H
Hydrogen
Guest
McGuinty's mother is francophone. I heard him speak french while I was living in Ottawa. His accent needs help, though.
He's a nice guy in person.
He's a nice guy in person.
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The best thing about a fall election...
- Thread starter ShonTron
- Start date
H
Hydrogen
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Speaking of...
McGuinty won't endorse Dion's Liberals; will fight for Ont. in fed. election
10 hours ago
TORONTO — Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's election campaign platform won't be endorsed by the Liberal premier of Canada's largest province, Dalton McGuinty said Monday as he vowed to press all federal party leaders for a better financial deal for Ontario.
With 106 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, it's time Ontario "exploited" its clout to "fight for fairness" during the campaign for the Oct. 14 vote, McGuinty said as he responded to Sunday's election call.
"Because over one-third of Canada's MPs are elected here in Ontario, we Ontarians have a great deal of influence over which party forms a government and who gets to be prime minister," he said.
"I'll be asking all the party leaders how they intend to address the issue of fairness for Ontario, and I'm asking Ontarians to do the same with their local candidates, to raise the issue at the door, at the debates and in letters."
Ontario is shortchanged billions of dollars each year by Ottawa, said McGuinty, who complained that an Ontario worker who loses their job gets $4,600 less in benefits than laid off workers in the rest of Canada.
"All that missing EI money would have added up last year to $2.1 billion, a significant economic stimulus here in the province exactly when we need it," he said.
"Right now, our health care system is shortchanged by over $700 million every year."
Campaigning in the Vancouver area Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper flatly rejected McGuinty's claims.
"It's not true that there are rules in employment insurance that discriminate against Ontario," said Harper.
He noted that McGuinty didn't complain when the Conservative government came up with a plan to address the fiscal imbalance between the federal government and the provinces.
"Premier McGuinty, like many of the premiers, didn't get everything he wanted out of the fiscal balance resolution," said Harper. "But as I recall at the time, he was pretty positive about the improvements we made in fiscal relations with Ontario."
Earlier this year, McGuinty said he "liked the sound of" Dion's controversial Green Shift plan, but he ducked repeated questions Monday about the policy before finally saying he supports putting "a price" on carbon.
"I've got my own particular approach when it comes to dealing with carbon emissions," he said. "We believe in a cap-and-trade system."
That's very different from Dion's complicated proposal to raise about $15 billion from taxing carbon emissions while providing corresponding tax cuts on income, savings and other investment vehicles.
Campaigning near Montreal Monday, Dion insisted tax changes proposed under the Green Shift plan would help McGuinty address poverty, and said the Liberal's $1 billion fund for manufacturers would help both Ontario and Quebec.
"We have an agenda that will improve what (McGuinty) is able to do," said Dion. "He needs a partner in Ottawa and we'll provide a partner for the premier of Ontario and all the premiers of this country."
McGuinty's failure to endorse the Green Shift plan wasn't enough for Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.
"I think the first thing Dalton McGuinty could and should do in order to ensure fairness for Ontario is speak up loud and clear and say that a carbon tax is not good for Ontario," said Tory.
"A tax is a tax is a tax, and the last thing Ontario needs right now is a new tax imposed on its population and on its businesses."
The province's New Democrats blasted McGuinty's "phoney" fairness campaign as nothing more than a Liberal tactic to avoid taking the blame for the loss of more than 200,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs in Ontario.
"It's simply a campaign to divert, distract and otherwise deflect public attention away from the real issue," said NDP Leader Howard Hampton.
"The real issue in Ontario is we're losing hundreds of thousands of good jobs, and the McGuinty government doesn't have an adequate response."
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h1Z0Y9HiKEloCKIBjTRZEiOALUvQ
McGuinty won't endorse Dion's Liberals; will fight for Ont. in fed. election
10 hours ago
TORONTO — Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's election campaign platform won't be endorsed by the Liberal premier of Canada's largest province, Dalton McGuinty said Monday as he vowed to press all federal party leaders for a better financial deal for Ontario.
With 106 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, it's time Ontario "exploited" its clout to "fight for fairness" during the campaign for the Oct. 14 vote, McGuinty said as he responded to Sunday's election call.
"Because over one-third of Canada's MPs are elected here in Ontario, we Ontarians have a great deal of influence over which party forms a government and who gets to be prime minister," he said.
"I'll be asking all the party leaders how they intend to address the issue of fairness for Ontario, and I'm asking Ontarians to do the same with their local candidates, to raise the issue at the door, at the debates and in letters."
Ontario is shortchanged billions of dollars each year by Ottawa, said McGuinty, who complained that an Ontario worker who loses their job gets $4,600 less in benefits than laid off workers in the rest of Canada.
"All that missing EI money would have added up last year to $2.1 billion, a significant economic stimulus here in the province exactly when we need it," he said.
"Right now, our health care system is shortchanged by over $700 million every year."
Campaigning in the Vancouver area Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper flatly rejected McGuinty's claims.
"It's not true that there are rules in employment insurance that discriminate against Ontario," said Harper.
He noted that McGuinty didn't complain when the Conservative government came up with a plan to address the fiscal imbalance between the federal government and the provinces.
"Premier McGuinty, like many of the premiers, didn't get everything he wanted out of the fiscal balance resolution," said Harper. "But as I recall at the time, he was pretty positive about the improvements we made in fiscal relations with Ontario."
Earlier this year, McGuinty said he "liked the sound of" Dion's controversial Green Shift plan, but he ducked repeated questions Monday about the policy before finally saying he supports putting "a price" on carbon.
"I've got my own particular approach when it comes to dealing with carbon emissions," he said. "We believe in a cap-and-trade system."
That's very different from Dion's complicated proposal to raise about $15 billion from taxing carbon emissions while providing corresponding tax cuts on income, savings and other investment vehicles.
Campaigning near Montreal Monday, Dion insisted tax changes proposed under the Green Shift plan would help McGuinty address poverty, and said the Liberal's $1 billion fund for manufacturers would help both Ontario and Quebec.
"We have an agenda that will improve what (McGuinty) is able to do," said Dion. "He needs a partner in Ottawa and we'll provide a partner for the premier of Ontario and all the premiers of this country."
McGuinty's failure to endorse the Green Shift plan wasn't enough for Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.
"I think the first thing Dalton McGuinty could and should do in order to ensure fairness for Ontario is speak up loud and clear and say that a carbon tax is not good for Ontario," said Tory.
"A tax is a tax is a tax, and the last thing Ontario needs right now is a new tax imposed on its population and on its businesses."
The province's New Democrats blasted McGuinty's "phoney" fairness campaign as nothing more than a Liberal tactic to avoid taking the blame for the loss of more than 200,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs in Ontario.
"It's simply a campaign to divert, distract and otherwise deflect public attention away from the real issue," said NDP Leader Howard Hampton.
"The real issue in Ontario is we're losing hundreds of thousands of good jobs, and the McGuinty government doesn't have an adequate response."
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h1Z0Y9HiKEloCKIBjTRZEiOALUvQ
afransen
Senior Member
"That's very different from Dion's complicated proposal to raise about $15 billion from taxing carbon emissions while providing corresponding tax cuts on income, savings and other investment vehicles."
Why do I get the feeling that there is some editorializing go on here. Every mention of the policy is usually accompanied with the descriptive 'complex'. It really isn't too complex--I think it's media complicity in Conservative spin.
How is more tax on fossil fuel and less tax in income more complex than Harper's 20% reduction by 2020, excluding a bunch of special interests, and giving away free emissions credits to some companies and not other based on historical emissions based on some unspecified cutoff date and phased in at some nebulous point in the future?
Why do I get the feeling that there is some editorializing go on here. Every mention of the policy is usually accompanied with the descriptive 'complex'. It really isn't too complex--I think it's media complicity in Conservative spin.
How is more tax on fossil fuel and less tax in income more complex than Harper's 20% reduction by 2020, excluding a bunch of special interests, and giving away free emissions credits to some companies and not other based on historical emissions based on some unspecified cutoff date and phased in at some nebulous point in the future?
afransen
Senior Member
While I think McGuinty could do well as Liberal leader, I'm not sure he has much incentive to leave the top job in Ontario, and vie for the leadership of the party that already has two heavyweights eying the top job.
lordmandeep
Banned
really the way the Tories and NDP are going nowherehere in Ontario, Dalton likely will win a third term.
His popularity has shot up after he won handily in the last provincial election.
His popularity has shot up after he won handily in the last provincial election.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
I doubt Dalton will take a swing at the federal leadership. Maybe his brother might do so.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
In theory perhaps, but not in practice. Ontarians vote Liberal like the sheep they are.
kEiThZ
Superstar
And sadly, they don't stick up for Ontario either...despite it being their base....
We need an Ontario party....this 'loyal she began' attitude is costing us dearly....
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Like US Democrats ignoring blacks and Canada's Conservatives ignoring western rednecks, once your Liberal vote is assumed, you can expect to be ignored by the Liberals.
The other side is also a given. If your vote is assumed, others that might otherwise want your vote will ignore your constituency. For example, Harper knows that Toronto votes Liberal (or in small pockets, Dipper), and thus he can ignore these ridings and concentrate on ridings that are open to considering the Conservatives.
Once your Liberal vote is assumed, you become one of those "safe ridings" that nurture a fixed incumdant for decades.
kEiThZ
Superstar
Yeah...I wish the 416 could blackmail the ROC the way Quebec does....then maybe we'd get more support like Montreal or Vancouver.
kEiThZ
Superstar
The best thing about a fall election is the fact that this will be the first election with a real chance for a Green breakthrough!
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Every vote for Green is a split of the vote for Libs or Dippers. I imagine Harper's advisors reminded him of that when reconsidering the debate.
billonlogan
Active Member
Every indication shows Harper heading for a majority with under 40% of the popular vote due to Liberals, NDP, Greens and Bloc splitting the left of centre vote. Sounds eerily familiar to Chretien's majority govts of past.
Brandon716
Senior Member
To be fair, the Liberals polled 49% in the last majority election from what I remember.
afransen
Senior Member
The main downside for Harper of letting May into the debate would be that she could probably do the most damage to the Prime Minister. Harper was probably expecting an easy ride in the debates with Dion's weak English, and Layton's less-than-genuine car salesman pitch. Perhaps he'd also rather the Green not syphon many votes from the NDP, as Harper would very much like the NDP to destroy the Liberals, electorally.