Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne must be annoyed. Can you believe the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has pre-empted Kathleen’s fight with the Prime Minister? That leaves Kathleen in the dust as the crowds rush to view the battle of the titans.
Few will ever remember what Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin and the Prime Minister were arguing about. It just comes across as an unprecedented spat between people who should know better. With Justice Minister Peter MacKay standing up in the House of Commons (where he has immunity) inferring that the Chief Justice does not understand the Supreme Court Act is the height of ludicrous stands. The Prime Minister (who is not a lawyer) does not decide that he should not talk to the Chief Justice when she calls. And Peter MacKay cannot alibi the Prime Minister for his rudeness.
But where does that leave the Ontario Premier? The original argument between Kathleen Wynne and Stephen Harper was over the Liberals’ Ontario pension plan to boost the Canada Pension Plan. In a media instigated controversy, Harper belittled the Ontario scheme as just being another tax on business. Kathleen was delighted by the opportunity to debate with the Prime Minister instead of the Ontario Conservative leader, that klutz Timmy Hudak. It raises her stature with Ontario voters to be seen fighting with the Prime Minister.
Possibly Stephen Harper could teach Kathleen Wynne something about political put downs. He has been developing his skills in that area for years. He can be disdainful and scathing and scornful and sneering as the need arises. These are not particularly vote winning approaches but with people who oppose him, he could care less.
What Wynne really needs to do is to work with her handlers on a series of one-liners about Timmy. They can be as simple as always referring to his million jobs plan as a ‘million jobs lost plan.’ She has to be careful in these putdowns that she is not being seen as flip or insulting. The trick is to get everyone laughing. It is very hard to vote for someone you have been laughing at.
And frankly, Kathleen Wynne should make a point of looking more like a premier. She cannot always pick the people she has to fight with but nobody needs a long-distance runner in the premier’s job. A real premier works at a desk, orders minions about and talks seriously about serious subjects.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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