Blue Like You

Dalton McGuinty has just announced that he will be seeking a third term in office! (Globe )

I have no pithy words for this horrible turn of events. Feelings are ranging from shock, horror, disgust and personal anguish, heart palpitations and a dull, sick, thud in the pit of my stomach.

Check out comments following the article, which are actually quite a hoot:

Robert Loblaw from Canada writes: "Dalton must run for a third term - there are so many more things that need to be banned."

* Posted 13/06/08 at 3:23 PM EDT

Atlantica Party.ca - worked for the Bloc from Canada writes:

"Good !

He’s staying in Ontario .

I was afraid he was thinking of taking on a job that may affect other parts of the country."

* Posted 13/06/08 at 3:32 PM EDT

Rick C from Canada writes: "Maybe Dalton should try to actually do something during his second term before talking about a third."

* Posted 13/06/08 at 3:43 PM EDT

Ah, you just head over there and read them all for yourself.

I’m going to try saying a prayer. I think that’s our only hope.

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Update: Speaking of prayers, this whole Lord’s Prayer controversy has turned into quite the can of worms, as Blizzard notes above.

Now we have TWO PRAYERS instead of one on a daily basis, and the secularists are not happy. Activist Henry Beissel states:

"I think it’s very sad that Canada can’t move forward into the 21st century," he said. "This type of religious fanaticism and racism belongs to past centuries and it’s time to move on."

Nice move, Dalton. Now the Lord’s Prayer is religious fanaticism.

How about focusing on something that actually needs to be fixed. Like job losses, maybe?

Bigger Update: HAMPTON TO STEP DOWN AS NDP LEADER: SOURCES. (Note to certain other person. Can you take a hint?)

The Girl in Blue - Friday the 13th just got scarier. That’s right! Friday the 13th!! I should have stayed in bed. Not a good day in Ontario.

Is it possible that Parliament’s passage of C-16 was actually a calculated risk by the Harper government designed to expose the weakness of the Official Opposition? The risk of course is two-fold: That this Government could be taken down at a moment in time that would not be of their liking, and of course there is the undeniable fact that the CPC could be put in the same awkward situation when they are someday back on the other side of the House (although I hope that never happens).

However, right now it is working to the advantage of the Conservative government. Stephane Dion is increasingly cast in the role of a stumbling, bumbling fool who can’t make up his mind what to do one day, and then the next he is painted as stubbornly resisting the sage advice of others who are eager to actually do what they were sent to Ottawa to do, which is to vote and be counted.

This has generated an internal struggle and lack of solidarity that is becoming increasingly difficult to contain. Even Lawrence Martin , the Globe’s resident Liberal apologist is starting to have problems defending the party. He even points out that although Ralph Goodale is a "good chap," he "reeks of old politics" and "needs a new assignment."

Yikes! Talk about tough love!!

Now the Conservatives and NDP are planning to expose the Liberals’ lack of accountability to their constituents, by targeting the no-shows. (Does anyone have a list of House of Commons votes and who didn’t show up?)

Clearly there are some influential Liberal caucus members who are sick and tired of sitting on their hands and having to defend their hypocritical position, when they rail against the government one day, and then refuse it bring it down the next.

They include, but are not limited to Bob Rae, Michael Ignatieff, Ralph Goodale, Karen Redman, John McCallum, and Dominic LeBlanc.

One thing for sure - The longer the Liberals say one thing but do another, the more they will be taunted by the other parties for their hypocrisy.

And contrary to Ralph Goodale’s assessment of the other two opposition parties, the NDP’s plan to poke the LPC on this one will yield results far greater than "the square root of nothing."

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Afternoon Update : Liberals show divisions on timing of Carbon Tax Plan - CTV.

Steve Janke - The Carbon Tax Grab: Garth Turner blinks.

Well, my hunch is that Garth is very hot for an election, and the perfect timing for said election will occur precisely at the moment that his Red Messiah delivers the sermon from the Hill.

Evening Update: Warren Kinsella was on MDL advising Dion to defer the Carbon Tax plan, and go for an election now. Another interesting item was his (dare I say) admiration of the CPC’s clever use of earned media.

Also, via Calgary Grit we have this Globe link with an intriguing line: …Later, one Conservative official laughed, saying the Liberals “took the bait.”

CTV - House passes controversial immigration reforms:

With several Liberals abstaining, the House of Commons has approved controversial Conservative reforms to Canada’s immigration laws by a vote of 121-90…

I want the stats for that one!

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Tuesday Update: Please watch this awesome video (Slacker’s Unite!) by Hunter at Climbing out of the Dark, showing your tax dollars hard at work!!!

And via Diogenes Borealis, we have this gem from the OLO:

Dion again asserted yesterday that he didn’t want to provoke a July election and said, as he did last week, that he didn’t think July was the right month to seize his chance because it’s "the only month of the year with sun and heat."

I think I need a T-shirt.

Jim Flaherty is doing an awesome job handling the Canadian economy. He had the foresight back in October to introduce personal and business tax cuts, which are now starting to take effect.

Contrast this with Dalton McGuinty’s ‘Cherry-Picking’ approach to handling the Ontario economy. Or Dion’s Tax-Shifting trial balloon which is already starting to lose steam .

This Conservative Government continues to handle the Canadian economy with strength and vision.

For the Highlights of Harper Government accomplishments , please see Sandy’s list which she has edited for ease of reading and referral. For a more comprehensive list, click here .

Hunter has also done some excellent YouTube work on this topic. Enjoy.

* * * *

Related : End of the Hargrove era - National Post .

Dalton McGuinty will be introducing legislation tomorrow as the first step towards a province-wide pesticide ban.

Reader Ruth tipped me off on this, and expresses concern about people with weed allergies.

I want to know what the penalties will be and how much of a bureaucracy will need to be created to police it.

And will all pesticides be banned from store shelves?

A lawn can get wiped out by cinchbug or grubs in a matter of weeks. If we lose our lawns, then the cities will heat up even more, and we will also lose an important source of carbon dioxide absorption.

Reader Fred had a great suggestion a while ago:

Leave pesticides to the professionals (lawn care companies) and take them off the store shelves. This would reduce improper pesticide use greatly. The people who know pesticides (University of Guelph) say they are safe if used properly. Let’s trust them (we have to believe someone) and not the fanatics who use junk science in their argument against good products.

Sounds good to me, Fred.

For Canadian political junkies, these are interesting times.

The Globe’s Daniel Leblanc gives us a peek into the inner turmoil of the Liberal party’s Quebec ranks, and it ain’t a pretty picture (Dion facing revolt in Quebec ranks).

We first heard of this discord several weeks ago when Joël-Denis Bellavance alluded to a révolte silencieuse on Mike Duffy Live. Both Bellevance and Jean LaPierre had heard rumours that Bob Rae had control of the Quebec wing and was wanting to wait until the March 17th by-elections had passed and Rae had time in front of the cameras in Parliament before forcing an election.

However, the Silent Revolt is getting louder - LeBlanc suggests even more serious in-fighting and lack of faith in Stéphane Dion. Lisa Frulla in particular is surprisingly candid with her remarks:

“He has no instinct,” former Liberal minister and political commentator Liza Frulla said in an interview.

“At a certain point, people feel it if there is something wrong, even if they don’t know exactly what it is. But he, poor Stéphane, doesn’t feel it.”

She also has strong words for Dion’s Quebec lieutenant:

Ms. Frulla also said publicly what many Liberals are saying privately about Mr. Dion’s lieutenant in Quebec, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette.

“She is abrasive and she is narcissistic,” Ms. Frulla said.

The former minister of Canadian Heritage argued that Ms. Hervieux-Payette is failing to connect with grassroots organizers.

“The more people know her, the more they run away. She has met a number of riding association presidents, and these people … are leaving,” Ms. Frulla said.

(I sure can agree with her on that one. I can barely stand to watch the woman on MDL.)

In any case, it would appear that Quebec cannot be counted on for Liberal support at this moment in time, which may push the likelihood of an election off until the fall or later - especially after the dismal performance of the LPC in two of the four recent by-elections.

If that happens, it will be hard to imagine Bob Rae ranting about the government on one hand, but then actually joining the Party of Hand Warmers on the other, as the LPC continues to run away from votes in the Commons. Will Bob Rae declare mutiny?

Which leads me to the slugfest between Jim Flaherty and Dalton McGuinty. Why would Flaherty continually poke McGuinty in the eye regarding tax policy and its alleged affect on the economy?

The answer may lie in John Ivison’s observations in today’s Post:

…But Mr. Flaherty’s unprecedented interference in Ontario’s budgetary process was not designed to persuade his Ontario counterpart, Dwight Duncan, to shred the already printed budget and present a cobbled-together alternative more to his liking.

It was designed to send the message that, even though many Ontarians often think of the federal Conservatives as villains, they are really the “goodies” — the guardians of fiscal probity. By contrast, Liberals, both federal and provincial, are spendthrifts who will lead us all into a new era of deficits, unemployment, homelessness and rickets…

So all this may well be a carefully honed-plan to set up the CPC as looking like the party to rely on in times of economic difficulties which would, if it all goes according to Hoyle, allow a rich harvest of discontented Ontario voters assuming a worsening of the economic downturn - especially if provinces that follow Flaherty’s advice end up faring better than Ontario.

And with the Quebec wing in tatters and Ontario voters looking for responsible, effective fiscal policy, the scene becomes fertile for either an election with positive results for the Conservatives, or else the Liberals continue to enable the present government to enjoy a tacit majority.

Your move, mon petit empereur.

3:30 Update - We now have some Live-blogging going on courtesy of Darryl Wolk!

This should cinch the question about whether or not John Tory deserves to remain as leader - Mailing of support letters from party HQ a ‘mistake’: John Tory. (H/T National Newswatch)

…Mr. Tory said his supporters made an “inadvertent” slip when they used party resources to mail out hundreds of letters of support for him. Party headquarters and its staff are supposed to remain neutral in leadership matters.

“It was a mistake,” Mr. Tory told reporters yesterday afternoon. “It was admitted and dealt with. … It was just something that happened that shouldn’t have.”

And as The Politic pointed out a few weeks ago, this isn’t the first time that John Tory has been forced to apologize for something his supporters have done. Matthew rightly asks, “What if this happened during an election?”

These violations and lack of control demonstrate once again that John Tory needs to agree to a proper leadership campaign.

And if that doesn’t convince you, how about this? -

…The anti-Tory camp also released polling numbers backing up their claim that the party is unlikely to win the next provincial election in 2011 with Mr. Tory at the helm.

Just more than half the people surveyed said they were less likely to vote for a John Tory-led Conservative party according to the poll, which was conducted by BBM Analytics and sampled 380 people. Thirty per cent of respondents said they were more likely to vote Conservative if he remained leader. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 per cent…

Say goodnight, John.

John Tory appears to have taken exception to the National Post’s January 19 editorial, The Coward at Queen’s Park, which was mainly a slam at Premier Dalton McGuinty for his lackadaisical attitude regarding Caledonia and the HDI’s so-called native ‘extortion racket’.

The Post had taken Tory to task as well:

…The saddest part is that the disgrace here is bipartisan: This is not merely an indictment of Ontario’s governing Liberals, but also the opposition Conservatives. In the face of Mr. McGuinty’s spinelessness, the best John Tory’s party could do was suggest bringing civil lawsuits to try to recover lost income. Among other things, this is a pathetic microcosm of why Mr. Tory can’t win an election…

At the time I thought it was a trifle harsh, but nobody seems to be taking a tough stance in this matter, so I reasoned that the criticism was warranted.

In today’s Counterpoint - At Caledonia, the rule of law must be upheld, Tory clarifies his stance on the issue:

…Since the beginning of the dispute in Caledonia, my colleagues and I in the PC Party have been unwavering in our argument that the rule of law must be respected and upheld. Quite simply, actions must have consequences.

I have said repeatedly that no negotiations should be held with any person or group involved in an illegal occupation, or any other illegal activity. Otherwise, a very dangerous precedent will be set…

That’s true. I must give credit where it is due, and I strongly feel that Tory’s solution is the best. It is non-confrontational, but it does imply a certain consequence when the rule of law is broken.

Too bad that the one myopic issue derailed the whole election. John Tory would have done far better on this file than Dalton McGuinty.

I could almost support John Tory to stay on as leader - if it weren’t for the Prince of Darkness.

The next time Dalton whines for money, let’s throw this one back at him:

A media request to McGuinty’s office about whether the province would help municipalities with the extra cost was forwarded to the Ministry of Labour.

“The government believes that Ontario’s economy is strong enough to accept an extra public holiday,” said spokesperson Bruce Skeaff.

Well! That’s good to hear. No new taxes, right? No more griping about infrastructure and rapid transit either.

And I trust that the ROC shouldn’t have to worry about Dalton’s hands in your pockets.

To anyone who feels there is currently no leader in Ontario who reflects your views, check this out - Draft a Leader.

Related: Will Conservatives let Tory stay on as party leader?

Christina Blizzard still questions the integrity of the OLG, in spite of the supposed clean-up after lottogate earlier this year - Lottery still not a safe bet.

…As Sun Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Antonella Artuso reported last week, over the past year, one in 20 big jackpots went to lottery insiders — either retailers or people employed by the lottery corporation.

And while a spokesman for the OLG says the reason for that is there is now greater scrutiny of wins over $50,000, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that something is horribly wrong…

…The government is happy to wash its hands of whole issue. Their mantra is that they’ve implemented the recommendations of KPMG auditors and the ombudsman - so their work is done.

I don’t think so. Because as long as you’re relying on lotteries as a major source of government revenue, you have to ensure the integrity of the process. As long as your hospitals, your schools, your police forces, are paid for from the proceeds of gambling, you’d better make darn sure it’s fair…

The reference to schools being funded by gambling proceeds reminded me of a post from Nov. 18. I had been surprised to find out that the TDSB topped the list of Canada’s richest charities, pulling in a staggering $2.4 billion dollars.

Interestingly, the Ontario Trillium Foundation ranked first in the most generous foundation category. A reader reminded me that funding for the OTF comes largely from lottery proceeds.

So, just remember. If you buy a lottery ticket in Ontario, not only do you have reason to still question the fairness and integrity of the system, but you are also putting money into the hands of a corporation that turns around and gifts it to rich ‘charities’ like the TDSB with their most interesting experiments in public education…

Just thought you might want to know.