The Dalton, Duncan and Don report has some big cuts and changes in-store for Ontario. The report commissioned by Dalton McGuinty's major minority Liberal government to provide political cover for planned cuts. Cuts that McGuinty and his party must have known were in the cards before the election, after all they were diligently following our finances.
The Liberals went into the last election promising much in the way of new spending and tax cuts. They ranted about the mean-hearted Tim Hudak who was certainly Mike Harris in common-folk drag, would do to Ontario. They attacked the Andrea Horwath, NDP leader for her reckless policy of reversing planned corporate tax cuts.
The Liberals appear to be on track to out-do Mike Harris. How ironic is that. They campaigned against the proposals of cuts and privatisation made by Hudak, now they will be making those cuts themselves. Looks like Hudak's ideas won the election, even if he lost.
McGuinty has now accepted the NDP policy of stopping corporate taxes, when only five months ago during the election, the idea was reckless.
Premier Dad has learned well from one of Canada's most astute politicians, Prime Minister Trudeau. Trudeau attacked Robert Stanfield during the 1974 election for proposing wage and price controls. Trudeau joked that you can't say, "Zap, you're frozen to the economy." Trudeau went on to win a majority government and the next year imposed the wage and price controls he campaigned against.
We are going to see many cuts. We are going to see much privatisation. We are going to get what Hudak promised all along. Its too bad we don't have recall in Ontario. I'm pretty sure there would be more than a few Liberal MPP's that would be a little vulnerable we're they to face the voters in a recall.
1 comment:
I lived through the Harris cuts, and they were horrid: we're still dealing with the aftermath. Ontario's economy -- built on manufacturing, has shrunk dramatically: there aren't the funds coming in to stay the course. We are a province in a country that is part of a global economy, a global economy that is exceptionally fragile and will be for the forseeable future: no country, no province/city or town, or person, straight or gay or otherwise is immune. And no political party -- anywhere in the world and least of all in Canada, or in Ontario, has a plan except the same old crap: cut or spend. Both approaches are wrong headed, and short sighted. But people want what passes for leadership: People who say what they're gonna do: Ford (shudder).
One day, there will be a new political party with a vision and a plan and an electorate who can see that what we do in the here and now affects the future. At least, I'm hoping.
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