Ontario Provincial Politics

[Owain Taggart]

comment (paraphrased) from a letter in The Toronto Star. Under Ford the progressive conservatives should change their name to the regressive conservatives.

At least they wouldn't be making the same mistake as the Conservative Reform Alliance Party from back in the day

 

[ALF]

Except we have a 3 party system

It certainly feels like a 2 party system at times. Liberal: When you just can't vote NDP to keep the PCs from winning.

I think Doug's got a shot at this, provided he can keep his HUGE (folks) mouth (folks) shut (folks) about (folks) abortion (folks) and (folks) sex education (folks).

Spoiler

Doug won't be able to keep his mouth shut about those things.

Kathleen Wynne may be disliked, but Doug is known as "The Mean Ford." The choice, ostensibly like every other election, comes down to who is least detestable.

 

[Owain Taggart]

The lesser of two evils

I have to feel bad for Ford though. His brother's reputation tainted his family, and it can't be easy to live in his shadow to try and rise above it. I imagine that's exactly what he's trying to do, but it can't be easy.

 

[Marc]

I have to feel bad for Ford though. His brother's reputation tainted his family, and it can't be easy to live in his shadow to try and rise above it. I imagine that's exactly what he's trying to do, but it can't be easy.

Doug has his less than savoury reputation from his younger days so even without his brother he doesn't have much of a reputation.

 

[Timewalker]

At least they wouldn't be making the same mistake as the Conservative Reform Alliance Party from back in the day

I've always thought it was a shame that somebody noticed what the acronym would have been before they finalized the party name.

Some people object to the term "Reformacon"... I ask them if they'd rather be called the CRAP party.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I've always thought it was a shame that somebody noticed what the acronym would have been before they finalized the party name.

From what I remember, the first time they realized they had a problem was when the acronym was said out loud, perhaps on the radio, which sent them through a panic before coming back with a revised party name. But yeah, surprising they didn't catch it beforehand. I remember the media having a field day with that one.

I can just imagine the shock from the person who came up with it. "You said WHAT? Oh, shit..."

 

[Timewalker]

Actually, there are some regulars on the CBC.ca comment boards who still call them the CRAP party.

Since I don't care to have my comments pinked any more than I can help (the moderators there are anonymous, outsourced, unaccountable, and sometimes the bias couldn't be more obvious as they don't follow their own rules), I coined the term "Reform-Conservative" to replace "Reformacon" (even if the word "Reformacon" is actually what is in my thoughts when I type my posts).

If anyone comments on it, I just tell them I did that to make it clear that I'm talking about the federal party, not any of the provincial Progressive Conservative parties, and to help people keep clearly in mind that the federal PC party is dead - hijacked by Peter MacKay and handed to Stephen Harper on a silver platter, in return for a slew of cabinet posts that he wasn't qualified for.

It made me smile when some other people picked up the "Reform-Conservative" term and started using it.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Ford has promised that no jobs will be lost as part of his promised cost cutting. Apparently he is going to get $6 billion dollars through "efficiencies". Somehow.

I have to feel bad for Ford though. His brother's reputation tainted his family, and it can't be easy to live in his shadow to try and rise above it. I imagine that's exactly what he's trying to do, but it can't be easy.

Doug is just as bad as Rob, just without the bumbling affability.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I coined the term "Reform-Conservative" to replace "Reformacon" (even if the word "Reformacon" is actually what is in my thoughts when I type my posts).

Ahh, so that's how that came about. Clever

Doug is just as bad as Rob, just without the bumbling affability.

So, both rotten apples that haven't fallen far from the tree.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Despite Ford's pledge to repeal (or is it just "tweak" now?) the sex-ed curriculum, he apparently doesn't seem to know many details as to what's actually in it.

Sex-ed curriculum offers details Doug Ford is so far unwilling to give

Granted, he's not really big on details overall. It's probably easier just to shout slogans and rail against the "elites".

 

[Owain Taggart]

One would think that if he were to pledge something, that he'd know what's going in. Hell, that's true of any politician. The fact that he's being evasive about it is quite sketchy. If it were me, I'd be planning beforehand on talking about a few things he knows are going in, otherwise, what's the use of pledging? Sounds a lot like stalling.

 

[Marc]

Granted, he's not really big on details overall. It's probably easier just to shout slogans and rail against the "elites".

and by talking about nixing the sex ed curriculum he gained the support of the social conservatives and that was what got him over the leadership line (same as it did for the brown until he move towards the centre and left the social conservatives behind.

from a news report the other day he got a bit snitty when asked about the sex ed curriculum on an Ottawa morning tv show.

 

[Avro Arrow]

A couple of articles from today about Ford's character, and his time on Toronto's city council. The second one also talks about a recent CBC Radio interview, where he also got a bit snitty. Seems like a bit of a theme.

Caught up in the populist uprising, Ontario is set to follow Doug Ford into the fire

Doug Ford: Let’s hope that past isn’t prologue

And as for Wynne, she has apparently decided to prorogue the legislature and hold a throne speech Monday.

Oh, and Brown won't be able to run as a PC candidate after all.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Latest poll results from Campaign Research, taken between March 12 - 14:

PC ... 43%
Lib ... 27%
NDP ... 23%

Here are the leader approval ratings from the same poll:

Horwath (NDP) ... 36%
Ford (PC) ... 31%
Wynne (Lib) ... 19%

Wynne continues to slide. And Horwath seems to suffer from the usual NDP curse that people like the leader more than they like the party.

Speaking of NDP, Horwath announced some of her party's election priorities today, including expanded pharmacare, full dental coverage, and converting student loans to grants.

 

[Marc]

Latest poll results from Campaign Research, taken between March 12 - 14:

PC ... 43%
Lib ... 27%
NDP ... 23%

Here are the leader approval ratings from the same poll:

Horwath (NDP) ... 36%
Ford (PC) ... 31%
Wynne (Lib) ... 19%

Wynne continues to slide. And Horwath seems to suffer from the usual NDP curse that people like the leader more than they like the party.

Speaking of NDP, Horwath announced some of her party's election priorities today, including expanded pharmacare, full dental coverage, and converting student loans to grants.

hell I'd vote for the NDP if they could make my OSAP loan go away. Lots of help for current students from the liberals but none for students with existing loans (and I'm glad I was at a career college so my debt was only 10K but still).

I think the polls are showing that people simply going for the tories because they aren't wynne and the liberals and that's dangerous because we could wind up with a majority tory govt with no idea what they are going to do and frankly despite the noise made over the hydro-one part privatisation, I wouldn't put it past to the tories to complete it.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I'd love to see the NDP get in again. It's been far too long, and IMHO, the Liberals have been in power for too long and gotten complacent.

 

[ALF]

Fascinating to see the support Doug has thus far; although you know those poll numbers are only reaching the dusty ol' landlines. Now Doug is really gonna be fired up.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...s-to-cast-ballot-for-doug-ford-poll-says.html

Apparently Kathleen has "less than half the number of 'locked in' voters as Ford." I am baffled to see that much support for Ford in downtown Toronto. I guess there are still a lot of landlines plugged into the wall.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...owards-majority-government-poll-suggests.html

This election may end up being an old fashioned hockey game after all.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I think the polls are showing that people simply going for the tories because they aren't wynne and the liberals and that's dangerous because we could wind up with a majority tory govt with no idea what they are going to do

Totally agreed. Isn't the conventional wisdom that anywhere over 40% support usually translates to a majority? If they had to win, at least being in a minority position might keep some of their baser impulses in check.

I really hate First Past the Post...

 

[Marc]

I really hate First Past the Post...

that's why it was very disappointing when trudeau utterly backflipped on the electoral reform process and monsef made an utter clusterfuck of the process, (yes I know that was federal but it was a start do doing away if fpp)

 

[Owain Taggart]

Apparently Doug Ford says he'll fight for Northern Ontario. Hint: This is something all previous politicians running campaigns have done, just before elections, then promptly forget when they're elected. Yes, even Wynne. It's become somewhat of a running joke.

https://www.sudbury.com/around-the-...-fight-for-northern-ontario-as-premier-865832