by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
July 7, 2004
The fact that "all politicians lie" is a generally accepted principle. While there is some truth to this, the actions of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty show that there is lying and then there is lying. Many promises that politicians make are made without thinking them through or are premised on overly optimistic predictions of future events. The harsh reaction to McGuinty’s imposition of a substantial health tax after his repeated promises that Ontarians "would not pay a penny more in taxes" shows that McGuinty’s lies were in a different category than the usual deceptions we have grown accustomed to. Unlike promises that other heads of government have broken, Dalton McGuinty has shown himself to be morally unfit to lead.
Fortunately, outright liars like Dalton are rare. What is just as problematic are leaders that say or imply what they will do, but hardly anyone paid attention to them or if they did didn’t believe they would do what they said they would.
Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris was an example of someone who shocked many Ontarians by doing exactly what he said he would do. another example is Toronto Mayor David Miller who won a decisive victory last November.
Miller, an NDP candidate for mayor had to differentiate himself from former mayor and fellow left winger, Barbara Hall. after Hall said that she would support building a bridge to Toronto Island for the purposes of emergency service vehicles, Miller found his issue--opposing construction of the bridge. What should have been a minor election issue became a cause célèbre and Miller was elected.
But many voters paid no attention to anything else that Miller said and completely disregarded his stand on other issues. Miller was and is part of the left wing caucus on council and many Toronto residents now have their knickers in a knot because the Toronto Police Services Board refused to renew the contract of popular police chief, Julian Fantino. Miller is accused of influencing the board to get them to toss the chief. Well, hello! Miller just did what any other political leader would have done — he made appointments to the Board of persons who reflect his political viewpoint and had his wishes carried out. It was never any secret that David Miller belongs to the group hug theory of combating crime and Fantino does not fit within his ideology.
While Miller opponents are more likely to say "I told you so", his supporters, those who voted for him solely on his bridge and waterfront policies are shocked. He may have been seen as a one-issue candidate, but he is not a one-issue mayor and this was obvious to anyone who paid attention. Many voters cast their ballots but failed to realize that their vote had consequences. David Miller is no Dalton McGuinty and he is now taking flak for acting the way he has always acted.
Miller is also pro-union, a stance that he had never tried to hide before coming into office. So no one should be shocked that the financially cash-strapped city had garbage collection on the July 1 holiday. after all who wants a Thursday off when you can be paid triple time and when you have to work Friday anyway? When confronted by this, the mayor said that the garbage was collected on the holiday to save money. When it was pointed out to him that workers who worked on the weekend would only have to be paid time and a half, not triple time, Miller changed his story and said that the holiday collection was undertaken so people wouldn’t "get confused". Yet, many of those who voted for him will now complain about the city not getting their finances under control. Miller was perhaps the last candidate to vote for to bring fiscal restraint to city hall but many voters ignored this during election time. The bridge to the island was more important.
There will be consequences for Canadians having given the Liberals another mandate, albeit a minority. Those people who want a government to be honest and keep spending under control but who voted Liberal because they were scared of Stephen Harper will, like many David Miller voters, be the first ones to complain when business as usual takes place in Ottawa.
The voters have to realize that how they vote does have consequences.