Timid Hudak: clear questions, not-so-clear answers
This guy will say anything. He flips and he flops, and he’s counting on you not noticing.
Against HST, now he’s for it. Against full-day kindergarten, now he claims he’s for it. Against anti-discimination laws, now he insists he’s for them. Says he’s against “health taxes,” now he’s A-OK with ’em. The list goes on.
Hudak and Guy Giorno were at the Albany Club this morning. They were chortling about how Hudak will win: “the Liberals haven’t defined him,” said Guy.
Really? That so? Does anyone think a picture emerges, perchance, from this “end-of-session” glimpse at a media avail Hudak just had, in public, on the Queen’s Park lawn?
I think it says quite a bit about him, personally.
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Reporter: The government also announced today that they’re going to send auditors in to the generic drug companies and to the pharmacies to make sure they’re complying with these new rules, do you think that’s an appropriate action?
Hudak: You know…we’ll see.
Reporter: The Liberals did quite a lot for Toronto, in a sense. They gave the City of Toronto more powers; they have a regional transit authority in Metrolinx. Would you build upon what they’ve done, or would you dismantle what they have done? What would you do differently as Premier for the GTA? You’ve got a lot of GTA candidates.
Hudak: Well, I’ll be—and I’m, and I’m very proud of the quality of individuals that have come forward to be part of our PC team in Toronto.
Reporter: But isn’t that just the same as what the – so basically you’re saying you would be status quo, because [your] infrastructure plan is the same as the Liberals. So you wouldn’t really change much. It would be the same old, same old. It’s not Changebook, it’s Samebook, isn’t it?
Hudak: We haven’t seen their plan.
Reporter: The Liberals have been pretty clear…their infrastructure plan, they’re going to keep the HST the way it is, they’re going to keep to their deficit reduction schedule, they’re going to keep the health premium, they’re going to keep the drug reforms. All those things you’re going to do to. Are you in danger of becoming Timid (sic) Hudak?
Hudak: You know, our plan is very clear…
Reporter: [Your plan is full of] minor tweaks. Why is there nothing that would pass as revolutionary in your platform? There really isn’t that much.
Hudak: I disagree with you.
Reporter: Tim, how can you say your energy policies are really affordable when you’re adopting the Liberals’ nuclear program and there’s so much uncertainty around that – which is only going to drive the costs of nuclear reactors higher?
Hudak: You know, I have a very different point of view.
Reporter: I am a little confused. I just want to ask you about it. You said when it comes to energy policy, you want to give local regions more autonomy, more say. Yet when it comes to health, you are going to get rid of LHINs which are the local, regional health authorities. You are going to scrap them. So it is ok for the Premier Office to run healthcare, but not energy? I am a bit confused. Aren’t you contradicting yourself?
Hudak: I don’t buy the Liberal spin for a minute.
Press secretary: Thank you.
[Hudak walks away while reporter wants to ask a question.]