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Hampton urges ‘robust' leadership race for successor

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton remained tight-lipped about his future plans Saturday after triggering a leadership race by confirming the “worst-kept secret” at the legislature — that he will step down in March after 12 years as head of the party.

Mr. Hampton, who will stay on as a member of the legislature for Kenora-Rainy River, wouldn't say who should replace him. But he urged the party to remain true to its roots as a voice for the working class while searching for a new leader.

“We need to have a robust leadership campaign,” he told delegates at the party's provincial council meeting.

“Our leadership campaign is one of the ways that we get these issues before the people of Ontario. Conservatives aren't going to raise them, (Premier Dalton) McGuinty and the Liberals aren't going to raise them. Only New Democrats will raise these issues.”

Mr. Hampton, 56, led the New Democrats through three provincial elections, but failed to make any real gains in popular support or the number of NDP seats in the legislature.

That wasn't a factor in his decision to step down, he said.

“I have a few things that I've always wanted to do and I'm going to get to do them now,” he told reporters.

That includes spending more time with his children, 13-year-old Sarah and 10-year-old Jonathan, and going to all their hockey, soccer and baseball games, he said.

“I'd hate it if I missed those things. I'd regret it for the rest of my life.”

The former labour lawyer and teacher said he's not interested in federal politics, but would like to work and live outside Canada again one day.

His wife Shelley Martel, who retired from provincial politics last year, said she didn't try to influence his decision, although she's happy that he'll be home more often.

“It was a tough decision to say, ‘I need to step aside and let someone else come forward,”' she said.

“But I think that he recognizes too that there's also a need to put our family first.”

The son of a mill worker with an Ivy League education, Mr. Hampton took over from former premier Bob Rae in 1996 after serving in his cabinet.

In the dark years that followed, the party was hurt badly by strategic voting which saw traditional NDP supporters voting Liberal in an all-out effort to unseat the unpopular Conservative government.

They failed to win enough seats for official party status in 1999, forcing Mr. Hampton to ask the Conservatives to reduce the number of seats required so the NDP could ask questions in the legislature and tap into funds for caucus members.

It wasn't until 2004 that the NDP regained official party status by winning a Hamilton seat from the Liberals in a by-election.

But Mr. Hampton persevered through it all, taking on the difficult and often thankless task of rebuilding the party after the tumultuous Rae years, his colleagues said.

He led the party “through the desert,” even if they haven't reached the promised land just yet, said NDP critic Cheri DiNovo, who is rumoured to be a possible contender.

“To have taken us from the Rae days to our current status, we have more members, we are doing better in terms of the polls — it's a steady trajectory up,” she said. “And it will continue to be.”

Even those who frequently butted heads with Hampton in the legislature commended him as a man who always had the courage of his convictions.

“He's always been very passionate,” Premier Dalton McGuinty said in Ottawa.

“He's always embraced causes that, from a polling perspective, might have been a little less than popular, and I give him a lot of credit.”

It was his passion for both politics and people that made Mr. Hampton stand out as a leader, said Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.

“Never once did I have occasion in the time I spent in the legislature as a fellow party leader with him to question his sincerity or his integrity in advancing an issue that he was standing up to advance, whether it was to do with the environment or energy or the economy,” he said.

Rumours began to circulate that Mr. Hampton might step aside after the October election, when the party failed to win more seats. Ms. Martel had already retired from provincial politics to spend more time with their children.

Those rumoured to be interested in the job include caucus members Ms. DiNovo, Peter Tabuns and Michael Prue, all of whom represent Toronto ridings. Other names mentioned as possibilities are former federal New Democrat Marilyn Churley and Toronto mayor David Miller.

Now that he's made his decision, Hampton said he has something to pass on to his potential successors.

“You have to be willing to put in the time,” he said. “This is not a sprint and this is not a glamour show. You have to put in the time. You have to do the work.”

Mr. Hampton, who grew up in the northern Ontario community of Crozier, was first elected to the legislature in 1987. He served as both attorney general and natural resources minister in Mr. Rae's cabinet.

He earned his law degree from the University of Ottawa, his Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

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