I didn't live in Toronto when Mike Harris and his Cons ruled Ontario from 1995 to 2002.
But I heard about the damage him and his "Common Sense Revolution" did to the province, and how it took a decade to recover.
And how many poor and vulnerable people never did, because they were buried in the rubble of his brutish regime.
So I never thought I'd hear somebody who lived through those grim Con years say this.
Doug Ford is worse than Mike Harris
For the last 20 years I have ranked Mike Harris as Ontario’s worst premier — at least in the last 75 years and possibly ever.
Now, though, Doug Ford has changed my mind about Harris. That’s because, in less than a year in office, Ford has clearly proven through actions and words that he warrants the title of “Ontario’s worst premier ever.”
But Bob Hepburn is right about this:
The big reason why I say Ford has surpassed Harris is that Ford has governed not with a cohesive plan, but rather through a mean-spirited, vindictive approach to leadership that includes blindsiding municipalities, schools and others with out-of-the-blue decisions that were never discussed and never properly researched.
If anything he's too polite, because Ford is out control...
Now him and his Ape Nation are even going after the disabled.
But what Hepburn forgets to mention is that a big part of the problem is that Ford isn't really interested in running Ontario.
He's more interested in attacking Justin Trudeau...
Ford's opposition to the carbon tax is only a means to that end.
Because what he really wants to be is the prime minister of Canada.
Great eh?
But that's what happens when you make an uneducated, dumb as a spoon goon, your premier.
And there is some good news.
His governments's dissatisfaction rating is now 66% and climbing.
And even better, they're starting to boo him...
And the best news?
Today they're booing Ford, but soon they'll be booing Scheer.
For everybody knows that Scheer would do to Canada what Ford is doing to Ontario.
So let Ford be worse than Harris.
The worse he is, the better for us.
If we can't save Ontario, let's at least try to save Canada...
13 comments:
Haven't ever lived in Ontario, but received all the news regarding Harris's actions during his term in office. Ford is worse than Harris. As has been pointed out Ford is vindictive.
As to his latest assault on the disabled. NO SURPRISE. That is what his advisor Gordon Campbell did in B.C. when he was premier. they required all disabled people to re qualify for the higher benefits. Given many of these people had emotional and intellectual challenged, that wasn't going to work. Community groups had to work over time to complete the paper work and doctors weren't too happy either. the intent was to pay out less money. dougie is going what el gordo did in B.C.
As I've previously mentioned here, if you want to know what Ford is going to do, have a look at what Gordon Campbell and Christy clark did to B.C. Nothing which has happened in Ontario since Ford took over has surprised anyone in B.C. We've seen it, been there, dealt with it and voted NDP.
For those of you who think things can't get any worse, Oh, yes they can and they will. Remember during the years el gordo and princess pony sparkle ruled B.C we had the highest rate of child poverty in Canada. The fun in Ontario is just beginning, or rather the terror for the population
Permit me a mixed historical metaphor here: perhaps it's my jaded American blinders showing, but I often think of Canada as a sort of Byzantium North, the last great hope for civilization after the next-door empire has collapsed. The presence of Justin(ian) and his wise Sophia is probably why the symbolism sticks out for me. Yet here we have the would-be tripartite emperors (or Attila the Hutt, a demonic Howdy Doody jester, and a debauched imperatrix), sacking the villages like the vandals of Rome. If Schmeagol is Gollum, Dame Kenney is Petroleus Maximus, and Justin is the embattled Caesar Borealis, then let's call Dougie Trump, Ivan the Onterrible!
The tragedy is that what's happening in Ontario is not the fictional hellscape of a George R.R. Martin novel. But hopefully enough friends, Romans and country-kind will band together in time to write a better real-life story for the nation come October. At least the cartoonists are finally starting to tell the truth: Caesar hath rendered unto you all what is rightfully yours and not for the planet-destroying rich. Let's hope it stays that way and the empire doesn't strike back.
It's no surprise that Ford's already viewed as the worst premier ever. The doofus Doug we remember from Toronto city council is now running Ontario thanks to Liberal weary voters and just plain stupid ones. The Cons were pretty short sighted though because he will be a one and done premier when they could have put in a more viable candidate that could actually have a chance at winning in 3 years but no, they chose Bozo the clown instead. Every time I hear his anti carbon tax ad proclaiming that it's paid for by the government of Ontario I cant stop myself from gritting my teeth and saying "No, idiot! It's paid for by the tax paying suckers of Ontario!" Using our money to attack JT. Argh!
Three more years of this moron will be brutal but we will survive and we will toss this used Ford into the trash bin of history, that is as soon as all the criminal proceedings against him conclude.
JD
The NFLD/Lab result must have hit Sun and Globe pundits hard.
In Quebec , Sheerly not has taken aim and shot the foot he has in his mouth. Energy corridor is just newspeak for energy east. Quebec voter do not want energy east. Reformatory gains in Quebec may be smaller than they appear in Sheer's mirror.
Sheer nonsense has tied himself tightly to Dougie. This may not be the wisest move just when Doug and his slugs are dropping like a rock. The blue wave in Ontario may be an undertow that will pull little andy under.
Rumleyfips,
I gotta tell you I'm really taken with your terminology: Reformatory. Reformatories.
From now on, whenever the word Conservative/Conservatives comes up in conversations, which it will, I swear I shall be sure to correct whomever, with "You mean" _____. If they want further clarification: "Can't abide 'em. Need I list the obvious? Top 10 reasons why?"
At a minimum they'll know where I stand, with that one word; and, which if they dare pursue the subject any further could even lead whomevers to enlightenment. :D
Hepburn nailed it in his column. Seriously, as bad enough as it was going through the public education system during the Harris years, I can't imagine what it's going to be like for those in high school currently. I mean I thought the double cohort was bad enough....
But now the turn has come. We all knew it was just a matter of time that Ford's "I'm for da people" schtick wore thin and his vengeful austerity agenda became plain. He's kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place in a sense, because while Ford Nation are the kind of reactionary know-nothings that simply despise Toronto and want to see us suffer for imagined slights, he also campaigned against the deficit harder than anything else, so in order to look like he's keeping his promises and please his corporate backers, he has to cut the very programs that even the suburban Ford Nation folks rely on.
A shrewder politician like Mike Harris could sell austerity as a necessity for "fiscal discipline" or "Common Sense." Ford, by contrast, is a brute bully with all the shrewdness of a sledgehammer. That plays well for the sociopath contingent of the Tory base that express delight at "getting even" with Toronto, but when the rubber hits the road, even dedicated Tory voters will either think twice or stay home next election day.
-KM
its Littlefinger in Alberta and Walter Frey in Ontario, and both think they should be sitting on the iron throne.
Even a Con thug like Doug understands the dynamics.... major cities are thriving (its relative) rural and small towns are dying. The reason is a critical economic mass fueled by forward thinking,
expansion, diversity and inter group cooperation that is globally competitive versus a shrinking, bring back the glory days mindset. Dougie is not about pulling up the laggards but bringing down the cities so that there will be more desperate people to vote for him. Downloading expenses and sponsoring resentment between economic groups is a good start! Diversified, cooperative success is a Cons worst enemy.
RT
Don't know if The Conservatives were short sighted. They may have decided to "let" him win the role as party leader because they felt he was electable and they were correct. He was electable. They hired a guy like Gordon Campbell to be his advisor and start the ball rolling. These people who pull the Conservative party strings, are big corporations who have an agenda and they want it full filled. Part of that is much lower taxes, fewer environmental rules, the ability to "reach out and touch" the cabinet ministers they want to achieve their goals. They want to weaken labour laws, they want more contracting out. they'll get all of that because that is what happened in B.C. Don't forget Gordon Campbell was only the second Canadian to be invited to a Bilderberg conference. Things will get a lot worse in Ontario before they get better. One group which has already seen how much worse it can get are the parents of autistic children. Ford promised to get rid of waiting lists and he did. People thought he'd provide more funding and get their children in to treatment, but no. He just eliminated the lists and said no lists. He is some cash and get out. Now we have some funding for a few years and after than $5K a year which is nothing. If you live in a rural area doesn't matter if you have funding there aren't any services. Its a do it yourself program, if you are the parent of an autistic children. Don't know how many autistic children there are in Ontario, but there must be thousands and they will grow up with out being treated and helped. Can you imagine what Ontario will be like if there are thousands upon thousands of adults with out ever having been treated.
Ontario in 4 years can have thousands of children who will have missed the opportunity to be taught to read, manage their illness, taught to speak, walk, self control. All these children will then grow up to be adults. they will wind up being killed by police, tossed into jail. If Ontario really wants to do something about autism and the lack of services is for several thousand parents to go to the Lwg. with their children and leave them in every Conservatives office for awhile. Let Ford see what having an autistic child is like. How severely austic children can scream for hours. if Ford gets away with treating autistic children and their parents as he is, trust me there will be another group of children next. The autistic kids were just a test run. if they get away with it, other kids will be thrown to the wolves. We know they have increased class size, which isn't going to help kids. the cons will then reduce the number of teaching assistance in classes until people with children who have learning disabilities start taking their children out of school and home schooling them. Don't think it can't happen. It did, in B.C.
As I have said, people voted for Ford and now they can live with it or die because of it. this is all part of a Conservative agenda to dismantle our Canadian system and bring it into line with the American system.
Ford is some what like Trump and ford's base is somewhat like Trump's base. Trump's base is still with him, as will Ford's. We have to only look at American farmers. those who voted for him are still with him. Some of Ford's base will always be with him. It is up to those who didn't vote last time to get out and vote next time and people ought to get organized for the next election because, you may find that Ford changes electoral boundaries. I'm sure that is advise his good friend from B.C. el gordo gave him.
You can expect Ford to cut funding for some many things, that cities will have to pick up the slack or go under. Some cities won't be able to keep up. Ford will also download services to the cities, without the money. We saw that in B.C. its an old B.C. trick.
A summary of the damage ford has caused to date <a href="https://artblog.kathrynkaiser.ca/what-doug-ford-has-done-since-ontario-election/>What for has done since the Ontario election</a>
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