Buzz grudgingly endorsed Wayne. I admit that I chuckled when I saw Wayne's name listed with a bunch of NDP heavy hitters - it was a " one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just does not belong" sort of moment.