A long-time NDP apparatchik, Robin Sears, writes his opinion in the Toronto Star. And no, I am not jealous. I had my fill of writing for Toronto papers years ago. It is more fun questioning the wisdom of those who do it today.
And, it is certainly questionable when Mr. Sears tells us how premier Doug Ford can build a legacy similar to that of the late Bill Davis. Surely, he is trying to be funny!
Sears seems to believe that Ford has matured during his first four years in office. I will go along that he got fatter and older—maturing is a different subject.
It is as though Sears had never seen a salesman lay on the B.S. before. When I heard Ford saying how much he admired and trusted liberal finance minister Chrystia Freeland, it almost cost me my lunch. Luckily, I had heard that song before and took it for what it was worth—nothing. Hell, I’m a liberal and I am still not sure she knows what she is doing in that portfolio.
And what is this bunkum about a friendship with prime minister Trudeau? Queen’s Park gets a lot of funds from the Ottawa government. Doug Ford would kiss Trudeau’s bare behind on the front steps of Queen’s Park if it would get Ontario more money. The delayed negotiations with the Trudeau liberals over child care was arranged by someone much smarter than Ford. That was carefully staged and planned to gain maximum impact on the provincial election.
I only wish I could ask Doug Ford to parse the comment Sears made about “Ford’s new understanding of the value of greater nuance in perspective—and the limits of a world of only predictable partisan certitude—was double edged.”
I could just see Ford blurting out “What the hell does that mean?”
But what Sears appeared to be attempting in that syntactic labyrinth was to apologize for many of Ford’s stupider decisions related to the pandemic. The premier was just as confused coming out of the worst of the pandemic, as he was going in.
And anyone who thinks Christine Elliott and Rod Phillips were the shining lights of Ford’s last cabinet, hasn’t looked at the current conditions of Ontario healthcare and long-term care. Those ministers had no successes in any portfolio. And, if you see Phillips, ask him how things are in Saint Barthélemy.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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