Election in Ontario

[Topaz]

IF there's a election coming up next year, how would you judge the Libs and do you think they will win the election?

[lamina]

Since I have very little impression of what the Liberals have accomplished in Ontario, I am afraid that I would be right back to judging leaders. It would depend on who was running the Conservatives but I don't really like their policies too much.

I would probably sit back and pray for a minority government with neither party having a mandate to rule. Isn't that the essence of being Canadian? Do no harm.

[Remiel]

Yeah... I can't even remember the last time I read a significant article on the provincial government here... Depending on how it goes, I may vote Liberal again, though maybe NDP. I like the NDP leader more than the others, assuming he is still the leader... Howard Hampton, right? Anyway, our incumbent in Liberal, Leona Dombrowsky. I think shes the minister for education or the enviroment, or at least was... I am pretty out of date on provincial politics. Nothing really, really controversial has happened that I recall, other than the health care premium and Caledonia... that may figure big into the next election, if its still going on.

[M.Dancer]

The Liberals this time round have so uninspired me that I would be willing to put my vote on E-bay....

[fellowtraveller]

I'm voting Bob Rae in support of Ontarians.

[MightyAC]

IF there's a election coming up next year, how would you judge the Libs and do you think they will win the election?

It will be hard to forgive Dalton and the Libs for their endless list of broken promises. Also, that new $900 annual healthcare fine, which does not even go to healthcare, while delisting services like eye exams and chiropractic care was a tough pill to swallow.

The only real positive thing Dalton did, IMO, is he got the ball rolling on electoral reform in Ontario. Next election we will likely have a referendum on whether or not we should reform our current flawed (IMO) winner take all, first past the post system. I am pleased he kept his word on that. One day our votes may actually count.

Anyway, John Tory seems like a well spoken, pragmatic, capable leader. He also has big business leadership experience running the CFL and Rogers. Right now I'm leaning towards John and the blue shirts but a year is a long time in politics...I'll see how I feel next October.

[cybercoma]

If Dalton McGuinty gets back in Ontario deserves everything that happens....

[scribblet]

I don't doubt that they will be re-elected.

One of the key issues in the last election was education funding and teacher union demands, evidently Dalton hasn't improved on it.

Meanwhile back at the ranch according to http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/BreakingNews/2...03/1942668.html many school boards have less money to work with than they did in 1997.

http://tinyurl.com/ew5ry The Star says:

Ontario’s new education minister had a tough message today for struggling school boards looking to squeeze more money out of the province: there is no more cash coming for schools this year.

Kathleen Wynne, the former Toronto trustee who was a thorn in the side of the Mike Harris Conservatives over their funding of the education system, is now locked in a battle of wills with several Ontario school boards.

She said today there is no "pot of new money” for boards looking at cutting programs to balance their budgets.

Wynne, who made her name fighting Harris’s cuts and now finds herself in a similar boat, said that she can’t wave a “magic wand” to help boards that say they can’t preserve existing programs and transport services without dipping into reserves or running an illegal budget.

[Higgly]

Tory has announved that he will be running in Wynne's riding. Must be only coincidental that the riding has the second biggest police building in the city .

[Gord]

Well the Liberals did it right in when first elected. Dalton broke 90% of his promises in the first few months. Voters tend to have a short memory so this will probably not be a factor in the election next year.

[geoffrey]

Well the Liberals did it right in when first elected. Dalton broke 90% of his promises in the first few months. Voters tend to have a short memory so this will probably not be a factor in the election next year.

Good point. It's been effective for many governments in the past. Push the unpopular stuff first, then the tax cuts at the end of the term .

[Biblio Bibuli]

I have a question.

Is it required of Ontarians to sell some of the American vehicles that are built in Ontario in Canada.

[MightyAC]

I have a question.

Is it required of Ontarians to sell some of the American vehicles that are built in Ontario in Canada.

I don't understand your question? Are you asking if Ontarians should buy more Ontario produced big 3 vehicles?

Ontarians and Canadians in general are buying Ontario produced Toyotas and Hondas in record numbers.

[Biblio Bibuli]

I have a question.

Is it required of Ontarians to sell some of the American vehicles that are built in Ontario in Canada.

I don't understand your question? Are you asking if Ontarians should buy more Ontario produced big 3 vehicles?

No. I just don't understand why Ontario is upset that they are going to MAKE gas guzzling vehicles (i.e. the souped up Camaro). They're just PRODUCING them.

By doing that, does it preclude them from putting in whatever loco leftie laws that they want regarding emissions etc for their province?

Do they have to BUY some of their production, or can they not just make 'em & ship 'em ( to some less socialist places like the US? Excluding Cauli-fornia of course.)

[MightyAC]

I don't understand your question? Are you asking if Ontarians should buy more Ontario produced big 3 vehicles?

No. I just don't understand why Ontario is upset that they are going to MAKE gas guzzling vehicles (i.e. the souped up Camaro). They're just PRODUCING them.

By doing that, does it preclude them from putting in whatever loco leftie laws that they want regarding emissions etc for their province?

Do they have to BUY some of their production, or can they not just make 'em & ship 'em ( to some less socialist places like the US? Excluding Cauli-fornia of course.)

I see... Except that it was the Premier of Ontario and Buzz Hargrove complaining about the "loco leftie" fuel efficiency standards proposed by the federal Conservatives. I guess their point is the auto industry is taking a pounding and government regulations like those of the 70's will only hurt sales of the Ontario produced vehicles.

I am 100% in favour of mandatory fuel efficiency standards as the average fuel efficiency of vehicles produced has not improved since the early 80's. Toyota and Honda are also producing tones of vehicles in Ontario, in fact Toyota is opening a brand new plant shortly, and they have no problem meeting efficiency and emission standards. Another problem for Buzz and his league of extortionists is that the real successful plants in Ontario are not unionized.

As an aside, I find it hilarious that many of the 3.0 V6 engines found in some new GM vehicles have been purchased from Honda. The largest auto maker in the world could not make a V6 engine that met California emission guidelines in time so they had to buy them from a little Japanese company..

Anyway, the Conservative Green plan is a little weak but I fully agree with their mandatory standards for auto makers. I also see the point of Buzz and Dalton though...they are trying to attact auto investment in the province and soon guidelines will be inacted that will hurt sales of the vehicles they produce. Oh well the automakers didn't improve fuel economy under their own voluntary standards so they should loose the right to self regulate.

[Biblio Bibuli]

I am 100% in favour of mandatory fuel efficiency standards.

So is Arnie Schwartzenegger. The guy who spews ozone depleting cigar smoke into the air daily, the guy whose fleet of Hummers spew 4X more carbon dioxide than the average car, the guy who lowered Cauli-fornia's tax on these and other luxury vehicles.

Toyota and Honda are also producing tones of vehicles in Ontario, in fact Toyota is opening a brand new plant shortly, and they have no problem meeting efficiency and emission standards.

So why is Arnie suing both, Toyota and Honda, for NOT meeting emission standards?

Anyway, the Conservative Green plan is a little weak but I fully agree with their mandatory standards for auto makers.

I agree that Canada should set standards for Canada's automakers, i.e. DeLorian, but not for other countries' manufacturers. Penalize them if you must by not allowing them to be sold in Canada. So what if, in the end, all we're driving are a bunch of stainless steel two-cilinder DeLorians.

If Siberians offered Canada a big fat contract for their home heating wood & coal-burning stoves be built in Canada, should we refuse? Mexicans would snap it up in an Acapulco minute.

[MightyAC]

So is Arnie Schwartzenegger. The guy who spews ozone depleting cigar smoke into the air daily, the guy whose fleet of Hummers spew 4X more carbon dioxide than the average car, the guy who lowered Cauli-fornia's tax on these and other luxury vehicles.

Arnie can only drive one Hummer at a time no matter how many he owns. I hate the smell of cigar smoke but I doubt it has a serious effect on the air quality in California. Too bad that Arnie lowered taxes on luxury vehicles but I don't live in California...They do have tough emission standards...we don't...and we should. Now we will.

So why is Arnie suing both, Toyota and Honda, for NOT meeting emission standards?

Get your facts straight. California is suing General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan. The six top selling manufacturers in California. All of these manufacturers are meeting emission standards. The suit just claims that cars and their manufacturers are responsible for global warming. California is simply filing a nuisance suit claiming that automakers should cover some of the massive costs California pays do to its brutal air quality. It's a frivolous lawsuit...

I agree that Canada should set standards for Canada's automakers, i.e. DeLorian, but not for other countries' manufacturers. Penalize them if you must by not allowing them to be sold in Canada. So what if, in the end, all we're driving are a bunch of stainless steel two-cilinder DeLorians.

If Siberians offered Canada a big fat contract for their home heating wood & coal-burning stoves be built in Canada, should we refuse? Mexicans would snap it up in an Acapulco minute.

If California set tough emission standards long before it was a smog pit they would be far better off. In the seventies governments set mandatory efficiency standards and almost overnight fuel economy improved by leaps and bounds. In the early 80's efficiency became self regulated and improvements flat lined. The Cons are right on this one. Fuel efficiency will not improve if left to the automakers themselves and it is better to be proactive when dealing with air quality. Far too often we see the writing on the wall do nothing to correct or head off a problem and then whine about how past governments screwed us over. I think the Green plan needs to be far more aggressive but this one point is a step in the right direction.

[Biblio Bibuli]

The Cons are right on this one. Fuel efficiency will not improve if left to the automakers themselves and it is better to be proactive when dealing with air quality.

So what is the Cons strategy? Tell Mr. Ford in Windsor to scram back to Detroit?

How will that help the air quality?

Don't get me wrong ... I hope they do.

Go IGGY GO!

[MightyAC]

The Cons are right on this one. Fuel efficiency will not improve if left to the automakers themselves and it is better to be proactive when dealing with air quality.

So what is the Cons strategy? Tell Mr. Ford in Windsor to scram back to Detroit?

How will that help the air quality?

Don't get me wrong ... I hope they do.

Go IGGY GO!

Nobody knows what the Cons full strategy is, that's why I said it was weak.. However, mandatory efficiency standards are a good idea. Ford or GM won't have to scram back to anywhere...the new mandatory standards won't even kick in for 5 years and fuel economy is already major factor in the design of all the manufacturers’ next generation vehicles.

As a whole the Green plan is a joke. Ambrose has even been caught willfully taking expert opinion out of context to justify their bogus plan.

CDM expert contradicts Minister Ambrose

Ottawa - Yesterday before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, Minister Ambrose twice cited a report from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, specifically referencing Daphne Wysham as a source of the following quote "the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) creates an incentive for corruption." (check against Hansard).

The Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May, contacted Daphne Wysham directly to confirm this statement. The CDM expert, Daphne Wysham, made the following statement in response, "I am horrified that my statement criticizing the CDM has been interpreted by Canada's Environment Minister as justification for not living up to the terms of the Kyoto Protocol. We absolutely need a vehicle for both curbing emissions in the North and providing resources for clean energy in the south. The CDM may be flawed, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater will set us back decades at a time when action to reduce greenhouse gases is urgently needed. Canada must not violate its legally binding Kyoto commitments."

Today in question period, Liberal MP John Godfrey raised this point and requested that Minister Ambrose apologize for misrepresenting Daphne Wysham's expert opinion on the CDM.

[MightyAC]

Harper, Ambrose et al will give some specifics to the Green plan in 10 minutes or so... The speeches given by Ambrose in the previous weeks have led me to belive I will be disappointed but hey maybe hit one out of the park here. There is always hope I guess.

[Biblio Bibuli]

Harper, Ambrose et al will give some specifics to the Green plan in 10 minutes or so... The speeches given by Ambrose in the previous weeks have led me to belive I will be disappointed but hey maybe he'll hit one out of the park here. There is always hope I guess.

In his speech today in Vancouver Harper said that he has a "holistic" plan to protect the environment. Whatever that means. He promised to let us in on the details next week.

He'll hit a pop fly...that is my guess.