“There is no effective, independent, investigative oversight of hospital administration. Period.” – Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin, 2008 Ontario has been resisting Ombudsman oversight of its public hospitals for long enough. Marin says he is not the first to demand this … Continue reading →
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To make a minority government work, the party in power needs the support of enough members of parliament to pass confidence-vote legislation like the budget. This can be done on an issue by issue basis, or, by coming to an on-going agreement with one or more opposition parties to form a coalition government. Currently, in Ontario, the Progressive Conservative party under Tim Hudak has been chomping at the bit for an election. They have been uncooperative for some time, looking to gain power for themselves instead of looking to get things done for the people of Ontario. So, the governing (Read more…) Liberals, now under Kathleen Wynne, have been appearing to be willing to work with the NDP to pass legislation. With this in mind, Andrea Horwath’s NDP have asked for some things to be added/changed in the upcoming Ontario Budget. Here is what the NDP demands include: Close . . . → Read More: Driving The Porcelain Bus: Ontario Liberals On The Verge of Forcing An Election The Ontario PCs have released a new video with finance critic Peter Shurman suggesting the Liberals cannot balance their budget on schedule by restraining health care to 2 per cent and education to 1 per cent. The timing appears a bit off. … Continue reading →
The other day, in my post on political leadership, I chose Toronto Mayor Rob Ford as the figure to contrast what I consider to be the much more mature and thoughtful approach of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. My exclusion of the more obvious figure of comparison, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, was intentional, given that I have written so much about him in the past, each post essentially observing the same thing: his addiction to ideological bromides as substitutes for real policy. That dearth of vision was much in evidence in Hudak’s fundraising dinner in Toronto the other day. Saying . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: More Reflections on Leadership I am long past the age where I expect very much from politicians of any stripe. While it is easy to target (and I frequently do!) the Harper-led Conservative Party as the party of the corporate agenda, it is also sadly true that both the Liberal Party and the NDP have as their greatest priority the acquisition of power, frequently at the expense of principle. For example, putative messiah of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau, is shockingly shallow when it comes to policy pronouncements, the better, I assume, to form them closer to the next election according to perceived . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Pondering Pandeering Political Parties
I have a bit of a busy morning ahead, so just a brief post for now. I have written many times about young Tim Hudak, the lad who aspires to become Premier of Ontario through rhetoric that demonizes the public sector, public sector pensions, and unions. Apparently, constructive policy and breadth of vision are beyond his ken. Here are two letters from today’s Star that nicely capture the severe moral and intellectual limitations the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party labours under: Re: Hudak takes aim at public sector pensions, March 18 I assume Hudak’s ambition is to ensure . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Two Messages For Tim Hudak I do hope young Tim Hudak enjoys this brief video, directed by Bruce McDonald: Recommend this Post
It occurs to me that perhaps the limited appeal of young Tim Hudak, the increasingly out-of-touch leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, might be related to the retro mentality that periodically pops up in North America. You know, that nostalgic pining for a non-existent past where everyone lived harmoniously in a semi-suburban environment, when men would daily don their work attire (usually a suit and tie), go forth bravely to earn the family’s bread, and then return home to be greeted by the loving, doting wife, clad, in the mode of June Cleaver, in apron and pearls. And, of course, . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Pining For A Non-Existent Past
I wish I could take credit for the title sobriquet describing Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, but that distinction lies with Val Patrick of Hamilton whose letter, along with several others that appear in today’s Star, I am taking the liberty of reproducing below. Enjoy! Tea Party Tim Hudak has launched into another round of union-bashing. This time he is focused on the thousands who have no right to strike and are required by law to have wage and benefit disputes settled by arbitration. His target this day was the firefighters of Stratford. Attacking the decision in their . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Some Thoughts on ‘Tea Party Tim’ Memo: To the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier, Province of Ontario From: Your new pals at OPSEU Diablogue Dear Premier Wynne – Imagine our surprise when we discovered in today’s newspaper that the public sector unions are in fact running government. We have to give thanks … Continue reading → ….but Tim Hudak seems like an angry guy these days. The modus operandi of the Ontario PC leader seems to be to “attack” everyone and everything these days as a way to try to get himself elected – an angrier version of ex-Premier Mike Harris, if you will. Polls seem to indicate (though I’d like to see more then one pollster saying this) that Ontario voters so far like Premier Wynne’s style, and are willing to give her a chance – not angry Tim, though. He wants to go now! There is only so much of a base for
And, as usual, has nothing to say to anyone with the capacity to think. H/t Kev Recommend this Post Assorted content to end your week. - The Star’s editorial board highlights why our elected representatives should be countering the effect of precarious employment (rather than exacerbating them as the Cons have done): Simply put, programs like Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan were created back in the days when employees received wrist watches for 40 years of service. Unemployment was considered a temporary misfortune, and big companies were expected to provide adequate pensions to be topped up by government cheques. Those programs have not adapted to the new, more “precarious” world. For example, EI benefits have been pared . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links Looks like these folks need some direction: I suspect young Tim Hudak would like to provide it for them. Recommend this Post
The only trouble is, everytime he does, he affirms his incompetence. Yes, young Tim Hudak, the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, has weighed in on yet another ‘obstruction’ that he believes can be remediated through his simplistic prism. This time it is that pesky perennial problem of those darned endangered species, or more specifically, [g]overnment regulations protecting endangered species [which] are throttling business: In a speech Tuesday to the Rural Ontario Municipalities’ Association (ROMA) conference at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, … Hudak told 700 rural municipal politicians he would slash “the more than 300,000 regulations, outdated rules, . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Tim Speaketh Again Bit of an odd priority for a leader looking to be taken more seriously, but here we are. Hudak’s already on the record as wanting to eliminate full day kindergarten and put 10,000 education workers out of a job, but I guess we can add endangered species to Hudak’s chopping block. The literal elephant in that picture is from a PC photo op stunt done in Mississauga on September 28th, in an attempt to attack the Liberals over the power plant issue. The bigger elephant though, are the numerous statements made by Hudak and local Mississauga Conservatives in favour of scrapping the plant. Hudak, who has flip-flopped on issues like the tax reform, health care funding, protecting the rights of Ontario citizens and a triple flip-flop on full day kindergarten has ironically now built up a pretty consistent track record of flip-flopping and making up policy on the fly. . . . → Read More: The Liberal Scarf: Elephant in the room: Hudak continues to flip-flop on power plants Yesterday, Finance Minister Charles Sousa started his first round of pre-Budget consultations in Mississauga, listening to the concerns of everyday Ontario families as he works to prepare a budget focused on creating jobs, lowering youth unemployment, and fostering growth and opportunity as the way forward. “My hope is that the members of the Opposition have heard how closely I’ve listened to their concerns and the concerns of people around the province,” Wynne told reporters.Sousa, meanwhile, said he will get in touch with Opposition parties as he prepares the budget.“Premier Wynne wants to work with members of the Opposition . . . → Read More: The Liberal Scarf: Hudak wants a $300 million election, vows to vote against a budget that hasn’t been written yet
I readily admit that I find it difficult, if not impossible, to fathom the extreme right-wing mind. To me, it is a mind mired in a world of fantasy, willful ignorance, and intractable denial. Magical thinking seems to be a substitute for cogitation. Name-calling in lieu of discussion. Denunciation instead of deliberation. And I would be quite content to leave such minds alone, content as they are in delusions of grandeur and superiority, except for the fact that they bother and disrupt the business of the adults in society. The above, I’m afraid, is an all too apt description of . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Fathoming The Reactionary Mind
Last week I wrote a post on two inane ideas uttered by young Tim Hudak, the hapless leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party. He proposed tying post-secondary funding to rates of employment upon graduation, along with the idea that only those who achieve a certain mark shuld be elegible for student financial assistance. Two letters in today’s Star help to put his ‘ideas’ into the perspective they deserve: Re: Hudak cracks whip on students, Feb. 13 Once again, Tim Hudak is turning into the greatest boon for the Ontario Liberals. His policy paper on post-secondary education will benefit absolutely no . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Perhaps He Should Try Thinking Before Speaking?
In his ongoing attempt to resurrect the ‘glory’ days of his close friend and mentor, former Ontario Premier Mike ‘the knife’ Harris, young Ontario Conservative Tim Hudak has a not-so-new-idea. A man, I deduce, not given to a great deal of introspection or critical thought, young Tim has apparently come to the conclusion it is time to recycle an idea first proposed by Harris when he led the province, an idea even that ruthless leader somehow realized was going too far: tying funding of post-secondary programmes to the rate of employment after graduation. That, of course, is not to downplay . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Mike Harris Redux Tim Hudak rolled out his latest double down on right-wing policy, announcing he would end the 30% tuition rebate for Ontario post-secondary students. Hudak and his post-secondary education critic, Rob Leone framed the tuition cut as not helping mature students or single parents (ironic, given the not so high regard single mothers have been held in historically by conservatives). They also seem to want to restrict the way students could use the use any financial assistance they would receive: “The Tories say student aid should be given to students who are getting good marks and can show they’re using the money . . . → Read More: The Liberal Scarf: Hudak would end support for students from low income families with attack on 30% tuition rebate TweetThe staff overhaul in Premier Alison Redford‘s Communications Office has resulted in two new hires. One was already working in Alberta’s Legislature and the other comes direct from Ontario’s provincial legislature. Already under the dome, Michael Norris left his job as Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths‘ press secretary to become the Premier’s Issues Manager. Mr. [...] Young Tim Hudak, the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, probably commands much more press coverage than he deserves. He certainly has been the object of more than one of my own blog posts, in part because of the fascinating window he opens into the mind of that segment of the electorate which believes his retrograde polices have merit. Indeed, it is never wise to underestimate people’s capacity to buy into disproven bromides as they indulge in that peculiar form of magical thinking that suggests taxes can be cut, jobs created, and society advanced through no personal pain . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: A Timely Reminder I have a confession to make: I am a lifelong Beach Boys’ fan. Their harmonies and their idyllic representation of the West Coast lifestyle captivated me as a youth, and still have a hold on me today. One of their signature songs, and certainly one of my favorites, is Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Composed by Brian Wilson, it tells the story of a hoped-for future in which young love works out, and they live ‘happily ever after.’ As such, of course, it bears little relation to reality. And yet, even so many years later, I cling to the hope . . . → Read More: Politics and its Discontents: Wouldn’t It Be Nice? |
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