Let’s remember that Dalton McGuinty’s throne speech is just the rough framework of the plan. All the meat is sure to follow., right?
And yes, I’m not the only one living in Wonderland. Dalton obviously is too.
I’m just biding my time – with gritted teeth. What can you do? The Mad Hatter is in charge.
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Related:
Tim Hudak fires up PCs to take on ‘reckless’ Ontario Liberals – Globe:
Ontario needs the Progressive Conservatives to clean up after a “reckless failed” Liberal government, Opposition Leader Tim Hudak said Saturday as he fired up the Tory troops for the 2011 election.
Mr. Hudak unleashed a blistering attack on Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals during his keynote address to about 1,000 delegates at the Conservatives’ annual general meeting in Ottawa, with the theme “Ontario can lead again.”
“Our economy may have fallen apart — but our lawns are perfectly pesticide free,” said Hudak. “Our factories may be closing — but Ontario is protected from the menace of the plastic grocery bag.”
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Wednesday Update:
Advice for Tim Hudak: Beware the coasting trap – Adam Daifallah.
And from Alice in Wonderland to The Exorcist – Double-talk Dalton McGuinty – Christina Blizzard:
Premier Dalton McGuinty just pulled off the fastest head spin since Linda Blair grossed us all out in The Exorcist.
One minute the premier thought mining was a dying industry. The next, it’s alive and saving the economy.
In a news conference Feb. 11, McGuinty had this to say:
“In a highly competitive, knowledge-based global economy, we are not going (to) succeed in Ontario by pulling stuff out of the ground.“Our natural resource sector is very important to us but we know that future growth will come on the basis of the development of our imaginations in innovative capacities.”
By Monday’s throne speech, McGuinty had put his imagination to good use — and changed his mind. His message was mining will save the northern economy.
“In 2008, northern Ontario became home to our first diamond mine.
“Your government will build on that success — particularly in the region known as the Ring of Fire.”
The speech went on to enthuse about the large chromite deposits found there. Chromite is key to the manufacture of stainless steel.
So, within four short weeks, “pulling stuff out of the ground” had gone from a dead-end business to our great stainless steel future…
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Thursday Update
Green Energy Bubbles – Terence Corcoran:
…While investment analysts are telling their clients to get out of solar power firms and warning about the continuing risks in wind and bioenergy schemes, Ottawa and the provinces are on a mad populist stampede to throw billions of dollars at the green energy monster. The politicians don’t seem to be keeping up with the trends...
This is a must-read!
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Friday Update
Time to privatize – Jack Mintz (FP):
…In its recent Throne Speech, the Ontario government announced it will seek to attract more international post-secondary students who pay exorbitant fees for the privilege of studying in over-crowded classrooms with students who only pay a fraction of their education costs. The province will also set up an online university with the best Ontario professors to teach people at home, maybe to make room for all those new international students.
These initiatives are not as good as they sound. If universities generate more teaching revenues with privatized-like programs, they will eventually shift their best teaching faculty to those programs to satisfy demands. I suppose the low-fee-paying students will get what they pay for but it does raise issues as to what governments are trying to achieve with post-secondary education — accessibility or quality…
Some people had the good sense to emmigrate out of Ontario after his first budget. I would be interested to see emmigration numbers of University graduates and other highly skilled workers over Dalton’s reign of terror.
It may be time to get the f^@k out of dodge.
Iceman – What a sad ending to a once great province.
Randall Denley nailed it:
Ouch.
Every time I see your WONDERFUL Ontario commercial I get very emotional knowing that Dalton has completely screwed it up and it is not the happy, lovely place that the commercial wants us to believe it is.
People are struggling unnecessarily under this Premier’s idiocy and he just doesn’t get it. Until the citizens wake up and revolt, he will continue but I fear the Unions are the real government in Ontario now and it may take diligence and commitment by Ontarians to get these people out of there.
Are they content with the status quo, that is the real question now.
Okay, if budgets are tight, why the March Madness to dump budget money departments now have before the end of this fiscal year (March 31st). Our company has been inundated with requests for products etc. to shed their current surpluses, they fear if it’s not spent they will get it cut twofold when the axe does come down. Ridiculous.
but I fear the Unions are the real government in Ontario now
That’s a good point Bec. Dalton seems to kowtow to the unions at every turn – especially the teachers’ unions.
Ontario and Quebec, same story.
“WONDERFUL Ontario commercials” – you’re kidding right Bec. Have you seen the ones for Quebec, B.C. and Newfoundland. Compared to those Ontario looks like it was done on the cheap, AND, there are twice as many shots of people drinking, eating and in hot tubs than their are shots of sites people can actually identify as being in Ontario. Depending on which version you saw one has not got the small white print at the bottom of the screen, and one does. I think because of the mystery image problem.
Re: Hudak rallying the troops. What came out crystal clear at the PC Policy convention was that the days of Harris are OVER – period and the party has to live it and breathe it if they intend to win the next election because the spin the Liberals are already devising is to paint Hudak as Harris lite or puppet-Hudak. Hudak needs to stand differently and apart…even though I think that the province needs a bit of that Harris plain talk right about now.
A problem also exists because Dalton’s feasting on Harper’s success, and almost mirroring his moves on the economy, with slight plays on wording but the message is stunningly similar.
How do the PC Tories square that with their federal cousins…or do they even try?
Iceman, I am one of those university educated, highly skilled workers who left Ontario after Dalton lied about the Health Tax…errr.. premium (that went into general revenue). Hubby and I could see the demise of our beloved Ontario coming and left for Alberta. We are now proud Albertans, both started small businesses and are employing other workers. Shame that Ontario drove us away. Hubby is a born and bred Torontoian who says that cess-pool isn’t a ‘hometown’ he recongnizes anymore and wouldn’t go back to Southern Ontario for anything. It makes me very sad to see it.
Yet… the ‘liberal lovers’, many who are old friends go on – blind to it all. In fact, just the other evening, one old buddy who is interestingly enough, a union steward with TTC, was saying just how happy he is with ol Dalton. Hubby was speechless – and that doesn’t happen very often.
Richco, the commercials that they are playing in Alberta are lovely and very professional. I was surprised they spent that kind of money, seriously!
o/t climate change scientists close up shop, no money in the budget for them…ha
‘….In its budget last week, the Harper government provided no new money for the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmosphere Sciences.
The foundation is the country’s main fund for scientists studying everything from global climate models, to the melting of polar ice and frequency of Arctic storms, to prairie droughts and shrinking Rocky Mountain glaciers.
For many in the research community, the budget decision merely confirmed the view that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government
remain skeptical of climate-change science
and hostile to those who provide evidence that aggressive action must be taken to avert catastrophic global warming….’
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/budget-deep-freeze-will-lead-to-end-of-climate-research-lab/article1495628/
the commercials that they are playing in Alberta are lovely and very professional
Well that’s good to hear. This really is a beautiful province – especially when you get up north to some of the pristine lakes that aren’t touched so much by commercialism. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning to the sound of the loons and gazing across a glass-still lake with a whole day ahead of fishing and swimming.
Yeah, this is a beautiful province but in the hands of McGuinty we’ll be lucky to afford bait to go fishin’. Our homes are tilted with meters, “smart” meters, water meters, gas meters, what’s next? Wait until after July 1st when the bigger bills roll in taxed to the hilt and the sleeping masses realize what hit them.
Bec – can you please link me to the commercial you’re looking at because it must be a different animal. If you go to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism they should be there. I’ll have to check there myself because something different may be being promoted to Alberta than we’re getting here.
Joanne – in the commercial I saw there are no loons or still-lakes. Maybe one shot of a northern river.
O/T,but did ya see that cbc has actually (finally) put out there that the Paul MArtin Libs were warned..and IGNORED warnings re the Afghan detainee situation..waiting patiently for a screaming rant from Ujjal on the travesty,waiting…waiting..maybe not!
Why doesn’t Christine Blizzard ask Dalton tough questions and not to be intimidated by him.
It is not to say that Dalton is doing the ‘wonders of the wonder’which he isn’t, except that he has created a ‘have-not’ province where most reporters live.
What are afraid of? DALTON?
Speaking of Smart Meters Liz – our small town got pushed into this too. Just had our installed yesterday. Curious as to the experience of others who have been on the meters as to how much money it really DOES save?
By the way Joanne, I think Adam D.’s NP column is spot-on re: what Hudak needs to do from here on in. Hopefully someone’s paying attention.
Nothing exhibits the boneheaded stupidity of our premier any better than his statement about pulling stuf out of the ground. The ONLY way to create wealth is to pull stuff out of the ground, and then with labour, transform it into something of greater value. Anything else is simply a support activity for the people pulling the stuff out of the ground and transforming it. Is food not something we pull out of the ground? I’ve recently heard that Canada’s real future is going to be food and agriculture, since many countries are losing the competition for urban versus agricultural uses of water. Canada will become a virtual exporter of water via the food we grow and sell. And if we can get rid of anachronisms like the wheat board, probably very lucratively.
Poor Dalton. After the latest economic briefing by officials from the Ministry of Finance, Dalton is forced to admit:
“OOPs, I shrunk the economy. I need another plan.”
Open Ontario Plan – OOP
“Open Ontario Plan”
soon to be followed with Dalton’s “Promote Open Ontario Plan” – POOP!
Actually I’ve already seen some of Dalton’s ads where you can go to http://www.ontario.ca/infrastructure and see what the stimulous money is buying Ontarians. Not exactly the crap Iffy’s crowd(aka Kennedy) was crying about.
Hey, how about David Miller’s very important, can’t wait, urgently held press conference this morning that pretty much teased the media but turned out to be a nothing announcement. The usual Toronto suck-up media are all over Miller at the moment. Funny that.