04.27.2012 01:23 PM

Liz Witmer

I always liked her, have I mentioned that lately?

16 Comments

  1. WDM says:

    A true Progressive Conservative. Big loss for Hudak, and despite the opportunity it creates for the Ontario Liberals, a big loss for Ontario too.

  2. Ted B says:

    One more resignation or defection and that gives Dalton a majority.

    Liberals – 53
    “Progressive” Conservatives – now 36
    NDP – 17

  3. Ted H says:

    Very crafty of Mr. McGuinty to nominate her for a plum position.

    • Michael says:

      As crafty as it may have been, without the help of the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, she never would have gone for it. 😉

  4. Mulletaur says:

    Hard to see how this could be interpreted in any way other than a vote of non-confidence in Tea Party Timmy’s ‘leadership’. The Ontario PCs are destined to become an extreme right rural rump.

  5. Dave says:

    Let the Second Battle of Waterloo begin! If Tim loses the seat, he will have the same fate as Napoleon.

    • Lord Kitchener says:

      Agreed, this is going to THE test of Tea Party Tim´s leadership tenure. Liz W is a perfect example re voters who select the candidate over the party. I´ve heard many a Progressive from Waterloo say that they hate Tim H but are going to vote for LW because she has a lot of integrity and credibility — of course, in partisan politics that is always debatable. She was respected around here, and seen as a realist – which helps me understand the timing of this decision.

      This is going to be a hot one — and i can see/hope EDay happening sooner rather than later. the people of waterloo are pretty smart, and are a good example of the business class not siding with The Hudak. best believe OLP is going to going to put its best and brightest on this one.

  6. Jon Powers says:

    Ha. So she basically accepted a bribe. Nice soft appointment bo the WSIB. $200 K a year, plus pension. Yet another career politician, suckling at the public teat. Good Riddance. Well played, Mr. McGuinty. A machiavellian masterstroke.

    • Ted B says:

      “So she basically accepted a bribe. Nice soft appointment bo the WSIB. $200 K a year, plus pension. Yet another career politician, suckling at the public teat. “

      Sorta kinda like Hudak, the PC leader she just left, and the federal leader Harper, eh. Fancy that.

    • Tim Sullivan says:

      Is this not libelous? Elizabeth Witmer has dedicated a lot to Ontario through public service. Why can’t she be credited for having served her time? Perhaps the PCs should look within and wonder why she would rather work in the government for the Liberals than remain out of the discussion entirely behind “No Deal Now What Is the Offer?” Hukak.

      I’ve like Witmer since she rolled her eyes in disbelief when Harris said he would outlaw tenure for university profs. On the stage. In KW. Standing next to him.

      • Jon Powers says:

        Libelous? Ha. I await the lawsuit, dumbass. As for Witmer, she represents everything wrong with Canadian politics. And yes, I include other Conservative politicians such as Hudak and Harper.

  7. Nurie Jahangeer says:

    Yes, Elizabeth Witmer is a true Red Tory. While I am a lifelong Liberal voter, I most likely would have voted for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, had she won the leadership election back in 2002. Despite Ernie Eves
    and John Tory were moderate, centrist, pragmatic, progressives…they were more “Pink Tories” in my opinion,
    whereas Elizabeth Witmer and Janet Eckar were the only truly Red Tories at Queen’s Park from approximately
    1995 to present. When Janet Eckar lost her seat back in 2003, Elizabeth Witmer was the only remaining Red Tory.
    Christine Elliot, Flaherty’s wife, is a Pink Tory, but not a classical Red Tory.

    The only other time I would have voted for federal or provincial political party other than the Liberals, would have been had Hugh Segal won the leadership of the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada back in 1998. Senator Segal is a true Red Tory and the only one left in the Senate or House of Commons. Joe Clark was a Red Tory back in 1979, but by the time he won the leadership of the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada back in 1998, his socio-economic policies were more Pink Tory in my opinion.

    The only person who could possibly succeed American Republican-style Conservative Stephen Harper and turn the
    Conservative Party of Canada back into a Red Tory direction would be Bernard Lord. The only person who could do it
    for the PC Party of Ontario would be Janet Eckar, if she decided to return to politics. All other CPC MP’s and OPC MPP’s
    are Blue Tory corporate ass kissers who would like to shrink the welfare state even further, libertarians who would abolish most of the welfare state all together, or American Republican-style neo-cons who wish to de fund and partly privatize the welfare state along with enlarging the military-industrial complex and the prison industrial complex.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Tory
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Tory

  8. Lance says:

    She was an MPP for, what, over THIRTY years? And now that she decides that she’s had enough, some people in certain quarters are braying about a betrayal of her party? What, should she be giving her blood and her soul, too?

    Wow.

  9. Nurie Jahangeer says:

    I do hope that the Ontario Liberal Party wins the by-election.

    I trust you will work your magic again, Warren?!

    I am a Liberal, but Red Tories Elizabeth Witmer MPP, Allison Redford MLA and Senator Hugh Segal are awesome!

    I once saw a debate between Red Tory Hugh Segal and neo-conservative David Frum. Senator Segal drew circles
    around Mr Frum, who’s ignorance of the Red Tory tradition and how Red Toryism WAS Canadian Conservatism from
    1867 to 1984 at the federal level, was both self-evident and pathetic. For so many Canadian Conservatives, there basically was no such thing as Conservatism until Ronnie Reagan and Maggie Thatcher created it!. What a bunch of ignorant fools most Canadian Conservatives are who know very little about our country’s history and who are so brainwashed by everything Ameri-KKK-an and Republi-KLAN.

    Sir John A. MacDonald, Sir Robert Borden and John Diefenbakker must be turning over in thier graves at how
    Mulroney, Manning, Day, Harper, Harris, Flaherty, Hudak and Ford have sold out Canadian Toryism for American
    Republicanism.

    In his 1996 memoir No Surrender (page 225) Hugh Segal wrote: “Progressive Conservatives cannot embrace the nihilistic defeatism that masquerades as a neo-conservative polemic in support of individual freedom and disengagement.” He went on to deplore “American fast-food conservatism.” In a speech to the National Press Club on June 21, 1995, Segal referred to the “selfish and directionless nature of the American revolution — which was more about self-interest, mercantile opportunity, and who collected what tax than it was about tolerance or freedom”.

    That is Harper, Hudak, Ford et al in a nutshell!. They peddle American fast-food conservatism, which along with right-wing talk radio shock jocks such as O’Reilly, Beck and Limbaugh…cater thier message to the most ignorant, common, uneducated, uncouth, unrefined, crass and low class elements of society…the blue collar Conservative of the Archie Bunker ilk.

Leave a Reply to Michael Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.