Ontario Election

[larry Strong]

As I stated on a different thread, Premier Dad does not have the backbone to make hard decisions.

 

[a_majoor]

Dalton could learn a thing or two from Governor Christie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fx125cJgQs&feature=player_embedded

GOVERNOR CHRISTIE: And to the naysayers, I say this. And I know it's hard to believe that there may be some naysayers out there. I'll say this: We have been down the road of high taxation. It didn't work. The result was high unemployment, higher taxes, low growth. The result was families leaving New Jersey.

The old way was a dead end for New Jersey. High taxes, excessive spending left us stranded in a world of declining growth, declining prospects and a diminished ability to compete as a state.

We have left the dark times of lost jobs worsened by overtaxing, overspending and overborrowing. So, please be clear on this point -- we will not return to the path of higher taxes under any circumstances. Not on my watch.

(edit to add the entire budget speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmPkmAwtqZ4&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP99826396F00009A7)

 

[a_majoor]

I like the idea that the Drummond report was designed as a land mine for the incoming government. Lucky for us, Dalton stepped on it...

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/24/no-leadership-show-em-the-door

No leadership? Show ’em the door

By Megan Harris

As Premier Dalton McGuinty and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan ponder the content of the Drummond Report and go about crafting Ontario’s next budget, they have two clear choices.

Show leadership now or take political cover by shelving the report.

It appears that they are opting for the latter.

The question is whether voters will punish rather than reward the minority McGuinty government if the upcoming budget fails to outline a credible, costed-out framework to restore Ontario’s economy. Ducking for political cover by smiling, delaying and blaming will neither restore the provinces withering manufacturing, sector nor Ontario’s finances.

Thanks to Don Drummond and his fellow commissioners, we have a clear and coherent understanding of the state of Ontario’s economy — how we got into a $16-billion deficit dungeon thanks to McGuinty, and what policy decisions must be taken immediately.

This time last year when they created the Drummond Commission, the McGuinty Liberals trailed Tim Hudak and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives by double digits in the polls.

McGuinty, in office for seven years, was well aware of the plight of Ontario’s finances. But with a mandated October 2011 election on the horizon, the Liberals made a political calculation to sidestep any real discussion of province’s economic woes during the campaign.

Their game plan likely went something like this: If we lose in October, which seemed like a foregone conclusion, then Tim Hudak and the PCs will be forced to make tough decisions to restore the province’s fiscal health.  This would have given the McGuinty spin doctors the forum to tell the electorate “we told you so; here they go again — cut, cut, cut.”

On they would go — “we gave you full-day kindergarten, reduced class sizes, capped tuition fees, gave you a 10% rebate on your hydro bills, and introduced Family Day. Now, the Tories are taking them away. This is what you get when you elect Conservatives to run the province.”

Instead of governing, they expected to sit in the opposition benches and play the blame game. That of course would have worked if team Hudak didn’t fumble the election.

Now, McGuinty and the Liberals are exactly where they neither wanted nor expected to be — holding the bag when tough decisions have to be made. Once again, it looks like they intend to pivot and punt the tough decisions into the future while Ontario’s debt continues to grow.

Now that the inconvenient truth is out about the true state of Ontario’s economy, all parties, especially the Liberals, can no longer hide from the facts.

Drummond’s report is a real indictment of the last eight years of the McGuinty government.

We know the NDP is not capable of putting Ontario’s economy back on track. So, its time for Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs to outline their strategy for restoring Ontario’s finances, economy and future.

The premier needs to face up to reality and show leadership.  If he isn’t up for the job, then we need to elect someone who is.

 

[ModlrMike]

I'm expecting a "Red Book" with an orange cover.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I've said all along that they didn't expect to get re-elected and staged this to trash the incoming party.

Unfortunately, they did get re-elected and are acting like Bob Rae & the NDP.

Stunned. "What do you mean we won? Shit. What do we do now?"

I expect them to bring down a budget so ludicrous that as a confidence bill, it gets voted down and we're back to the polls. If not that one, it won't be long until they find something else to get themselves fired.

McGuinty and Duncan can't shinny out of their own trap. They have to bail and leave someone else to clean up the disgusting mess that their social engineering agenda has left this once great province.

It's not just the fault of these ponces either, every utopian seeking dreamer that followed these idiots to the polls has just as much responsibility in this.

 

[a_majoor]

I'm not so sure.

The Provincial NDP has stated there is no problem, we simply don't collect enough revenue. The McGuinty government has reflexively raised taxes and fees throughout their terms in office, so we have two kindred spirits who agree in principle on what the real "solution" is. I'm willing to bet on some sort of informal coalition and the $30 billion deficit and $400 billion debt at the end (with revenues in the tank because the economy is flatlined, and skilled workers and capital leaving in record numbers).

The PCPO has neither the votes to take down the government on its own, nor apparently the spine to take ownership of the Drummond report and say "Outstanding work. We fully endorse this as the best first step to solving Ontario's problems and getting back on our feet". Taking ownership would demonstrate to some voters that there is at least one serious party willing to take steps to deal with the economic crisis before the Bond Rating agencies decide we are "CCC" grade material, or "Selective Default" like Greece.

This is like one of those really bad dreams where no matter how faast you run, you can't seem to get anywhere.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I'm not so sure.

The Provincial NDP has stated there is no problem, we simply don't collect enough revenue. The McGuinty government has reflexively raised taxes and fees throughout their terms in office, so we have two kindred spirits who agree in principle on what the real "solution" is. I'm willing to bet on some sort of informal coalition and the $30 billion deficit and $400 billion debt at the end (with revenues in the tank because the economy is flatlined, and skilled workers and capital leaving in record numbers).

The PCPO has neither the votes to take down the government on its own, nor apparently the spine to take ownership of the Drummond report and say "Outstanding work. We fully endorse this as the best first step to solving Ontario's problems and getting back on our feet". Taking ownership would demonstrate to some voters that there is at least one serious party willing to take steps to deal with the economic crisis before the Bond Rating agencies decide we are "CCC" grade material, or "Selective Default" like Greece.

This is like one of those really bad dreams where no matter how faast you run, you can't seem to get anywhere.

Agreed; now is the time for a competent PCPO leader ...

 

[observor 69]

And I thought I followed politics ?
Who is the lady in the photo?

 

[Edward Campbell]

And I thought I followed politics ?
Who is the lady in the photo?

Christine Ellioot, Conservative MPP from Whitby-Oshawa, Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and Critic for Attorney General, Citizenship and Immigration, and Mental Health Reform and the third place finisher in the last Ontario PC leadership race. She is a social moderate/fiscal conservative ~ the sort of leader for which Ontario is ready, as it seems unprepared for social conservative/fiscal moderate Tim Hudak.

Ms Elliott is, by the way, married; you recognize him?

 

[observor 69]

Got it E.R. 

 

[Edward Campbell]

Got it E.R. 

Sorry, BG, couldn't resist the "dig," some of us grow old without ever growing up.

 

[a_majoor]

I guess there is a “Dalton Report” as well, and he is following the recommendations to the letter:

http://redheartbluesign.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/its-my-money-and-i-want-it-now/

It’s my money and I want it now!

Ontario’s Liberal Government quietly (very quietly) introduced changes to the way it pays out your provincial Income tax refund.  I only heard about this, not through any government email, advertising or letter but on the news last night..  Here is the article from the Toronto Star on this, http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1140158–income-tax-changes-eliminate-refunds-for-many-ontario-residents.

There was a time when as much as we detested completing our income tax forms, we also looked forward to receiving the refund – a lump sum to do with as we pleased, after all it was OUR money – the government was just holding on to it. The McGuinty government has once again determined it knows what is best, and chose not to say very much about it.  Low to moderate incomes (what dollar value indicates if you meet those criteria) will no longer receive their Ontario Tax credits with their federal tax refund.  Premier Dad, along with Uncle Dunc is going to hold onto your money and start giving you an allowance beginning in July.  The days of using the money to pays bills, buy a treat for your children or gasp, try to put some of it in an RRSP are over.  Instead the government is going to hold onto your money and collect the interest on your money to pay down its debt and deficit it has created with a ‘spend and pay for it later policy’ for the past 9 years.

I went to the government website looking for the announcement regarding the change in tax refunds.  I noticed that on the English site the rotating messages on the home page are Tuition grants, seasonal winter food and March Break in Ontario – nothing about tax changes.  The French site had the same messages.  Searching the government website for information on Ontario Tax Credit changes I found out about a Film and Television Tax Credit, Co-Operative Education Tax Credit, Employee stock option Tax Credit and an Innovation Tax Credit – NOTHING about the changes in the repayment of the Ontario Tax Credit, in fact when searching Ontario Tax refund the changes are not in the top 10 items that come back in the search.

The Ontario government has relented and agreed to back off and give Ontarians a choice this year, the usual lump sum payment or the monthly allowance, but has already stated the option will NOT be offered in 2013.  It is time to speak out about the Ontario government taking over yet another part of our lives – determining how we get our money back.  Contact your MPP; in Ottawa Centre we are lucky, we can take the message right to the Ministry of Finance as our Liberal MPP, Yasir Naqv, is the Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario Finance Minister Uncle Dunc!

Come to think of it, I would have expected that Yasir Naqvi would have notified his Ottawa Centre residents about this change.  Ottawa Centre has significant population that fit into the low to moderate income bracket, won’t they be getting a nice little surprise?

It is time for this government to stop telling Ontarians how to live their lives and how manage their day to day affairs, it is time for a government to respect the rights of individuals and do what a government should do, govern – not parent!

I can be found Twitter @robertdekker and on Facebook at http://tiny.cc/n5l97. Please follow me and send your thoughts on this and other postings.

 

[Edward Campbell]

Here is a guesstimate on the next Ontario budget - which could provoke another general election, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/deep-cuts-expected-in-ontarios-march-27-budget/article2370180/

Deep cuts expected in Ontario’s March 27 budget

Toronto— The Canadian Press

Published Thursday, Mar. 15, 2012

Ontario’s minority Liberal government will table its first budget March 27, and has already warned of deep spending cuts to trim the $16-billion deficit.

The Liberals have a fine line to walk to protect gains in health care and education while finding enough savings to eliminate the deficit in five years, or face an expensive credit downgrade.

They also have to make sure the budget contains measures that at least two opposition party members will vote for, or Ontario will be plunged into its second election campaign in five months.

The government is expected to seek support for the budget from the New Democrats, who want the Liberals to delay a planned cut in the corporate tax rate.

The Progressive Conservatives want a job-creation plan, and doubt the Liberals will make the tough decisions necessary to get Ontario back in the black.

Economist Don Drummond recommended hundreds of cuts to programs and services, so the government could limit its overall spending increase to just 0.8 per cent a year for five years.

The Liberals rejected Mr. Drummond’s call to eliminate all-day kindergarten, which will cost $1.5-billion a year, but said virtually all of his other recommendations are on the table.

If the Ontario Conservatives had a leader with any brains and/or a pair of balls, and Tim Hudak has neither, they would take ownership of the Drummond Report and promise to implement all of it during their first two budgets.

 

[Edward Campbell]

As expected, McGuinty and Duncan get it exactly back asswards according to this article which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/expect-deep-cuts-less-spending-on-roads-in-ontario-budget-duncan-says/article2370180/

Expect deep cuts, less spending on roads in Ontario budget, Duncan says

KEITH LESLIE

Toronto— The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, Mar. 15, 2012

There will be less spending on roads and bridges and increased fees for businesses when Ontario’s minority Liberal government tables its budget March 27, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said Thursday.

There will also be spending cuts across many ministries to make sure Ontario stays on track to eliminate the $16-billion deficit within five years, he added.

“This is going to be a comprehensive, very large budget that will lay out the path to balance with some difficult choices in it,” Mr. Duncan told reporters as he announced the budget date.

“It’s going to lay the path to a much better future, and it’s going to address problems that successive governments of all political stripes have not wanted to address.”

Premier Dalton McGuinty told rural municipal leaders recently that Ontario cannot afford a promised fund to pay for road and bridge repairs, and the cash-strapped government hopes to save even more by cutting spending on other infrastructure projects in the budget.

“One of the pieces in the budget will be significant reductions in infrastructure spending in the coming years that will save us hundreds of millions of dollars in interests costs,” Mr. Duncan said.

Earlier this week, the Liberals increased fees from $4 to $10 each for drivers licences, for a driver’s exam and for registering a vehicle, along with increases in permit fees for truck and bus operators, trailers, farm, off-road and snow vehicles The budget will contain similar fee increases aimed at businesses, but none “that would affect families or individuals,” Mr. Duncan said.

“We are looking at a number of fees that haven’t been raised in 25 years in some instances.”

The Liberals have a fine line to walk in the budget to protect gains they’ve made in health care and education while also finding enough savings to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18, or face an expensive credit downgrade.

They also have to make sure the budget contains measures that at least two opposition party members will vote for, or Ontario will be plunged into its second election campaign in five months.

The minority government is expected to seek support for the budget from the NDP, who want the Liberals to delay already-scheduled cuts in the corporate tax rate, from 11.5 to 10 per cent.

“We discussed returning the corporate tax rates to their original (14 per cent) rate, and we’ve also discussed – at a minimum – freezing them,” said New Democrat Jagmeet Singh.

“That’s not simply enough on its own to ensure that we’re for or against the budget. We need to see the entire document.”

The Progressive Conservatives want the budget to include a plan to reduce the size and cost of government, and a job-creation strategy.

The Opposition fears the Liberals will delay the corporate tax cuts in order to get NDP support for the crucial budget vote.

“There is a concern that they are going to put a pause in the corporate tax cut, which most economists would indicate is probably the worst thing that you can do at this time,” said deputy PC Leader Christine Elliott.

“We really need to have lower business taxes in order to attract businesses to invest in Ontario, and when you look at other provinces that have gone forward with those tax reductions, they’re doing much better than we are.”

The government had already announced that more than $2-billion worth of grants, tax credits and other direct subsidies for businesses were on the line in the budget.

It is reviewing at least 50 different business support programs across eight different ministries, worth about $1.3-billion a year, plus another $1-billion annually in business tax credits, but promised not to touch film and television tax credits.

Economist Don Drummond, who called business grants “vague and difficult to measure,” recommended hundreds of cuts to programs and services so the government could limit its overall spending increase to just 0.8 per cent a year for five years.

The Liberals want to hike education spending by 1 per cent, and let health care rise by 2.5 per cent, which would mean deep cuts in many other ministries to cap overall growth at 0.8 per cent.

The Liberals rejected Mr. Drummond’s call to eliminate all-day kindergarten, which will cost $1.5-billion a year, and also dismissed his recommendation to end the 10 per cent rebates on electricity bills, which would save another $1.1-billion a year.

The Liberals are addicted to spending and have no ideas to actually save the province money, charged the Tories.

“This approach to government is unsustainable, irresponsible and reckless,” Ms. Elliott said.

The federal Conservative government has increased spending by 65 per cent since it was first elected, the same amount Ontario’s spending was increased by its Liberal government during the same time frame, countered Mr. Duncan.

Reducing infrastructure maintenance is just plain, 100% stupid; it is a perfect example of being penny-wise and pound foolish.  Ditto increased fees on business ~ it is how you kill jobs in an economy that desperately needs more of them. It is good old fashioned, Trudeau era Liberal stupidity.

Drummond laid out how to cut ~ and he didn't say cut infrastructure repairs or increase fees for business.

It is sad to say, but the cuts must be borne, primarily by the poor, the elderly and government workers (schoolteachers, civil servants and so on); they consume the most tax dollars so the savings must come from them. It is poor politics but it is the only acceptable policy.

McGuinty is driving Ontario to ruin because he's a Liberal fool ... whoops, isn't that, Liberal fool, tautology?

 

[Infanteer]

Isn't Montreal learning about that the hard way right now?

 

[armyvern]

Isn't Montreal learning about that the hard way right now?

What??!! That would never happen here in the land of bridges, and pieces of them, falling down.  :facepalm:

 

[Journeyman]

...to say nothing of Hwy 15, with its anti-tank ditch-like pot holes, as one crosses Montreal to get to those collapsing bridges.    :not-again:

 

[armyvern]

...to say nothing of Hwy 15, with its anti-tank ditch-like pot holes, as one crosses Montreal to get to those collapsing bridges.    :not-again:

You should see the anti-tank ditch that has appeared next to Olympic Stadium this past week. 

I'm just about convinced that the bigger LLF tunnel will follow suit soon --- while I'm travelling through it; I've been sticking to the Pont Victoria instead.  :-X

 

[Kirkhill]

So we should expect to see 4x4 sales in Ontario rise?

 

[PuckChaser]

So we should expect to see 4x4 sales in Ontario rise?

Not with the sales taxes here...  >