Provincial Politics – Page 105

Letting losers elect is no answer Ms. Wynne.

October 3, 2014 by Peter Lowry

You have to love it when a politician decides to wing it and comes out with another really dumb idea. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne thinks that municipal voters can have their concerns for democracy resolved by instituting ranked voting in municipal elections (wherein you vote indicating your first, second and third choice). For some reason, she did not suggest it for important events such as provincial elections. Maybe she realizes we need to think longer and harder about the idea.

Democracy is hardly served by having the losers pick the winners. After all, Ms. Wynne ended up as premier because she was the choice of losers. In the corrupted voting at the last Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, it was Sandra Pupatello from Windsor who won the first three ballots. It took the combined support of four losing candidates to give the premier’s job to Wynne.

The worst place to try such a dumb idea is Toronto. There appears to be 64 potential losers in the mayoralty race in the city this October 27. If we had ranked voting now, the people counting the more than 800,000 ballots likely to be cast for mayor would need some fairly sophisticated computer help. With having to drop off losers and count their second votes until they got a winner could have surprising results. You could even have a situation where loser number 37 has 50 second votes for loser number 34 and the program would have to reinstate loser number 34 until that person again is the loser.

But what you get with pre-planned second and third choices is usually the same judgement as you got in the first vote. Someone who chooses a loser in the first go- around is just as likely to pick a loser in any subsequent choice.

That is why we get so annoyed with people who claim that in first-past-the-post voting your vote does not count unless you pick a winner. Through a lifetime of voting, you would be amazed how many times we have deliberately picked a candidate that we knew would be a loser. That was our right. And we took some pleasure in doing it. We wanted to show our dissatisfaction with the person we figured would win.

As computerized voting becomes more secure and the Internet becomes the preferred voting system, it will cost us very little to have run off elections. That is when we can insist on having 50 per cent plus one to become elected. The run off is the only truly democratic method.

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PKP will be TNT for the PQ.

October 2, 2014 by Peter Lowry

Pierre-Karl, known as PKP, scion of the Péladeau family wants to be leader of Quebec’s Parti Québécois. That is an absolutely excellent idea. It is an idea that will help ensure the destruction of the failing Parti Québécois and grind it into the dust of history in Quebec.

In contemplating the ‘Je ne sais quoi’ (I have no idea what) of this, you have to admit that the Parti Québécois belongs in the sleaze of Quebecor’s Journal de Montrèal. It would seem that the very touch of a Péladeau will degrade and lower any respect for anything that the PQ has accomplished for the province over the years. It will tear away the false elitism of the Parizeau and Bouchard regimes that tried to tell Quebecers that they knew what was best for them.

PKP’s total lack of understanding of what is involved in leading a political party might be the least of Quebecers worries. Not that we think he will lead the PQ anywhere. We have never been particularly impressed with his business acumen either. The merger that created Quebecor World—one of the largest printing companies in the world—led to its falling into Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. because of its inability to keep up with changing technology. Since his father’s death gave him control of Quebecor, it has been obvious that PKP is a most prominent person in his own mind.

As a péquiste, PKP is in the ‘pur et dur’ category which merely means that he is pure separatist and hardened in his attitude. The term goes back to the days of the Rassemblement pour l’indépendance nationale when the group joined with René Lévesque to form the PQ. These are the hard-liners who have little patience for negotiations or any other delay in declaring independence.

It does seem strange that a novice politician such as PKP could be a leadership front runner in a party that was originally conceived as centre-left and socially progressive. PKP is detested by many union people and left-wingers in Quebec and his reputation for union bashing is well earned.

As we saw in the recent Quebec election, PKP is poison to Quebec voters. Maybe they voted for him in Saint-Jerome because he likes to ski but the rest of Quebec reacted strongly against him. As leader of the PQ, he would certainly not do much for tourism, business or the people of Quebec.

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Barrie’s Brown hedges his bets.

September 29, 2014 by Peter Lowry

While we have been known to refer to Barrie MP Patrick Brown as ‘that nebbish,’ his latest political ploy is the height of hypocrisy. He has good reason to worry about being elected in his new federal riding next year so he can at least get some publicity by going for the Ontario Conservative leadership. By not resigning his seat in the House of Commons, he is showing a lack of confidence and contempt for the voters and his job.

If any Ontario Progressive Conservative Party member asks, all we can say with certainty is that he has no single attribute they might be looking for in a provincial party leader.

This is a person who has been in parliament for the past eight years and has done absolutely nothing to distinguish himself in that period except set a new record for needless and inane communications expenditures. He likes being known as a ‘retail politician.’ That is a politician who concentrates all his efforts and expenses on his riding. He seems to devote his attention entirely on his constituency and only shows up in Ottawa to vote as instructed. He will ask easy questions in the House if they are written in advance by a minister’s staff.

Brown should be pitied rather than elected to anything. He has no discernible political philosophy and a serious lack of personality. Women have been known to be interested in him for as much as ten minutes until they find he has nothing to talk about. He reached his academic zenith when he finally got through Bar Admission in Ontario.

But he has nothing to offer the Ontario Conservatives who still like to call themselves Progressive. He is actually dumber than Tiny Tim Hudak, the former leader. He was with Hudak during the last Ontario election when the then Ontario PC Leader announced that he was going to fire 100,000 Ontario civil servants. We know that Brown would never have suggested that—or anything else.

And besides, Brown has little hope of defeating sitting MPPs for the leadership such as Christine Elliot from Oshawa or Vic Fideli from North Bay. So what is he running for?

It sounds like Brown has hired a speech writer. Where the money is coming from though remains something of a mystery. The best advice we can give his opponents in the Ontario race is to get him off his script. They will quickly see that he has nothing to offer.

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Ontario sucks and blows on gaming.

September 16, 2014 by Peter Lowry

When it comes to gaming, the Wynne government in Ontario definitely sucks! According to a confusing op-ed in the Toronto Star Monday by former McGuinty cabinet member Michael Bryant, he reports that the Liberals are sucking and blowing at the same time. Yet when you get to the end of his piece, you find that Bryant is promoting his current business in addiction.

That puts Bryant in conflict with his subject. How do you sell addiction solutions without a ready supply of addicts? Frankly, the Ontario government is doing a lousy job of creating gaming addicts. Gaming in Ontario is badly run, unevenly available and definitely lower class. Other than thoroughbred racing with its patina of style and class, people tend to look down their noses at gambling and the addicts it creates.

In desperation with the flattening revenues of gaming for the province, the Wynne Liberals floated the suggestion recently that Bell Canada and Rogers might take over the lottery business for the province. If that did not scare hell out of the serious lottery player, nothing else will. Have you ever tried to communicate with those companies when they owe you money? Yet if you owe them, they will be on you like flies on a warm cow pad. These companies lack the friendly, unctuous vibes needed in the lottery business.

And obviously Ontario Lottery and Gaming has absolutely no understanding of distribution needs to serve the public in Ontario. Casino resorts in Ontario are a sad joke. While there was a tourism cover for the original casinos, it is the people of Ontario who are ill-served. To not have a casino in the Toronto area is paternalistic and stupid. If ignorant city councillors do not want a casino, they should get the money for transit from their ratepayers themselves.

What nobody seems to understand about gambling addictions is that there are many opportunities, both public and private, for the gambling addict to exercise their addiction. It is like the alcoholic who can always seem to find a drink or the drug addict finding a pusher. From the bingo games in church halls, friendly poker games in a neighbour’s rec room, to office pools, we gamble. It is human. Sometimes we get a harsh lesson and in the very occasional circumstance we can get a pleasant surprise. That is what gaming involves. It is a favourite form of entertainment. And it is fun.

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Quebec is not Scotland.

September 12, 2014 by Peter Lowry

A week from now we will have the results of a close referendum in Scotland. And the ‘No’ side is worried. Sorry guys, it is too late now to recognize the problems. While we still expect a narrow margin for the ‘No’ side, it is emotions that seem to be running away with the day. And as much as the separatists in Quebec would like to equate it with their situation, there is less of a lesson for Quebec than you would think.

We have made the point before that Scotland is a country with thousands of years of sometimes rocky relationships with those who live to their south. Quebec has never been and is not a country. It is an integral part of Canada. Scotland does not have to separate. It can actually have as much autonomy as it wishes or needs. And the realistic Scot recognizes that Scotland benefits more as part of the larger empire. The only problem is Scottish nationalism is emotional and you best not discount it.

Quebec nationalism is tribal and held together by language. That has always been the most destructive of motivations. While the sporadic resentment is promoted by the fluently bilingual elite of notables, it plays havoc with the less educated Québécois, promoting bigotry and resentment of the ‘square-head’ English. They ignore the strengths of English and French working together that created this country. They dishonour the relationship that brought commerce and opportunity to Quebec. They need to remember that it was the combined strengths of the English and the French that built Montreal into the business centre of Canada but that leadership was lost to Toronto as the English were driven from their Quebec homes in an increasingly volatile environment promoted by ignorance in two languages.

In a shrinking world, those who pander to a false nationalism are out of step with reality. In a world banding together to promote trade and economic growth, we need new alliances and new levels of trust. We all seek to be part of a larger reality.

Scotland has built a solid position as part of Great Britain. It has a large share of the benefits. While it has the right to self determination, it would be foolish to withdraw from a winning combination that has been built over centuries.

Quebec, on the other hand, would win no benefits from a jilted Canada. In independence, the province would be isolated and alone as a quaint anachronism in a modern world. Quebec cannot grow if it cuts off its Canadian roots.

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Our democracy is bent, not broken.

September 9, 2014 by Peter Lowry

It is like a whack-a-mole game. Every time you think you have settled the ignorance of one person proposing proportional representation, another pops up like an unwelcome termite in your house. You would think that more of us would want to protect our democracy. It sometimes feels like apathy is winning over democracy.

And where do these foolish people get off saying that proportional representation is more democratic? That is ridiculous. And what special knowledge do these people have to suggest that our first-past-the-post voting is a bankrupt system?

We should always remember that proportional representation is mainly used in countries with high rates of illiteracy. Because Canadians are literate, we get to vote for people, not just parties. We can send the best person to represent us and not have to just vote for a political party. We really do not have to elect the village idiot because he or she represents a certain party leader. Why would you want to give up the right to vote for a person?

What is most confusing about people mouthing slogans for proportional representation is why they think more people would vote under that system. Why? Do they believe that people only need less to think about so that they will be more eager to vote?

It was Edmund Burke back in the 18^th Century who said “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” We should certainly try to remember that it was proportional representation that introduced Nazi Brown Shirts into the German Reichstag during the short life of the Weimar Republic. The Brown Shirts were not there to help.

But what is wrong in our electoral system is the control party leaders exert over their party members. The party leaders have far too much control over who can be nominated and who gets what position in parliament. And as for the Prime Minister’s Office, it is currently micro-managing the entire federal government. It is getting so bad that party leaders are telling potential candidates how to think. This is not only wrong but it goes against all the principles of how our government is supposed to function.

And now we have all these nincompoops saying that proportional representation will solve our electoral problems. What we do not need are unelected party officials in back rooms making up lists of people they want in parliament. These would be the people appointed by the parties to fill proportional seats.

Our parliamentary system is not broken. It just needs to have democracy restored.

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Publicity 101: Make each announcement different.

September 7, 2014 by Peter Lowry

Ontario Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid must have missed the class on publicity that said change the story line when you make the same announcement for the third time. He got a roasting from the media the other day who had heard it all before. He was trying to make more news out of the sale of the Liquor Control Board’s Queens Quay property in downtown Toronto. He was certainly not the first Liberal minister to try to make something of that story. And the opposition politicians might have a point when they call it ‘smoke and mirrors.’

To sell the land without the LCBO included is, in fact, gross stupidity.

Duguid left out an important figure. He talked about the maybe $200 million that the province would get for the property. What he failed to talk about was what it would cost to move the board’s headquarters, distribution centre and main Toronto store to other locations. The citizens of Ontario could easily end up with a net loss in the transaction. The media should have been asking ‘What is this dumbass idea going to cost us?’

What ever happened to the advice from the farmers of old: If you sell your land, you are nothing but a serf.

If the Ontario government is desperate for money, selling the LCBO itself makes far better sense. It is a sale that pays dividends. It makes more money forever for the province. It will pay more in taxes than the LCBO ever earned. It creates jobs. It offers opportunities for entrepreneurs. It pleases the public. It means that beer and wine and spirits can be sold with food—as they should be. Beer can be available in convenience stores instead of through disgusting beer stores where the profits go to foreign owners.

But, pardon us if we have discussed this before. It simply shows how dumb the Ontario politicians can be. They have been told countless times now that they are losing money and the citizens are losing patience with an outmoded and archaic system of wine and spirits distribution in Ontario. It spells ignorance and inability to really meet the needs of Ontario citizens—and God help us, we just recently decided that they were the best of a bunch of losers.

And poor Minister Duguid still does not know dumb he looks. He was two-for-two last week. His first fumble was complaining about the federal government and the Rouge National Urban Park. He expects the Harper government to do something to protect the environment of the park—in his dreams!

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But when does the PC contest begin?

August 29, 2014 by Peter Lowry

We are missing some fun here. Sure MPP Christine Elliott is going to run for the Ontario Conservative leadership. That is not a race, it is a leisurely walk. We need some contestants. Let’s deal some excitement.

Obviously Christine Elliott is a tough opponent. Why do you think Stephen Harper held her late husband, Jim Flaherty’s, seat for her in the House of Commons? He could have called the by-election before this but he knew she could win the seat easily. As things stand, he might just call a general election before bothering with a by-election that the Conservatives are likely to lose without Elliott running.

Actually the idea of having a federal general election before the provincial Tories pick a leader sounds smart. There will be a lot of has-been Ontario MPs looking for something to do after the coming federal election. John Baird and Tony Clement for example might like to return to their salad days with Premier Michael Harris. And they can claim to be much more right-wing than Elliott.

Our local MP in Babel is already playing peek-a-boo with the provincial contest. Most people think it is just a publicity ploy on his part, but it might not be. Patrick Brown has now had a chance to see the poll-by-poll results of the recent provincial election for the newly redistributed federal riding he chose for himself. He now knows that this new riding is not as safe as he expected.

In fact there are few federal electoral districts that are not impacted by the redistribution in Ontario. While the Conservatives had an edge in how some of those electoral districts were redrawn, times are changing. There is a new sheriff in town by the name of Justin Trudeau and if he really has the impact on younger voters and women that we expect, there are few safe seats left in Ontario for the Harper Conservatives.

Realizing that it is something of an oxymoron to say this, there just might be enough smart Conservatives left to recognize that they have to get back to the days of Bill Davis. Bill’s advantage as Ontario Conservative leader was that he was progressive and he was well liked. Compared to Bill Davis who was the daddy we all wanted when children, former Tory Leader Tim Hudak was that nasty kid from down the street.

The coming provincial Conservative leadership will be an ideal opportunity for the party to redefine the type of conservatism they want to preach and practice. The brutal memories of the Mike Harris days are still alive and are serious handicaps for the party. And some of the Harper hang-ups are even more current. If the PCs pick the hard right tea-party route so be it. They also have an opportunity to rethink and remodel.

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Torstar: The ugly face of today’s capitalism.

August 28, 2014 by Peter Lowry

A classified advertisement in The Toronto Star caught the eye the other day. It was offering $13.50 per hour for ‘production operators’ at the newspaper and publishing company’s printing facility in Vaughan north of Toronto. It is only when you read the entire ad that you realize they are not looking for printing plant workers but for part-time casual labour to bundle, label and ship newspapers and other printed products coming from the facility’s presses.

But the disgusting part is that The Toronto Star, founded by social activist Joseph E. Atkinson more than 120 years ago, is offering miserable, repetitious bindery type work to people who need to earn a living—at less than what is considered to be the poverty line.

Atkinson, we are told, believed that his newspaper had a social responsibility to the people of Toronto—which does not explain why the company moved its printing plant from Toronto up to Vaughan.

And if you do not live in Vaughan or Brampton, it would certainly cost a good deal for you to get to that job where you can earn less than a living wage at physical drudge work.

The ruling Liberals promised earlier this year to raise the minimum wage in Ontario to $11 per hour. And they kept their miserly word. The Toronto Star gave good play to the complaints of the retail council that the increase was too much. Nobody paid too much attention to the concerned social workers who pointed out that you cannot afford to live in the Greater Toronto Area unless you have a fulltime job paying at least $14 per hour.

But what do the capitalists at The Toronto Star offer? They offer part-time work, no benefits, no nothing extra. Do they even guarantee more than 20 hours per week? They offer a wage that you cannot live on and you do not even know if you would get enough hours to pay your rent.

And you wonder why so many young people are giving up on finding a decent job today? Capitalists such as Torstar are driving them away. Torstar, along with other capitalist exploiters are grinding down the aspirations of a generation. If they really knew how to run the publishing empire that Joe Atkinson created, they could treat people properly. As it is, old Joe would fire the lot of them.

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Premier Wynne should not toy with Quebec.

August 24, 2014 by Peter Lowry

It seemed an unfortunate heading given to a story in The Toronto Star the other day. The heading was “Wynne toys with buying more Quebec electricity.” The headline editor must have been very impressed that the two lines of the headline were balanced but the connotation was unfortunate. This is not a question with which anyone wants to ‘toy.’

And the absolutely worst basis for this discussion is as a customer. To approach Hydro Quebec, hat in hand, as a customer is entirely wrong. Ontario and Quebec are the two oldest and largest members of the Canadian confederation. The only appropriate stance for them is as equals and as partners.

Yes, Ontario is going to need Quebec’s huge hydro capability. It has to offer something in return. To offer just to pay is crass and stupid. It does not say partners.

But what both provinces need is high-speed electric rail service carrying commerce and tourists between Windsor and Quebec City. That is a dream that’s time has come. It is now. Both provinces need the market access, the tourism, faster movement of people and the ease of business connection.

Ontario is already well aware that it can never make the commuter train system in southern Ontario function effectively unless it is electrified.

And both Premier Philippe Couillard in Quebec and Premier Kathleen Wynne in Ontario are Liberals of a sort. And they are in the driver’s seat. With the federal government set for an election next year, the provinces are in position to bring that third party, the feds, into the partnership. They have to make it very clear that whoever wins that federal election has to be ready to pony up their fair share of the infrastructure funds needed by the two provinces to make that rail dream a reality. It is vital to the country’s well being.

It is certainly in the interests of both Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair to assure voters of their intentions to support the two provincial partners. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper might be writing off Quebec in that election but he dares not write off Ontario. Nor does he dare to take the Conservatives back to being a western rump party.

The west can keep thinking of its resource based economy as being the answer but reality is that no party can carry the country without addressing the east’s need for a strong business economy to match. This is a country desperately in need of economic balance and our leaders have to start thinking about how to get us there.

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