Great job Howie!

With his announcement on Saturday morning, Howard Hampton announced that he was looking to returning to a life with more time for family. After 13 years and three elections, Howie as I knew him, will be turning a page. He will leave the leadership of the New Democrat Party next March.
His record as leader will show that he kept the party alive even in its darkest days. He struggled to increase the seats in the house, and the NDP suffered major set backs in 1999 and 2003 when many supporters went with the liberal party to thwart the Conservative Party. The strategic voting hurt the party and Howard.
He never lost faith with the voters.
I remember a Robbie Burns evening a long time back, when Bob Rae had resigned following a disaster election that moved the NDP from running the province to third place. Howard was there and we began a conversation about the possible contenders for the leadership and I asked if he might be interested.
He didn’t say no and he speculated about was the new leader would be called upon to do to return credibility to the party in Ontario. I’ll admit that I didn’t expect him to run but when he did, he brought a new energy back to the party.
We may not have seen eye to eye on every policy and in fact have probably disagreed on many.
As leader of the party his was the voice that rang through the house on issues facing the north. He helped put a face to northern woods workers and pulp and paper workers when sawmills and plant closings took place.
In fact he sounded the alarm, far earlier than even the economists who looked at the economy of the north.
With the announced closing of the automotive plants in Oshawa, Howard as he is known in the south of the province, was immediately on the scene, joining the workers who picketed GM headquarters and speaking on their behalf in the house.
Relentlessly, he has championed the cause of the poor and middle class arguing for better minimum wages, better health care, day care, post education financial support for students. Sometimes he sounded like a broken record, but eventually he was listened to and understood.
When the Conservatives announced the plan to privatize Ontario Hydro, it was Howard who sounded the warning bells and led the fight to stop the plan.
For 13 years as leader he has run full out every day as if it were his last. He indicated that he would continue to represent the Kenora Rainy River Riding in the next election. Since being elected in 1987, Howie has continued to be somewhere in the riding three out of every four weekends.
That is a trial when one considers that there is a half-day of travel just getting home. And throughout every week, daily he was on the road across the province meeting with people and listening to their concerns and then speaking to the issues.
It didn’t leave a lot of time for his children. I remember sitting in his Toronto office talking about an issue when two blackberries went off. It was his daughter calling him and an assistant to remind them that he was late in picking them up from school and taking them to an activity.
He was a little red faced when he apologized for ending the meeting, but who can blame a father wanting to take time with his children. Saturday he talked about his need to spend more time with his son and daughter, something that he will be able to do beginning next March.
You’ve done a terrific job Howard
–Jim Cumming,
Publisher