Have the federal and provincial Conservatives just lost Ontario for good? Maybe.
It is obvious Harper is going to isolate McGuinty in the upcoming talks on the fiscal imbalance. He is going to take Quebec’s side in the negotiations and he is going to pressure McGuinty to swallow a bad deal for Ontario.
Greg’s words come on the heels of several moves by Stephen Harper that clearly show his Conservative government is going to be hostile toward Ontario and work to punish the province for not handing him the majority government he desperately craved. It’s clear this is the case when you look at these moves.
The first was screwing Ontario out of a half billion dollars.
The federal government has pulled the plug on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that was supposed to help Ontario phase out its high-polluting, coal-fired power plants while it concentrates on its “made-in-Canada” approach to fighting emissions that cause climate change.
Ontario officials say that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wrote on Wednesday to Dwight Duncan, his provincial counterpart, informing him that at least $538-million the previous Liberal government pledged to help defray the costs of the province’s actions to fight global warming were off the table.
As Pogge puts it, this move is clearly designed to trigger a crisis in Ontario in order to cast Progressive Conservative John Tory as the saviour of the province. In other words, Ontario will be made to suffer in order to enable Harper’s political aspirations.
But the slights to Ontario don’t end there. After granting Ontario’s premier a mere 45 minutes of his time, Harper then attended a John Tory fundraiser where he slagged the Ontario premier.
It’s clear that Ontario, the largest province in the country with one third of its population, is going to suffer under this Conservative government. It’s also clear that the Alberta Cons are wringing their hands with glee over every action taken by Harper to bring about Ontario’s downfall. But this is a political blunder of enourmous proportions and will only make fiscal imbalance for the left in Ontario what the NEP was for the right in Alberta; a rallying cry for Ontarians to shut the Conservatives–at both levels–out of power in the province for good.
Interesting sidenote pointed out by Political Notebook regarding Harper’s attendance of the John Tory fundraiser.
Oh, and before we forget, taxpayers forked over the tab for the government Challenger jet, RCMP security and other expenses to Harper could attend a provincial political fundraiser.
So not only do Ontarians get screwed, we’re also forced to pay for the act.
Update: Reactions to Harper screwing over Ontario.
Scott Tribe: Mcguinty shouldnt touch Harper with a 10 foot pole
Far And Wide: What Bullshit
Accidental Deliberations: A dirty-air act
Accidental Deliberations: On ill-conceived alliances
Sinister Thoughts: The Hits Just Keep Coming
Bow. James Bow: Don’t Tread Upon Me
Keegan’s Blog: McGuinty vs Harper Round 1
Harper’s first misstep. Let us hope he makes plenty more.
The neo-cons are going down. Y’see, I told them all the lying would eventually do them in, but they didn’t listen.
Grrr I suppose Harper would like to see us Ontarians wheeze and die under all the smog from the coal plants.
Made in Canada my ass. What a hypocrite.
Now I feel just terrible, what have we done! WHAT HAVE WE DONE!!!!
Don’t sweat it. Just plead insanity (heh heh), and the re-education camps counsellors will go easy on you.
It’s the sheer disgusting pettiness of this that disgusts me. Harper spends our money to insult and punish us here in Ontario for seeing through his bullshit in large enough numbers to keep him from a majority government. Can you even imagine how he would be governing now with a majority? My heart stopped momentarily just considering it.
btw, pull out some early 1930’s pics of Mussolini and put them up beside Harper - it’s not just their politics that are similar. If it wasn’t so spooky, it might be funny.
btw, pull out some early 1930’s pics of Mussolini…
…like this one?
So, you guys are kinda addicted to the internet, huh?
Maybe what Harper meant by his Made in Canada plan was that we were going to make MORE ghg’s here in Canada with his plan.
posted by Ti-Guy: “…like this one?”
Well, not really…but then again, I can’t see his face in that on.
Il Duce is the one on the left. And Mussolini’s on the right.
Apparantly! From Far and Wide…
I would note that the plan Harper is using is neither lowering emissions nor is it “made in Canada”.
Maybe McGuinty will be forced to upgrade to clean coal technology now instead of scrapping coal completely? If that’s the case, Ontarians will be better off, not worse off. We’re already risking blackouts every summer, if we shut down 20% of our power production by 2009, there’s no way we can get enough power production online to replace it on time, even with the federal money.
Holy shit, Buffalo just scored 18 seconds into overtime!
clean coal
There’s no such thing. You either have filthy, dirty coal or you have slightly less filthy, dirty coal. Only rubes buy into the “clean coal” schtick.
It’s also clear that the Alberta Cons are wringing their hands with glee over every action taken by Harper to bring about Ontario’s downfall.
What the fuck is this supposed to mean? Why don’t I just start to wish for the downfall of America while I’m at it. Christ!
But this is a political blunder of enourmous proportions and will only make fiscal imbalance for the left in Ontario what the NEP was for the right in Alberta;
Ummmm… Alberta pays more than anyone. Much more per capita than Ontario. That ain’t gonna change until the rest of Canada starts voting Right.
a rallying cry for Ontarians to shut the Conservatives–at both levels–out of power in the province for good. *snicker* Good luck taking THAT issue to the voters. Sounds like a pretty boring “rallying cry” to me.
That ain’t gonna change until the rest of Canada starts voting Right.
And you’re doing a bang-up job convincing the rest Canada. *clap clap clap*
Jeez. What a cloaca.
Actually, it’s quite a rallying cry, not that anyone from Alberta would understand anything beyond it’s borders except that they dream of being neo-con republicans.
We could through this cycle of getting fed up with the Liberals, we allow the cons in, in this case republican wannabees in long enough to really fuck up the country, and then the voting public will come to their senses again.
And let’s take that nothing is going to change until the rest of Canada begins to vote right. Hmmmmm, every see it our way, or we’ll screw you. That’s just the mentality we need.
“Ummmm… Alberta pays more than anyone. Much more per capita than Ontario.”
Do you have a link for this Knight?
In any model of wealth re-distribution, the richest population will pay the most per capita. Ontarians have always been net payees in this scheme, and when Ontarians were the richest people in Canada, they paid the most. Now it’s Alberta.
Knight believes this to be unfair as in….*waaah waaah…it’s not FAIR…NEP!!! …..*waaah* “….which is what one would expect from a 27 year-old with an intellect of a teenager.
Damn Rob, you’ve been a plethera of post material lately….
Did you mean to type “plethora“, DD?
sure, that’s be the one Art……lol
I was just “foolin’ around”, DD. Honest! lol
Do you have a link for this Knight?
Dude, if you need a link to figure out who pays the most… What the point?
Knight believes this to be unfair as in….*waaah waaah…it’s not FAIR…NEP!!! …..*waaah* “….which is what one would expect from a 27 year-old with an intellect of a teenager.
No, I was just stating the fact.
It’s hard for me to be bitter, or cry,, when our government is prepared to do what is Right to make everyone prosper…
arthurdecco Says:
May 6th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Did you mean to type “plethora“, DD?
Waytabe. You really took that dude to school on his bad spelling. You should be so proud of yourself. Your best comment yet. Waytabe.
Now, allow me to spell check my comment…
“Jeez. What a cloaca.”
Fuck you, ya ignorant celiactic duodenal…
Y’now, Knight…there’s a sense of humour lurking there, I just know it. My advice? Lay off the booze and admit you’re gay.
posted by KotR: “”Did you mean to type “plethora“, DD?”
Waytabe. You really took that dude to school on his bad spelling. You should be so proud of yourself. Your best comment yet. Waytabe.
Now, allow me to spell check my comment…”
You left off the LOL from my quote, Knighty boy - you know, the part that indicated I was trying to be funny. It looks like Dino got it. But of course you wouldn’t. Unlike Ti-Guy I don’t believe you have a funny bone in your body. You have to be smart to have a real sense of humour and you’re certainly not smart.
Unlike, Ti-Guy I don’t believe you have a funny bone in your body.
I disagree. He’s a laff-riot, as long…as he doesn’t make be think too much about that dark, lonely, paranoid place he seems to inhabit.
Y’now, Knight…there’s a sense of humour lurking there, I just know it. My advice?
What? You don’t think the K.C.N.A is hilarious? I’ve never seen anything more hilarious in my life…
Lay off the booze
No.
and admit you’re gay.
Keep dreaming…
You have to be smart to have a real sense of humour and you’re certainly not smart.
Call me stupud, but I still don’t get the “joke”…
I disagree. He’s a laff-riot, Cool.
as long…as he doesn’t make be think too much about that dark, lonely, paranoid place he seems to inhabit. The place is known as the “Democratic” “People’s” “Republic” of Korea, according to the Korean Central “News” Agency.
And I solemly refuse to “stop thinking” about the people exposed to it…