Columnist Martin Regg Cohn of the Toronto Star refers to Ontario premier Doug Ford as a populist. Well, he might have Cohn convinced, but you really can’t read sincerity off a teleprompter. The truth is, Doug Ford is a phony. He is a conservative with a heart of stone.
Cohn is absolutely right that Ford has picked a counter-productive way to win friends among Ontario voters. Reducing the price of gas by five cents a litre is about as impressive as a fart in a snow storm. And if it is noticed, nobody cares. All Ford proves is how stupid, he is.
But the really stupid people were the Ontario voters who voted for him and his conservative friends in the last provincial election.
Conservatives will tell you how generous they are with tax credits. You need to remember that tax credits are only for people who can afford to pay now and get their money back next year. If you are earning nothing, you get nothing from the Tories.
Doug Ford is the proverbial bull in the China shop. He is a politician who failed in municipal politics and falls back on provincial politics. And there, he can really fail us. The two most important and budget-dominating ministries in any province across Canada are education and health. And just look at what he has done: It will take many years to repair the damage the conservatives have done to our Ontario hospitals. They chased nurses and doctors to sunnier climes where they can get the respect they deserve.
And just look at what he is doing right now to the helpers, secretaries and custodians in the education system. He tried to force them back to work with threats and found he was facing a province-wide general strike. And then he promised to take away the threats if they came back to the bargaining table. He never intended to improve his offer. Now they are really mad and have announced that they will go back on strike.
But never fear, you can get a tax credit if you send your kid for remedial help. Of course, if you are poor, you and the kid, get nothing from ‘populist’ Doug Ford.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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