But, thanks to fixed election date legislation, the unions know exactly when the next election is going to be - and can do pretty much what they please until the writ officially drops a month before voting day. The key difference between Ontario and federal elections is that third parties cannot advertise federally once the writ is dropped. Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Labour Federation, said the labour movement came together in a way he had not seen in 20 years. But to suggest we will spend $40-million is quite ridiculous’ ‘There’s no question that pre-writ we can do all kinds of things. In 2014, there were strenuous efforts made to avoid splitting the anti-Conservative vote.

In previous campaigns, certain unions backed the Liberals others supported the NDP.

In the Ontario election, the Workers’ Rights Campaign operated more like a shadow political party than a union, with its own war-room, field organizers and campaign strategy. The Ontario campaign may be a harbinger of what Conservative parties across the country can expect to face in the future. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

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