New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath is launching a campaign against government sell-offs of public assets as she moves to shore up her leadership amid a challenge from the left wing of the party.

The move comes after a spring election she triggered, helping vault Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne to a majority June 12 while losing the NDP hold on three key Toronto seats and the balance of power following three years in a minority.

“Did we do everything right? Absolutely not,” Horwath told a news conference Wednesday, noting the New Democrats held steady at 21 seats. “Did we do everything wrong? Absolutely not.”

The NDP socialist caucus held a meeting last Saturday and called on Horwath, who faces a mandatory leadership review in mid-November, to resign after waging “the worst NDP campaign since Bob Rae attempted to defend his infamous social contract in 1995.”

“There was no mandate to veer to the right of the Liberal Party in a vain attempt to appeal to Conservative supporters and the business class,” said a news release from the caucus, pointing to Horwath’s pledges like removing the HST from electricity bills and tax credits for job creation.

That meeting included remarks from New Democrat MPP Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park), who narrowly held her seat, on the future of the party.

Horwath said her new push against privatization, following last week’s government announcement on the sale of the Queens Quay LCBO lands, heralds the “fundamental values” of the NDP and downplayed the dissent.

“Coming out of the election I’ve had a lot of feedback,” she told reporters.

“There’s no doubt that New Democrats are a vigorously democratic party,” she added, refusing to comment on whether she needs to hit a threshold of 66 per cent support at the leadership review. That level is a benchmark in Canadian politics.

“I’m going to leave it to the members to have that discussion, to have that debate.”

Horwath said the party is now “making sure we’re connecting with our core values” and plans a province-wide campaign against any sell-offs of the hydro system and other public assets by the Liberals as they scramble to eliminate a $12.5 billion deficit by the spring of 2018.

“The government is going to face the same groundswell of opposition that forced Mike Harris and Ernie Eves to turn back, she said, adding that putting TD Bank executive Ed Clark in charge of the privatization study efforts now underway is like “asking a fox to guard the hen house.”

Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid said Clark’s asset review, as detailed in the government’s budget passed in July, is aimed at getting the best value for taxpayers from public assets, such as selling the prime waterfront LCBO lands to raise money for transit improvements.

“Andrea Horwath is desperate to distract from NDP infighting and justify voting against the progressive measures in the Liberal plan,” Duguid said in a statement.

“We won’t do what the PCs did when they gave away the 407 in a fire sale with no ongoing benefit to the people of the province,” he added, speaking of the controversial 1999 sale of the toll highway. Horwath said even the prospect of selling a portion of any government assets to private investors is “a pretty slippery slope” but did not rule out supporting the sale of the LCBO lands on the waterfront to developers.

“We’re prepared to look at the details.”

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Earlier this week, Horwath named a new chief of staff in her office after the post-election departures of key aides.

Taking over is NDP veteran Michael Balagus, a former chief to Manitoba NDP Premier Greg Selinger and his predecessor Gary Doer.

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