It seemed to be the week for political pugilism. Many of us were appalled at MP Justin Trudeau and a Conservative Senator actually putting on boxing gloves. They claimed they were doing it for charity and few of us were sorry to see the Conservative with a bloody nose. The better fight was between old adversaries, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
Frankly, few could see the difference between the federal budget and the Ontario budget. Neither budget was a people pleaser. It was not until Jim Flaherty was back in Toronto on Friday and slammed the Ontario budget effort that we knew there was a difference of opinion between the two levels of government.
Despite the fact there was little real action in the coming year in the federal budget, Jim Flaherty took a roundhouse punch at Ontario’s budget ‘mismanagement’ at the staid Canadian Club in Toronto on Friday. Maybe he was just supporting Tiny Tim Hudak’s position against the budget. Even if it was as simple as that, his comments seemed to be somewhat extreme.
Instead of getting angry about the slurs, McGuinty chose to damn the federal budget with faint praise. It actually was funny to hear the Ontario Premier compliment the federal budget as a ‘measured effort.’ Just think of all those rabid Conservatives out there across Canada who now believe that Flaherty’s federal budget is a failure because a supposedly Liberal Premier praised it.
Neither the federal nor Ontario budgets get any praise from us. They both attacked civil servants unnecessarily. They failed to rebalance both our corporate and personal tax systems. The feds did more for job creation and that was not much. They both complained about the deficits and then did almost nothing about them. They were posturing and they looked stupid doing it.
The continued attacks on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio Canada by the Harper Conservatives are beneath contempt. And after looking at some of the sunshine list published by the Ontario Government the other week, you feel embarrassed to live in Ontario. Just take a look at the poverty you see on the streets in Ontario and wonder about all these people paid over $100,000 per year by our provincial Government. And they are just the tip of the iceberg.
Maybe young Trudeau was fighting mad, in his way, but pugilism is not the answer. In the upcoming fight for the federal Liberal Leadership, he is probably outclassed. He should get behind a real contender now.
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Copyright 2012 © Peter Lowry
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