As one of six siblings, I found as a child that blame tended to run downhill. It was not geological but based on age. My youngest brother, Douglas, tended to take the blame for much of the damage done by six rambunctious children. It seemed our mantra when questioned by a parent was mostly; ‘Dougie did it!’
It seems the probable mantra for Ontario over the next few years will also be ‘Dougie did it.’ With the ham-fisted political philosophy of Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, it will hardly be difficult to lay blame squarely on his broad backside.
It is important to remember that Doug Ford’s experience is that of a boisterous sales guy. He is neither well educated nor polished. His introduction to conservatism was through his one-term member of the legislature, father, Doug Ford Senior. His introduction to politics was by his crack-cocaine smoking younger brother, Rob, who served a term as mayor of Toronto.
It seems appropriate that Doug Ford campaigned in his last election as the conservatives will get it done. What it is that will get done remains to be seen.
It seems appropriate that as soon as the legislature got back into session, the conservative MPPs handed premier Ford an important lesson. In the secret ballot to choose the next four year’s speaker of the house, a number of the conservative MPPs voted with the opposition members for a speaker who was definitely not approved by the premier. That loss stung Ford.
It became obvious as soon as the legislature was in session that Ford and his cabinet had no plans in place for the two major and most expensive provincial problems—healthcare and education. The desperation solution for hospitals to move out bed occupiers to long term care homes is a desperation tactic that will bounce back hard on the conservatives while making money for the privately-owned long term care properties in the province.
The war between the teachers and their co-workers against the conservative government is in the early days of skirmishes. It will be the parents who see another lost year for their children who will bitterly say: ‘Dougie did it.’
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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