The 24 September 2009 edition of the The Varsity included a piece written by UofT Liberals President Gabe De Roche.

The comment piece, titled “Hit the Road, Jack!” was written in response to Jack, Olivia, and the New Democrats’ selling-out to the Harper Conservatives.

On Friday 18 September 2009, Jack and the NDP stood up in support of the Harper government, reversing their usual commitment to voting against the Reformatories.

Why? Because he was going to lose seats if an election were held.  The NDP has raised just over a million dollars (compared to over 20x that by the Liberals and Conservatives).  They’ve only nominated 10 percent of their candidates nationwide.  And many of their caucus members are new MPs who haven’t been able to establish themselves in their ridings, and are thus electorally vulnerable.

As usual, it’s politics before principles for Jack and the New Democrats — just like in 2005 when they walked away from national childcare, a national housing strategy, a solid commitment to climate change, and the Kelowna Accord for aboriginal Canadians.  Then, as now, they stood with Harper Conservatives.  They betrayed their principles, and they betrayed progressive Canadians on campus and across this country.