Blue Like You

Archive for September 25th, 2007

John Tory is looking out for seniors:

Mr. Tory announced that if elected, a Progressive Conservative government would establish a 5% annual cap on property assessment increases for as long as a person owns their home.

“Dalton McGuinty has failed seniors” who still live in their own homes, Mr. Tory said.

This is another issue of fairness. Seniors on fixed incomes should not have to worry about exorbitant property tax increases. Feeling independent for as long as possible is a crucial issue for seniors. It is a matter of pride and respect. Failing health is enough of a worry. They don’t need to be taxed to death before they actually do die.

On a tactical level, this is brilliant. Boomers are entering their retirement years now and they are looking for advocates.

Meanwhile on the election front, all three major parties seem stuck according to SES president Nik Nanos:

With only 14 days left in the campaign, the poll shows the Liberals with 41-per-cent support of committed voters, the Progressive Conservatives 33, the New Democrats 18 and the Green Party eight.

Nanos observes that with Tory at 31 per cent and McGuinty at 29 per cent, “they are in a statistical tie for best premier“and that “no one really has the upper hand on the leadership front“. This could be a problem for Tory with his slogan “leadership matters.”

Nanos suggests that the Conservative campaign has failed to attract female voters:

The campaign has focused more on issues that appeal mainly to men, such as promise- breaking, taxes, nuclear power and cracking down on what the leader has called “illegal occupations” by native protesters.

Well, I think that’s a fairly sexist comment. Keeping your word is important to women too. I’m not at all sure that the issue of integrity only matters to men.

I don’t think Toronto mom Fiona Marshall would agree with Mr. Nanos either (Lying to ‘mom’ could be costly on election day):

I’m definitely not going to vote Liberal,” said Fiona Marshall, the leader of the outdoor fitness class for new mothers, and a former teacher herself.

As her eight-month-old daughter Ailie plays on the grass, Ms. Marshall explained that while she voted for the party in 2003, she cannot do it again.

“This is a ‘mom’ thing to say, but we don’t lie in our house. You don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Ms. Marshall said the Liberals’ problem clearly went beyond the financial problems they inherited after taking office. Mr. McGuinty cannot lay the blame there for the many promises he did not keep, she went on.

“Wherever my politics lie, morally I can’t support a party that has done basically nothing that it promised to do around education,” Ms. Marshall said.

“I’m normally left of Liberal. But for the first time in our house, we’re talking about voting right.”

The Society for Quality Education appears to support Ms. Marshall’s viewpoint - McGuinty hasn’t delivered on his promises.

Former BC Liberal Education Minister Christy Clark also berated Dalton McGuinty for his broken promises and hypocritical attitude on Faith-Based funding.

John Tory can only hope that there are many more Fiona Marshalls out there; especially in Toronto.