August 2, 2011
Two posts within two days - clearly must be something going on!
Earlier today, the Globe and Mail broke the story that interim NDP leader and Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel was a member of the Bloc Québécois up until January of this year.
Relatively quickly, those paying attention to Canadian politics took to social media to sound-off on the issue. There are quite a few outside of Québec who don't support the NDP who see this as an issue. Those within the province, it's likely not to bother.
I'm not an NDP supporter and nor am I an apologist for Nycole Turmel; however, at the end of the day this is such a non-issue.
People change their political opinions all the time. We saw it when Belinda Stronach crossed the floor (although, I don't think that was a change of opinion - that was opportunism at its finest). Ditto for David Emerson. Scott Brison was a Progressive Conservative, crossed the floor to the Liberals and ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006.
Hell - the Liberals are currently led by one of the more famous "floor-crossers" of all-time in Bob Rae. If I was a moderate Liberal, I'd be furious that I was now led by a former socialist (insert sarcasm module here).
While I know that the Conservatives will use this issue (unfortunately) to try and score some political points, the Liberals would be stupid to do so. Why?
I hate to do it, but I have to bring up the 2008 attempt by Stéphane Dion to form a coalition between the Liberals and the NDP. The only way that government, if it had formed, to survive would have been to rely on support from the Bloc Québécois caucus. Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc, although not a part of the government, signed the coalition agreement and were planning to support the coalition on confidence measures through until 2011. It was convenient for the Liberal Party, at the time, to utilize the Bloc. Now that this might help them, I've no doubt they'll go on the attack - and they will look foolish for doing it.
This, at the end of the day, is such a non-issue. While it highlights the work that the NDP opposition has to do in order to actually have some credibility, I could care less where you came from as a politician - it's where you want to take the country that matters. If she says she is a federalist, than I believe her.
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Monday 1 August 2011
Provincial Politics
August 1, 2011
It is now officially August - and in just over eight weeks, Ontario will head to the polls and decide whether to return Dalton McGuinty's Liberals to office or elect a new government (while many say the only other contender is Tim Hudak and the PC's, I don't want to write off the NDP just yet).
To be entirely honest, my opinion of Dalton McGuinty is not very high; I think he has been an economic disaster for the province - both before, during and after the recession - and I do not trust him with public finances, given the massive deficit and Ontario becoming a "have-not" province. Before Liberal supporters comment and try to sway me, let me say this: I've already heard the Liberal talking points about 60 per cent of the jobs created in Canada being here in Ontario. What I haven't heard is how you plan to make Ontario a "have" province and how you plan to reduce the massive deficit.
My other issue with Dalton McGuinty is this - his government is very much a fan of the "nanny state." I fully support regulation when it makes sense (such as on guns), but the Liberals seem to over-regulate and have done so since coming to office in 2003. Pesticides? Fine, they have a negative impact on the environment; pit bulls was a ridiculous one and so is the junk food ban in Ontario schools, coming into effect September 2011. It seems the Liberals are comfortable telling me what to do and when to do it; I don't like that one bit.
However... Tim Hudak and the PC's seem to think the way to win the election is to simply be angry about the last eight years and try to stir up that anger and hope it motivates people to clobber McGuinty. While it is very true that the easiest way to get people to vote is to get them pissed them off at the incumbent, simply not being McGuinty isn't enough. Furthermore, the PC's have some pretty reckless policies themselves.
Yes, I support the Green Energy Act (GEA) that the Liberals have brought in. It makes good economic sense and good environmental sense. I know the PC's are railing on about the impact the GEA has on energy prices, but the Pembina Institute has released a study that debunks that. In fact, the study shows that because of the GEA, Ontarians will likely save money over the next 15 years.
Are there flaws with the GEA? Of course. It puts a lot of power in the hands of the provincial government and has an impact on local communities. But the NDP have addressed this by proposing to give back power to the municipalities. The PC's, instead of vowing to kill this legislation (and risk legal challenges for already in-progress contracts), should borrow the NDP policy.
This of course, brings me to the NDP itself. Andrea Horwath very well could be the wild card in this race. She hasn't received a lot of media attention since becoming the leader of the Ontario NDP and an election campaign is her chance to make herself known. With the success of the NDP federally, there is potential for the ONDP to benefit as well. We'll have to see how Horwath uses her federal partners to assist the campaign.
It will also be interesting to see how the Ontario Green Party, under new leader Mike Schreiner, does in this campaign. There are a few seats where the party is competitive, including Bruce - Grey - Owen Sound, so if they can maneuver resources into seats where they have a chance, there very well could be some Green in the new legislature.
Because I try to be somewhat balanced in providing readers with sources to make their own decisions, I encourage you to check out the Progressive Conservative platform and the NDP platform. The policy section of the Ontario Liberal website was unresponsive at the time of writing this post, but their website is available here. Lastly, the Green Party platform is available as well.
It is now officially August - and in just over eight weeks, Ontario will head to the polls and decide whether to return Dalton McGuinty's Liberals to office or elect a new government (while many say the only other contender is Tim Hudak and the PC's, I don't want to write off the NDP just yet).
To be entirely honest, my opinion of Dalton McGuinty is not very high; I think he has been an economic disaster for the province - both before, during and after the recession - and I do not trust him with public finances, given the massive deficit and Ontario becoming a "have-not" province. Before Liberal supporters comment and try to sway me, let me say this: I've already heard the Liberal talking points about 60 per cent of the jobs created in Canada being here in Ontario. What I haven't heard is how you plan to make Ontario a "have" province and how you plan to reduce the massive deficit.
My other issue with Dalton McGuinty is this - his government is very much a fan of the "nanny state." I fully support regulation when it makes sense (such as on guns), but the Liberals seem to over-regulate and have done so since coming to office in 2003. Pesticides? Fine, they have a negative impact on the environment; pit bulls was a ridiculous one and so is the junk food ban in Ontario schools, coming into effect September 2011. It seems the Liberals are comfortable telling me what to do and when to do it; I don't like that one bit.
However... Tim Hudak and the PC's seem to think the way to win the election is to simply be angry about the last eight years and try to stir up that anger and hope it motivates people to clobber McGuinty. While it is very true that the easiest way to get people to vote is to get them pissed them off at the incumbent, simply not being McGuinty isn't enough. Furthermore, the PC's have some pretty reckless policies themselves.
Yes, I support the Green Energy Act (GEA) that the Liberals have brought in. It makes good economic sense and good environmental sense. I know the PC's are railing on about the impact the GEA has on energy prices, but the Pembina Institute has released a study that debunks that. In fact, the study shows that because of the GEA, Ontarians will likely save money over the next 15 years.
Are there flaws with the GEA? Of course. It puts a lot of power in the hands of the provincial government and has an impact on local communities. But the NDP have addressed this by proposing to give back power to the municipalities. The PC's, instead of vowing to kill this legislation (and risk legal challenges for already in-progress contracts), should borrow the NDP policy.
This of course, brings me to the NDP itself. Andrea Horwath very well could be the wild card in this race. She hasn't received a lot of media attention since becoming the leader of the Ontario NDP and an election campaign is her chance to make herself known. With the success of the NDP federally, there is potential for the ONDP to benefit as well. We'll have to see how Horwath uses her federal partners to assist the campaign.
It will also be interesting to see how the Ontario Green Party, under new leader Mike Schreiner, does in this campaign. There are a few seats where the party is competitive, including Bruce - Grey - Owen Sound, so if they can maneuver resources into seats where they have a chance, there very well could be some Green in the new legislature.
Because I try to be somewhat balanced in providing readers with sources to make their own decisions, I encourage you to check out the Progressive Conservative platform and the NDP platform. The policy section of the Ontario Liberal website was unresponsive at the time of writing this post, but their website is available here. Lastly, the Green Party platform is available as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)