Mr. McGuinty made two significant statements that ensure he will be long remembered by taxpayers. First, as Liberal Opposition leader on the election trail in 2003 he repeatedly told voters: "I won't raise your taxes, but I won't cut them either.
But he didn’t stop there. He showed up at a downtown Toronto hotel and signed a pledge drafted by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation that committed a Liberal government to abide by the Taxpayer Protection and Balanced Budget Act. Above his signature, read: "I, Dalton McGuinty, promise that if my party is elected as the next government, I will not raise taxes or implement any new taxes without the explicit consent of Ontario voters."
The Liberals won that election and Dalton McGuinty became Premier of Ontario. Yet, six months later, he broke that promise, ushering in the largest tax hike in Ontario’s history in the form of a so-called “health premium.” Voters called it a tax and the Big Lie.
Since then, Premier McGuinty has continuously blamed his predecessors for all his troubles, delivered 3 deficit budgets, ramped up spending, and continuously whined to the federal government for more handouts. Handouts for what taxpayers ask? In December, 2006, the McGuinty Liberals ushered in a 25 per cent pay increase for MPP’s. Does this sound like someone to be trusted with tax dollars?
I am so proud to be an Ontario taxpayer. Of course we Ontario voters will always vote Liberal, because after all, that's what our parents did - and we always do what we're told.
14 comments:
Makes my eyes well with pride...or anger. They're hard to differentiate.
Maybe it's the smog from the coal furnaces...
Smug chuckle....followed by long sigh of resignation :
".....because after all, that's what our parents did - and we always do what we're told."
The Sheeples Lament? :)
The Sheeples Lament?
Or else it's the Lemmingade we all drink.
I am so proud to be an Ontario taxpayer. Of course we Ontario voters will always vote Liberal,
Kind of like how Saskatchewan voters (I was born and raised in Saskatoon) will always vote NDP. And, before some of our Liberal friends mention 35+ years of Tory rule in Alberta, I'll mention that in 2001, my vote was the Liberals' to lose, and they lost it.
This is why Harper has to be careful with his budget. I don't like the idea of him throwing yet more money at Quebec, but at least I want Charest to win that election. However if he does as I have seen mentioned on a blog somewhere that he is intending to close the fiscal gap with Ontario by giving McAsswipe $400mil that could do him more harm than good.
The last thing I think Ontario conservatives want is another term of these thugs so Harper had better not give them more money to buy the election in Oct. Especially after all the m oney they have wasted.
anon-I'm sure Harper could spin it that he is correcting a wrong with the fiscal imbalance, but that Ontario should not trust Dalton not to pee it all away (using more polite words of course).
Or spin it like he is bailing out the feckless McGuinty and that he doesn't want to have to do it again.
“I am so proud to be an Ontario taxpayer. Of course we Ontario voters will always vote Liberal, because after all, that's what our parents did - and we always do what we're told.”
Funny I thought that it was the Conservatives that ruled the province non-stop from 1943-1985 (The Big Blue Machine – does that ring a bell?) before the Liberals and NDP manage to form a government through coalition. But then the PC’s ruled again with large majorities from 1995-2003 (The Common Sense Revolution, surely people must remember that). So it seems that the Conservatives have been in power for 51 of the last 65 years in Ontario.
So apparently our parents didn’t vote Liberal provincially (which is what the topic is – Dalton is provincial) and if they told us to do so, then we, for the most part, didn’t do what we were told. But whatever fuels your right-wing persecution complex.
"The Sheeples Lament?"
Ontarians have given the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives majority governments in the last 16 years. If there is any province that is not full of sheep then we would be it.
W.S. - Yes, now that I think about it, provincially you are correct: Ontario is a bit more flexible than federally.
Well, that gives me hope. Thanks.
Awesome....
LS - Good Plan!
WS - You are right and I agree!
The fact that Ontario has bounced back and forth since toasting the provincial conservatives and Bill Davis is something I have been overlooking.
Maybe the Good People will have the will to correct their mistake again after all!
Cheers!
When Ontario voters toss out a Premier it is generally because the party deserves to be tossed.
Frank Miller (who took over from Bill Davis a couple months before) ran an awful campaign in ’85 and his popularity took a dive when he refused to participate in the debates. Many people felt that Miller believed he was just entitled to the position of Premier as the Conservatives had been the government for so long. Still the results were a definite shocker as at the time he called the election it was thought by many that the PCs had a chance of winning every single seat.
David Peterson also got tossed due to perceived cockiness. He called an election less than 3 years into his majority as he felt that he had a comfortable enough lead in the polls and was punished for it.
Bob Rae, well nuff said.
Ernie Eves should have won in 2003, but he ran a poor campaign and couldn’t defend his platform which was more in line with Flaherty’s views then his own. He had beat out Flaherty for leader by opposing many of the positions that he was now proposing in the campaign. He looked uncomfortable and he looked shaky. The PC’s referring to McGuinty as an “evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet” in a press release didn’t help with the public.
If history repeats itself then Dalton should get tossed and John Tory should win (unless his campaign goes off the rails, but he seems solid so far). Anything can happen in Ontario though. Not only do we have a tradition of front runners losing, but we also have a history of parties going from also-ran to the winners circle during a campaign. For example in 1990 the NDP entered the campaign in complete shambles yet won. In fact their prospects were so dim before the election that many prominent NDP MPPs chose to retire from politics instead of running again and Rae and Laughren had been planning on retiring too, but the election was called too soon. Harris in the 95 campaign was widely dismissed, even polling behind Rae's NDP at the start and McLeod’s Liberals were expected to win a huge majority, but Harris campaigned and brilliantly and stole the show at the debates.
Wayward Son - That was actually a very interesting analysis. Well done!
Maybe it's the smog from the coal furnaces...
Perhaps the Prime Minister should keep the agreement of the previous government in transfering funds to Ontario to help close those coal fired powered plants.
The "three sisters" in Mississauga will stand until that money is delivered, as there isn't money to close it down without federal assistence.
Cutting the agreement was shameful.
Zac
Of course we Ontario voters will always vote Liberal, because after all, that's what our parents did - and we always do what we're told
Your joking, right?
Zac
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