The Waffle's Demise in Ontario
Even during the leadership convention, the Waffle was being described in the press as a "party within a party." One of the last hurrahs for the Waffle came during the October 1971 Ontario provincial election. The Waffle's Ontario chairman, Steve Penner, managed to get nominated in the Dovercourt riding as the Ontario NDP's candidate. Despite the public infighting between him and Stephen Lewis, Penner managed to come within 55 votes of winning the seat. The Waffle considered this a success, because in the 1967 election, the previous NDP candidate lost by over 1400 votes.
The next year Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, David's son, accused the Waffle of being "an encumbrance around my neck". On June 24, 1972, at the party's Provincial Council held in Orillia, Lewis was able to successfully shepherd a resolution ordering the Waffle to either disband or leave the NDP. Debate on the motion lasted for three hours, with labour leaders leading the charge to expel the Waffle. Finally, the council approved the motion to disband the Waffle with a 217 to 86 vote, thereby ending months of public feuding.
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