It’s been less than a month since Rob Ford won a decisive victory to become the next mayor of Toronto. Ford ran in the socialist People’s Republic of Toronto on a platform to stop the gravy train. To stop the city mothers from spending citizens’ hard earned money on every wish of leftist special interest groups. To stop these same mothers from using their office budgets for selfish self promotion. To stop throwing millions at the global warming hoax. To stop taxes and user fees from rising to ridiculous amounts to feed the egos of the councillors and their hangers-on.
You would think that the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party would see Ford’s election as a good thing. The party has traditionally been shut out in Toronto but Ford’s election seems to indicate that the overtaxed residents of Canada’s largest city could support a party that is truly fiscally conservative. And that’s the problem; the PCs are hardly fiscally conservative.
If a couple of events that transpired since the October 25th election are any indication, the provincial Tories haven’t learned a thing. Premier Dalton McGuinty has been portrayed, especially by political cartoonists as Pinocchio as a result of his constant liberties with the truth. It’s a shame that Dalton’s nose really hasn’t grown; it’s getting harder and harder to tell the two parties apart.
Recently, Progressive Conservative MPP, Lisa MacLeod announced she would introduce a private members bill to make Remembrance Day a statutory holiday. There was just as much opposition to the idea as there was for it, but nary a word of criticism from the party itself. Critics pointed out that children should be in school on November 11 and the day should not be set aside as a holiday; it is to remember those who have given their lives in the service of Canada; not to go shopping or sleep in until noon. There is something unique about the many things that come to a halt for a moment’s silence in respect of veterans, both living and dead.
What was troubling was that MacLeod didn’t seem concerned about the cost of making November 11 a stat holiday; the cost to businesses of having to close or pay their employees time and a half or double time if they were required to work. Sure, MacLeod wanted to cancel Family Day to make up for it. There is as much chance of that happening as making Easter Monday that has no religious significance, an ordinary working day. Gone were the arguments when Family Day was introduced; that it would cost the economy billions.
MacLeod was praised by the critics of her proposal for having her heart in the right place. There is no doubt she devised the plan because of her support for both veterans and current troops. It was said that her intentions were good but good intentions are behind every liberal idea that ends up causing havoc with the economy.
A second incident happened when Dalton McGuinty proposed giving scholarships to foreign Ph D students. The cost of these scholarships was estimated to cost Ontario taxpayers $30 million over four years; $20 million from the government and $10 million from Ontario universities. As one headline read, McGuinty was blasted by Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak. Was Hudak upset because Ontario doesn’t have the money? Er, no. Was he angry because the spending of an additional $30 million wasn’t necessary? No, again. Was he mad because the expenditure would add to the province’s deficit? Nope. Hudak’s complaint was that the money should be spent on Ontario students instead of foreign ones. Whether it’s necessary or not, let’s just spend the money in a different way. The Progressive Conservatives don’t even pretend to be fiscally conservative.
The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is the one that saw 38 of its prominent members write a letter of support on behalf of George Smitherman, the former Liberal cabinet minister who ended up as Ford’s main opponent in the mayoral race. The letter went out in September while George, in an attempt to catch up with frontrunner Ford, veered to the right and was going to cut spending. Smitherman did catch up with Ford and then realized his only hope of becoming mayor was to take votes away from Joe Pantalone who was running on the far left. Smitherman then became a “progressive” candidate. The fact that Smitherman is a true Grit who will say and do anything if he thinks he will get elected seemed lost on the Ontario Tory elite. These 38 Tories supported a “progressive” candidate at the expense of a true fiscal conservative. It’s unfortunate that when the provincial election rolls around next year, Rob Ford supporters have no place to go.
Liberals have sometimes been referred to Tim Hudak as Son of Mike Harris. We demand a paternity test.
