Last night we saw what we thought was previously impossible – Dalton McGuinty won a third term, just one seat short of a majority government.There are, however, consequences to last night’s results that will probably drive the narrative for the next fe…
Continue readingTag: ontario 2011
The Progressive Right: John Tory on the Ontario Liberal Party’s Victory
I said it before, and I’ll say it again.Had John Tory still been Progressive Conservative leader, he’d be the Premier of Ontario today, and I’d still be an Ontario Progressive Conservative. This is what a competent and pragmatic conservative contender …
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ontario Election Maps
I’ve created two maps of the results. First a map showing the results straight-upNot much to say at this time, similar to maps you can find elsewhere.Secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, I’ve combined the recent Provincial and Federal results into…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Quick Ontario Election Post-Mortem
I just want to point out a few things quickly, and I’ll go more in-depth later on tonight.First off, while the projection failed, it didn’t fail too spectacularly – it got 16 ridings wrong, five of them which went Liberal, nine which went PC, and two w…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ontario Liberals win strong Minority Government
McGuinty’s Liberals have managed 53 seats for a razor thin minority. The Tories at 37 and NDP at 17 have a combined total of 54, making for the strongest possible minority for the Liberals.
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Liberals win in Ontario
Still not clear if it’s a majority of minority, but it’ll be close either way, Currently looking like a very strong minority, but 2 seats can change that.
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ontario 2011 – Full Predictions
The Blunt Object’s blog is predicting a Ontario Liberal majority government, with 58 seats being given to the incumbent party of Premier Dalton McGuinty. 29 seats are won by the Progressive Conservatives lead by Tim Hudak, an increase of three from 200…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Adam Radwanski warns that Ontario’s voters can’t afford to stay home from today’s provincial election.- Jim Stanford calls out the Harper Cons and their right-win echo chamber for their baseless and gratuitous …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Evening Links
Miscellaneous material for your midweek reading.- Erin compares the stimulative effects of Ontario’s election platforms:A multiplier is the amount by which a dollar of budgetary outlay increases Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The federal Department of F…
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Tory Candidate Blames Campaign Troubles on Tim Hudak
More Tory troubles. This time, however, it’s with an active Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidate who comes clean about how difficult it is to deliver her leader’s divisive and destructive message to voters.[London Free Press, Miller blam…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Teddy’s election projection for Ontario
I decided to make a map of my personal projection (IE not the official Blunt Objects projection) for the Ontario Election tomorrow evening. I’m not much for talking when there’s a map involved, so without further adieu;
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ipsos Gives OLP 10-point lead, supports Ekos
Wow, who would think you would see this from Ipsos Reid, on an incumbent premier who has not had the best eight year legacy attached to his name?A ten-point lead, so close to election day? That’s pretty good confirmation of momentum if I ever saw one.I…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Chris Selley points out the absurdity of Ontario’s Libs and PCs both running away from the idea of a coalition just as needlessly as their federal counterparts. But let’s remember that since the NDP spoke up for…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ekos – OLP – 37.8, PCPO 30.6, ONDP 22.7
Ah, good ol’ Ekos – just when you needed a new spin thrown your way.The Liberal lead over the Progressive Conservatives appears to be solidifying as the parties approach the Oct. 6 election, according to an EKOS Research poll released to iPolitics Mond…
Continue readingRunesmith's Canadian Content: Taking Attendance
An interesting pattern began emerging during the Federal Election this past spring. At forums, debates, and all-candidates meetings across the country, Conservative Party candidates were simply not showing up.
There was always some excuse, of course – although the over-use of the “prior commitment” was making some wonder if there was perhaps a new species of virus called “Prior Commitment” that had everyone sick in bed. And to be sure, some candidates may well have had a legitimate reason for not being able to attend.
It was the high percentage of Conservative candidates who were finding somewhere they would rather be that began to raise eyebrows, to the point where campaign spokesman Ryan Sparrow had to step in and quash rumours that Head Office was ordering them not to attend. He even issued a statement:
We provide support for candidates to participate in candidates debates, but we don’t instruct them not to attend debates. Most candidates would prefer to meet with voters one on one though instead of debating their opponents in crowds of committed supporters of the different parties.
Fast forward five months, and the same pattern is beginning to emerge among Ontario Progressive Conservative candidates.
The trend became particularly apparent last week when ridings across the province marked Education Day by conducting education-themed debates. Word got out that the PCs were going to give the whole thing a pass, but nobody quite believed it until reports started coming in of empty chairs behind PC placecards.
There was even an eerily familiar statement from a party spokesperson:
Alan Sakach, director of communications for the Ontario PC party, said “Our candidates make their own decisions on debate attendance based on time availability and other commitments. Candidates get a tremendous number of invitations for debates, meetings and town halls, and balance those requests with the need to door knock and canvass in their riding. Obviously they can’t make it to every event — there’s just not enough time.”
In the end it was confirmed: of the 20 education debates held in Toronto, not a single Progressive Conservative candidate turned up. Outside of Toronto, attendance was also abysmal. After a half hour search I could only find one – in Whitby-Oshawa – where the PC candidate took part.
Halton was no exception. As documented by reporter Stuart Service, PC incumbent Ted Chudleigh was absent from the education debate on the 22nd. He also failed to show at the four-riding debate sponsored by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association on the 27th. So did the PC candidates from Oakville and Burlington (nobody from Wellington-Halton Hills turned up). Apparently they all had a “prior commitment”.
Chudleigh hasn’t only been avoiding education-themed debates. He also took a pass on the Halton/Oakville ‘Policy Not Polls’ debate, along with his Oakville counterpart, claiming that he did not attend “because it was taking place outside of Halton riding. I had a number of other things on my schedule that evening and I believe my attendance at those events was more important than this particular event, which was located in a different riding.”
Admittedly, yes – the venue was about two blocks into Oakville territory. It’s not like they have moat, though, and it is a pretty handy spot for a shared Oakville and Halton event. Besides which, he didn’t seem to have any trouble making it to the Oakville Chamber of Commerce debate which took place much further south of the Oakville/Halton boundary.
(Liberal candidate Indira Naidoo-Harris also did not attend the ‘Policy Not Polls’ event. As far as I am aware, it’s the only debate she has skipped.)
Tonight, the Canadian Federation of University Women is hosting a debate at Milton District High School. Mr. Chudleigh initially said that he would be unable to attend due to (you guessed it) a “prior commitment”. However, the day before the event his campaign office let it be known that he would be able to attend after all – but only after 8:30, when the debate will be half over.*
A lot of people volunteer a lot of hours organizing these events, and even though they are sometimes sparsely attended, they do get widely reported in the local media and many voters use those reports to help them make their decision. So if the Ontario Progressive Conservatives have decided as a party strategy that debates and candidates meetings are not worth their time, then they should say so publicly and save everyone the time and trouble.
But this nonsense of every single PC candidate having a “prior commitment” on Education Day, or claiming that it’s too far to travel two blocks south of the riding boundary for a debate? Sorry, but I’m calling bullshit.
Show a little respect.
*UPDATE: A few hours before the CFUW debate, Mr. Chudleigh’s office sent out a memo stating that he would arrive at 8:00 and not 8:30. In the end, he split the difference and walked in the door at 8:13 during the midway break.
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The Wall of Shame
(feel free to send me corrections or additions)
Perth-Wellington: Liberal candidate did not attend Wind Concerns Ontario sponsored debate
Runesmith's Canadian Content: Taking Attendance
An interesting pattern began emerging during the Federal Election this past spring. At forums, debates, and all-candidates meetings across the country, Conservative Party candidates were simply not showing up. There was always some excuse, of course – although the over-use of the “prior commitment” was making some wonder if there
Continue readingRunesmith's Canadian Content: Taking Attendance
An interesting pattern began emerging during the Federal Election this past spring. At forums, debates, and all-candidates meetings across the country, Conservative Party candidates were simply not showing up. There was always some excuse, of course – although the over-use of the “prior commitment” was making some wonder if there
Continue readingBlunt Objects: This is Pre-Debate Ontario
Pre-debate Ontario has the Ontario Liberals sitting with a minority government, down 21 seats; the Hudak PCs win 37 seats, up 11; and the Horwath NDP win 20, up 10.At this point in the game, it looks pretty good for Premier McGuinty and co., especially…
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Ontario Debate Live"Blogging"
Follow along http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/09/23/ontario-leaders-debate548.htmlI will be commenting for all the Live”Blogging” so that you, our readers, can contribute along!
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Poll Update – Abacus, Ekos, and the Debates
There’s two new polls out for the Ontario election, both showing different results.First up, everyone’s favourite pollster, EKOS Research, puts the race at a low 3.5% spread between the Ontario Liberals and Progressive Conservatives, 34.9% for the OLP …
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