08.20.2011 06:15 AM

Do you want all three levels of government run by the same party?

Stephen Harper, Rob Ford and Tim Hudak do:

Time will tell how Harper’s summer call for the completion of a Conservative trifecta in the October provincial election — by painting Toronto, Queen’s Park and Ottawa Tory blue — will resonate in the ballot box. But there is already no doubt that his comments have illustrated how essential a piece the Ontario vote is going to be in the Canadian puzzle of the next four years.

The October 6 vote may be the most important Ontario election in recent history. It will determine just how much of a free hand the Prime Minister will enjoy to put his Conservative stamp on Canada and the federal government.

14 Comments

  1. We understand that the Federal government is going to announce efficiencies, I am sure after Oct 6, and I have no doubt that the suggestions from Mr. Clement will reflect his long history in Provincial and Federal politics. His work as Health Minister in the Harris government and his recent G8/20 expenditure projects stand out as just two, shining examples. So it’s natural that he should be in charge of identifying the many ways to streamline our federal government in 2011.

    The Gravy Train ticket sold to Toronto voters last fall has been redeemed for a one-way ticket to Cuttsville. It’s clear Mr. Ford didn’t want to dampen voters’ spirits upfront, he is after all that self-professed ‘300 pounds of fun’ and any self-respecting, 300 pound bundle of joy wouldn’t let a little reality get in the way of the house cleaning that Toronto voters wanted. No, it’s better that PMSH say it aloud as he did at Mr. Ford’s backyard BBQ – the Trifecta is needed to clean up the ‘Liberal’ mess. Municipal and Federal streamlining initiatives will grind to a halt if there’s a Liberal government in Ontario because it’s just too much trouble to debate things nowadays.

    So it’s natural we want MORE folks from the Harris era running the Provincial government too. I am sure these smart folks have even more ways to find efficiencies in the Provincial budget than they’ve been able to explain to us so far. Ontarians can’t wait to see them rise to the challenge and debate their ideas on how to close the multi-billion dollar hole in their platform and how to integrate chain gangs with moms walking their babies through the parks of Ontario.

  2. Chamberlain Winner of the Most Arrogant Commenter Award (2011) says:

    (I’ll try this again.)

    With it now seemingly OK to have (former) separatists members of federalist parties, or even in the cabinet of the Government of Canada, how much does this stuff matter now?

    Besides, with your column re Flaherty,

    “Here goes: Over the past few days, in which economic turmoil has left quite a few of us feeling exceedingly nervous, Jim Flaherty has been doing a not-bad job. A good job, even.

    And that is why Flaherty has been focused

  3. Lou Arab says:

    Good reason to vote NDP.

  4. Robbie says:

    From the same Hebert article: “The advent of a like-minded government at Queen?s Park would not only complete a rare true blue Toronto-Queen?s Park-Ottawa trifecta ? it would put the finishing touch to Harper?s majority mandate and make complete the disarray of the divided progressive forces that, for so long, defined Canada on their own terms”

    I suppose if one were a Liberal supporter, and the three levels of government were run by Liberals or those sympathetic to Liberal Party values, then your point is moot, Warren. While theoretically possible, but not realistically likely to occur, the same could be said if the NDP formed the three levels of government. Since there is the distinct possibility that the Ontario Conservatives can pull this off, there is cause for Liberal?s to be concerned. Had the progressive vote coalesced around their common objective of stopping Mr Harper, would we have this discussion today? It all comes down to whose ox is being gored: a Liberal one or a Conservative one; the NDP, though, is a separate animal.

    • Attack! says:

      If this is an attempt to dilute the substance of the warning by saying it wouldn’t be made by this particular person if the shoe had been on the other foot (if it were the Libs closing in on a trifecta), it… fails, because that’s essentially an ad hominem.

      The point which needs addressing is whether it’s potentially very harmful to the overall welfare and economy of such a large region — encompassing nearly a sixth of the whole country’s population, considering the whole GTA — to be governed by ideologues of the same stripe at all three levels simultaneously, without the checks and balances that can come from a Party or political orientation at one level being able to face off against another, to secure more equitable or pragmatic compromises in funding or regulation decisions, instead of just capitulation and/or collusion in favouring some stakeholders at the expense of others.

      And whether or not WK raised that concern in the event of a 3-level Liberal majority, most assuredly, others would.

      So what, if anything, do you have to say about the thrust of the actual concern, apart from casting aspersions on who might be raising it, Robbie? Or are you just blowing smoke?

  5. George says:

    All three gov’ts run by the same party? Since I’ve never experienced it – why not give it a try?

    Given what I just read in the NP about the referendum on the GST if the NDP in Ontario were to promise to nix it – while the other two parties want to keep it around it could very much be a game changer for the NDP.

    Not to mention the Hill Times column dealing with Horwath and how she deals with Bob Rae’s time as Premier has possibilities to finally work past that elephant in their closet.

    • Attack! says:

      very entertaining, Georgie Berra, but you should have quit while you were ahead in the first par., before mixing up your metaphors in the third (or is Rae’s record just a Shetland elephant, if it’s small enough to fit in the closet?), and your provinces (and sources, and taxes), in the second.

      Just how old was that paper or article you were reading, anyway?

      Because the F (inancial) P(ost) article today was about the referendum on the H- (not G-) ST, in BC, not Ontario (where there hasn’t been one, and one’s not on the horizon).

      http://www.financialpost.com/news/Provinces+dilemma/5281783/story.html

      And even though Horwath was initially against implementing the HST in Ontario a couple years ago, her position on it now is just to eliminate it only on certain items, like electricity and home heating, and to reduce it on gas by a point a year, over four years.

      http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2011/07/25/wdr-politics-horwath-hst-gas-cuts.html

      And it remains to be seen how much of a ‘game changer’ that will be, considering how she may not have much of a plan or explanation on how the province would be able to afford that, in light of everything else she wants to do.

  6. Trev says:

    This whole notion is beyond ridiculous for several reasons.

    To say nothing of the fact that the same party has had a majority gov’t at a provincial and federal level something to the effect of 16 months in the last 49 years, this election is going to be won or lost in a region where folks couldn’t care less about an impending trifecta.

    Even if by some miracle, the Tories pick up 9 seats in Toronto, (which is what Harper’s just done [well, 8 1/2], and to put into context, Harris won 8 in 1999) that still gives McGuinty a healthy majority. I’m going to submit that the 905 area code, where as with all provincial elections, they get won or lost, don’t give a hoot that Rob Ford is the Mayor of Toronto.

    The only questions that are going to matter in this election are 1) how pissed off are 905 voters and 2) how good a constituency politician is the incumbent if running?

    And that even said, the Liberals have to lose all their 905 seats along with the 9 in Toronto to the Tories for Hudak to win a majority.

    So unless the economy super-tanks in the next month, I’d be stunned if McGuinty isn’t premier in 60 days. Maybe with a minority, but I’d be stunned if he’s not.

    (This of course is going on the very safe assumption that Dalton McGuinty won’t tell Andrea Horwath she has no chance of winning during the debate)

  7. Cath says:

    McGuinty’s lost the counties here I think already based only on the wind turbine issue, but, a few communities are being tossed into an accommodation review and potential school closure as soon as school starts because of a mold issue in one of our most successful schools. If McGuinty finds money enough to fix that school which sees students from a large district he’d have many converts….because another school closing ahead of an election in another small community would work for the party which is actually talking about this issue locally. So far both the NDP and PCs are.

  8. Hudak promises not to cut spending for health and education. If his Cons form the government, he’ll claim that the previous government left him with less money than expected. He’ll try to destroy the public school system by offering money to companies in order to run privately run charter schools. These schools are selective about the types of students they want to teach. There is usually a high turnover rate (50%) of teachers every year as experienced in the US. Only about 20% of these schools perform better than the public school average on standardized tests. Charter schools can get rid of underperforming students at any time of the year.

    • Cath says:

      typical dippers still hanging on myths that have been debunked long ago but don’t let that stop the spin. Take a good look at the selection taking place within our public boards and the dust-up re: the relocation of the Gifted School (Marc Garneau) and them maybe we have an education discussion that needs having in this province. No one wants to go there though…not even the NDP. Hey, but prayers in our taxpayer funded public schools……it’s up to the school boards to decide. Cop out.

  9. WildGuesser says:

    For sure. Would you prefer some kind of U.S. multi-party paralysis? Everyone pushing in the same direction is the way to go. Blue sweep!

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