Having always admired Chantal Hébert’s ability to analyze the Quebec political scene, does not necessarily mean she fully understands Ontario politics. For the Toronto Star columnist to buy into the old chestnut that Ontario voters consciously elect conservatives provincially when liberals are in power federally is ridiculous. Nor is it necessarily reflected in the drift of political denizens from the back rooms and front benches between the two levels of government.
I have always seen the situation as being more akin to the tradition of rats abandoning the old sailing ships. There are some exceptions to that but considering the people that Ontario conservatives inherited from the failed Harper conservatives who were defeated in 2015 in Ottawa, I hardly think Doug Ford got the cream of the crop.
Doug Ford’s biggest problem as premier is his ego. This guy doesn’t really listen to anybody. He reflects maybe on the advice he received from his late brother Rob who made it to the mayor’s office in Toronto. Ford still cannot believe he is the premier of Ontario. And there is little reason to suspect that he will still be in that position this coming July.
While there is little doubt that Ford and his government will have to agree to join the national daycare program, they are doing themselves more harm every day that they delay. He thinks he can hold out for a sweeter deal but the reality is that the Trudeau government knows they don’t have to cave to his pleading for more. The fact that the Ontario program would include children in all-day kindergarten is a plus but there is no reason for the federal government to pay for that portion.
The inclusion of payment for the schooling portion of the Ontario program would be looked on as an incursion into provincial jurisdiction by other provinces. Chantal can tell you how provincial politicians in Quebec would react to that.
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