For the past two years, Toronto has been cursed by being governed by the 3 M's — Prime Minister Paul Martin, Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mayor David Miller.
It perhaps wouldn't have been so bad if they had not descended upon us almost simultaneously back in 2003. In October of that year, Dalton McGuinty won a majority government; taking power from the hapless Tories who were then being led by Ernie Eves. The next month, municipal elections were held throughout Ontario and when the year long campaign ended, David Miller was victorious over his closest rival, now Ontario PC leader John Tory. In December 2003, the federal Liberals finally held their long awaited coronation of Paul Martin Junior; the guy who spent so much life seeking that office that he never gave a thought to what he would do when he got there. and it sure showed.
as of last week, Paul Martin was relegated to the history books, most likely as a footnote--one of those PMs like Kim Campbell and John Turner (oops, almost forgot Joe Clark) who are omitted in lists of prime ministers that read Diefenbaker, Pearson, Trudeau, Mulroney and Chrétien. One down --two to go.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has, fortunately or unfortunately, the longest guaranteed shelf life, not having to face the electorate until October 2007. Of the three, McGuinty is probably the least objectionable. He may even be bringing good government to Ontario although it's hard to notice through all his lies and deceptions. From an ideological perspective, conservatism in Ontario wound down at the end of Mike Harris' first term and was virtually dead when Eves lost power. and the most conservative thing about John Tory is his surname. With the memories of Bob Rae's government still fresh in the mind of many voters, the next election will be won by either the Conservatives or the Liberals. Either way there won't be much of a change.
The most objectionable thing about Dalton McGuinty is that in a profession that is known for lying, Dalton stands out as a liar. Even as I write, another McGuinty lie has come to light. The province is thinking about increasing the salaries of school trustees from $5,000 to $20,000. In an age where you get what you pay for that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the announcement was overshadowed by the fact that McGuinty was asked if he would raise trustees' salaries and he said "no". It was bad enough that he looked into the camera and told Ontarians that they wouldn't pay one cent more in taxes under his government than under the previous Conservative administration and then imposed a health tax. But he lied about that too-- saying it wasn't a tax, it was a health "premium". That was until provincial employees mentioned a clause in their collective agreement that said that the employer was responsible for paying health premiums. Without missing a beat, McGuinty said it his health premium wasn't a premium--it was a tax. It was admirable job for a 5-year-old, but not for the premier of a major Canadian province. McGuinty's got to go to bring back at least a shred of credibility to the province. If John Tory can manage to tell the truth at least 30 per cent of the time, he deserves Ontario's top job.
That leaves David Miller, who is seeking re-election this November. Even though McGuinty can be kept around for his entertainment value, Miller has to go. It's of course assumed that he can't be beaten; much the same way that it was assumed that Stephen Harper would never become the prime minister of Canada. Crime was a big issue in the federal election and as the shootings continue it will be an even bigger issue in the Toronto elections. and the fact that Torontonians did not elect any Conservative candidates will not help Miller keep his job. He's a member of the NDP, but his support of Liberal John Godfrey during the federal campaign was deplorable. Supporting the NDP that he is associated with is one thing; helping the Liberals was a gamble and Toronto's Chief Panhandler lost. It was pathetic to see him begging the Tories for money as soon as the polls changed in Harper's favour. Hopefully Stephen Harper will not hand over funds to him without some sort of requirement to bring spending under control. Contrary to what Dalton McGuinty thinks, this city council is not mature enough to handle money. It's that simple.
Miller's lack of caring of violent crime (except for the tears he sheds for the shooters and their lack of basketball courts) and his election antics which achieved nothing other than to alienate the new federal government are reasons enough to send him packing.
Toronto was once a great city. It could be again after the other M's are disposed of.
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