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Ontario General Election 2014
May 5, 2014 - 9:21pm
first post
The election will be held on June 12, 2014. General information about this election can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_election_2014
The four main parties contending for power are:
The Green Party of Ontario led by Mike Schreiner (0 seats currently)
http://www.gpo.ca/
The Liberal Party of Ontario led by current Premier Kathleen Wynne (48 seats currently)
http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/
The New Democratic Party of Ontario led by Andrea Horwath (21 seats currently)
http://ontariondp.com/en/
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario led by current Leader of the Opposition Tim Hudak. (37 seats currently)
http://ontariopc.com/
Hudak stupidly kicks off his campaign at a place where he voted to cut their funding:
http://globalnews.ca/video/1311719/tim-hudak-kicks-off-campaign-with-awk...
Hilarious.
If the PC's get a minority then I do wonder if the NDP and Libs would consider either an accord or coalition.
The thought process of Andrea and the ONDP to turn down the very, very NDP/left supported budget is beyond me.
I know, the entire left seems so addicted to smoking the neo-liberal crack pipe that they have been convinced that privatizing Ontario Hydro and TTC infrastructure projects, while promising a lower than the rate of inflation raise to social assistance recipients is "progressive".
Since when did privatizing anything ever show up in an NDP/left budget?
Here's a CBC video with Andrea's thoughts on it: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2454052980/
ETA: Here also is the first statement she made on it: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2453938252/
In essence she's saying she's lost faith in the Liberals to live up to their promises. And she's opposed to their plans to privatize assets (see exerpt from the budget below -- note, bolding is mine).
Also recall that, while not activly selling OPG assests, the Liberals have, through the Green Energy Plan, drastically increased private sector generation. OPG now owns around 50% of generating capacity in Ontario. This has all happened under the Liberals, when Ernie Eves was Premier I think OPG had about 80% of provincial capacity (the only reason it didn't have 100% is because the PCs leased Bruce Station to Bruce Power, a contract that is soon up for renewal, btw). Until recently OPG was prohibited from competing for OPA wind and solar contracts.
Moreover, last year, Bob Chiarelli directed the Ontario Energy Board to start issuing open bids for new transmission lines, ending Hydro One's monopoly. Leave to construct the new East-West Tie from Wawa to Thunder Bay has been awarded to a consortium comprised of a Florida energy company and Boralis Infrastructre (an OMERS company). Hydro One issued a bid along with a First Nations-owned company, and they lost. Privatizing electricty generation is bad enough, but having "competition" in transmission is just stupid.
Screw the Liberals. At least the Conservatives are honest about their privatization plans, and don't lie to their supporters.
Wynee and Glenn Murray say they support publicly operated and publicly run transit. Then why was is the Elington Crosstown line going to be maintained by a private-sector "partner?" They wanted the private sector to operate it too, but allowed the TTC to do it after Toronto City Council and the ONDP Caucus fought against it. The Union Pearson Express was also supposed to be a P3 (operated and maintained by a for-profit company), but the deal fell through (P3 deals are very complex and expensive and require lots of contracts and lawyers, accountants, bankers, and consultants to complete them). All Metrolinx trains are alos operated and maintained by the private sector, Bombardier. However, the Libs won't tell anyone that.
Good on Andrea for calling the Liberals out. I was skeptical about forcing the election now, but after her comments about the Libs and transit and her challenging Wynne and Hudak to three debates, I am more confident.
Hudak’s Ontario job creation ad uses video clips outsourced from Russian Federation.
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2014/05/06/hudaks-ontario-job-creation-ad...
According to the Toronto Star the New Democrats still have to appoint candidates in 39 ridings, don’t yet have a fully formed campaign platform, and don’t have a bus for reporters covering them, as parties traditionally do.
Which is irking some members of the press and may taint the way they will be covering the NDP. The press like to be treated 'lavishly' while out on the road. As such with no amenities it has already tainted the press in being much harder on the NDP than the Liberals.
Already there are stories of the NDP having no platform, and turning down an NDP friendly budget. While the Liberals are getting somewhat of a free pass.
With two wrapped buses — a white one for her and a red one for reporters — the Liberals are highly visible on the hustings. Wynne’s campaign appeared to be a well-oiled machine.
The buses, equipped with desks, wireless Internet, a printer, televisions, fridges, a microwave, coffee machine, water cooler, and a bathroom, cost $100,000 apiece to equip.
The NDP better start rolling out the red carpet for the press. Because when they are treated first class it will result in better coverage.
Dream on!
The NDP could be carrying bouquets of roses and the Liberals bags of s#@t, and the media would still talk about how nice the Liberals smell.
The CBC likewise commented on their feeling that the NDP campaign seemed less organized than the other two (particularly the Liberals).
Do you think it's fair to suggest that he Ignatieffed that question?
Yeah, that's fair. It's painful to listen to politicians nowadays, because they all practise the art of answering without actually answering (except maybe Rob Ford .... which perhaps is an argument in favour of politicians being careful of what they say).
Here's the answer Hudak should have given:
"While we appreciate the funding that was provided in this budget, we felt that overall the budget was on the wrong path to increase the public debt. Ontarians want a fiscally responsible government that cuts wasteful spending so the books can be balanced and that we have money to support programs like what we are currently discussing, and we in the Progressive Conservative party are committed to giving that kind of government."
Simple. That reassures his base that he's watching their tax dollars carefully and reassures the swing voters that he's not going to take a chainsaw to programming that the public likes. It also addresses the issue at hand and spins it to his advantage.
I was watching hockey on CBC just now and just saw the Amalgamated Transit Union commercial against Wynne and her privatization leanings. They must be seriously pissed off with the Liberals to go that far. Good for them.
http://truthabouttransit.com/
ETA: Just saw Wynne's anti-NDP ad.
Transit Union ad once again.
Facebook like counts (the leaders):
I checked pages for the parties, but only the Libs and NDP have active pages. The Greens and PCs have "about" pages. None of these party pages seem overly significant.
Of courre as Wynne never expected her budget to see the light of day.
It was such a huge surprise for the Liberals that Wynne was all ready to go - 2 campaign busses ready to roll. Wynne was just shocked when Horwath stated she wouldn't support the budget which never got tabled, and was delivered on a "take it or leave it" by Wynne.
People here are posting the Liberals are better prepared. Yes, perhaps, becaue all along they were planing to pull the plug.
So don't blame the NDP for Wynne's thinly veiled deceitful disguise: golly gee, I really want my election looking budget to pass.
Why has there been so little discussion of the gas plants so far during this election?
Just askin'.
Keep askin'.
The beneficary of gas plants being the main issue of the election is Hudak.
LP,
Thanks - Interesting.
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Important point from a Liberal.
Why democracy is necessary
Mortified, Wynne later appeared at a Toronto bar to sound mortified. “We would have loved to have had the opportunity to immediately implement that budget, but [NDP Leader] Andrea Horwath and [PC Leader] Tim Hudak decided they want an election,” she said, with a straight face. Behind her, Liberal staffers held up prepared signs reading “WHAT LEADERSHIP IS,” apparently unaware that you should never consciously try to talk like Yoda. (Or, politically, raise a question you can’t answer.)
Wynne’s candidates were also in high dudgeon over the opposition, you know, opposing. For example, the Liberal candidate for Algoma-Manitoulin, Craig Hughson, has been getting ready for an election for months. But there he was in the Manitoulin Expositor over the weekend, professing his shock and horror that democracy has unexpectedly broken out.
“I am surprised but ready for this unnecessary election,” said Hughson, an authority in sucking and blowing at the same time.
So too some media. The Toronto Star ’s biggest front-page story in Sunday’s paper huffed that the opposition’s desire to have an election was “backfiring." “Forcing” Wynne into the June 12 election, as the Star put it, was somehow a bad thing. Why?
Well, because a poll told them so. The Liberals were going to win again, decreed the pollsters, so why bother? Left out of the Star’ s analysis was disclosure that the polling firm in question, Forum, had previously declared the Wildrose Party would win a huge majority in Alberta in 2012 (wrong), the Parti Quebecois would win a huge majority in 2012 (wrong), and the B.C. NDP was on the verge of winning in 2013 (wrong).
But the message – from the selected premier, the unelected candidates and some feckless media – was the same: elections are unwanted. They’re “unnecessary,” even.
Sorry, but that’s a damnable lie. Every day, in every part of the world, millions of people pray that they could have what Canadians have. They risk life and limb to get here, in fact, to live in a democracy. And, at the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, they know that you cannot have democracy without elections.
The likes of Wynne and Hughson deserve to be condemned for implying that democracy is unwanted. It isn’t.
They, however, may well be after June 12.
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/05/05/why-democracy-is-necessary
It's a bit alarming. Both the Liberal and the Conservative sites have a listing of candidates, whereas the NDP site as yet does not. Granted, it's not really a surprise. The NDP is the underdog to the Libs and Cons, who are the two big business parties with more money. Still, it's a bit alarming anyway. Regardless, I'm hopeful.
Except if you were making a case against Liberal methodology around privatization of public service delivery and "guaranteed" profit contracts, since the bulk of the cost was contract cancellation fees.
Bob Kinear at ATU 113 is ideologically aligned with Hudak now, for bringing up the evident dangers of privatization, as exampled by past Liberal behaviour.
For all the talk of Hudak making Ontario a "right to work" province has anyone considered that mass privatization of public assets, and outsourcing of service contracts, Wynne solution to the labour cost conundrum, is just as efficient, and possibly more efficient, at undermining unions, and workers rights? The Rand Formula is irrelevant to a non-union shop.
At some point bashing the NDP seems to be the stuff of ideological blood feud, rather than reasoned criticism.
It is possible to take a problem, "privatization boondoggles", such as ORNGE and the gas plant fiasco, and propose alternate perspectives and solutions.
It is quite obvious that the Liberal attack ad used against the NDP, pointing out what they rejected in the budget was shot on the same day, and at the same location as the Liberal attack ad on Hudak, which was released before the election call.
:)
Elections usually follow the same ole pattern.
Apart from the actual politicians, the political talking heads in the media, and a few others, like us here at rabble, most of the voters are in snooze mode.. Around half-way through the election period, and frequently at the time of the first debate, the voters wake up and start listening. Right now they are more interested in the Habs, the Jays or Raptors. Well maybe the Raptors not so much now.
Everything appears to be on track, and the universe is unfolding as it should.
That's true NR. I agree that most people won't clue in until around the debate.
Thanks LP, but it would be helpful if the gas plant details are fully discussed here, to refresh people's memory of what was and is actually taking place.
And I'm not convinced it is the PCs that would benefit the most by a thorough airing.
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Jarvis: I need someone to vote for
But the new Jobs and Prosperity Fund, $2.5 billion over 10 years – that’s not an economic plan. That’s a lot more money for businesses, some of which are already very profitable. Meanwhile, what everyone is complaining about is the high and rising cost of electricity. But the government’s response, to remove the debt retirement charge from residential bills – at the same time as the 10 per cent rebate ends – isn’t a plan, either. It’s a Band-Aid.
And the $11-billion deficit. Most people know you can’t keep spending more than you have. We already spend more than $10 billion a year just paying the interest on the debt. Yet the government’s budget projects the deficit will rise again this year, to more than $12 billion.
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2014/05/06/i-need-someone-to-vote-for/
Quite accurately said.
corruption
Partisan Liberals believe they are entitled to their entitlements. They think the purpose of the NDP is to prop up their minority governments no matter how corrupt they become or how many promises they break.
Clearly this position is absurd. If the Liberals need support to govern, it’s their responsibility to earn it, just like any other party.
There are many similarities between the Martin and Wynne governments, besides some Liberals trying to blame the NDP for their failures.
http://democraticvotingcanada.blogspot.ca/
Well, in spite of the Forum poll and various Toronto Star articles, I've been reading other media outlets and comments and I'm getting a pretty good feel. Seems there's some positive energy for the NDP out there, which I'm happy about. I'm getting optimistic.