Comments on: Reflections on Day Two of Ontario’s Filibuster Equivalent

By: Owen

Owen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:48:49 +0000

Over McGuinty’s years as Premier he and his government have closed up shop early on numerous occasions in the spring and started later in the fall then usual as well. And how about those long christmas breaks that last until February. They govern by decree from the Premier’s office for pete’s sake. I suppose you are trying to deflect blame to the previous dictator, Mike Harris. McGuinty is just a victim huh. Took him long enough to change the parliamentary schedule didn’t it. 5 years!

And how about holding hearings so the people can have a say about his policies. No, we can’t have that, that would be too, . . . uhh what’s the word? it’s so rarely used in Ontario politics I’ve forgotten — Oh right, the word is DEMOCRATIC. But then again what there would be little point in having hearings. The Liberals would pretend to listen to the people then go right ahead and do what they intended to do in the first place. That’s what you get when you have backbench politicians who follow orders like good little soldiers from General McGuinty.

If McGuinty and sychophants had any principles they’d hold a provincial election and let the people decide whether we wanted the HST or not. That would be too democratic though.

Democracy in Ontario is dead.

By: Radical Centrist

Radical Centrist — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:53:33 +0000

To Owen:

I don’t know what you mean when you say McGuinty “closes up Queen’s Park for months on end”. QP follows a parliamentary calendar that pre-dates the McGuinty government. In fact, when the Standing Orders were revised in January of this year, they changed the dates so that the House comes back earlier than it used to in both February and September.

By: Owen

Owen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:49:35 +0000

Democracy in Ontario is dead. Invariably, once a party gets a majority they become arrogant and domineering. The party leader, in this case McGuinty, makes polcies in secret, doesn’t consult with anyone except special interest groups, rams the legislation through parliament with the help of bankbenchers who have little regard for the people they supposedly represent, then closes up Queen’s Park for months on end so the opposition won’t have a vehicle to make their concerns known to the public. Representative democracy does not work in Ontario any longer thanks to arrogant, selfish, egotistical, unlistening, know-it-all politicians who lie through their teeth every chance they get knowing they will get away with almost anything because they have a majority. No wonder people are cynical, frustrated and fed-up with their leaders. The Speaker’s abuse of his authority is just one more example proving what I stated at the start – Democracy in Ontario is dead.

By: John Laforet

John Laforet — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:45:33 +0000

I am only going to respond to the last point because it really is the only comment clearly directed at me:

I would like to say yet again, I do not hold a party membership in any political party.

I have worked on as many PC campaigns as NDP campaigns. As you will note if you go through things I’ve said on this blog, I’ve had nice things to say about the Ontario NDP and Ontario PC parties at different times on different issues.

By: DTMB

DTMB — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:14:32 +0000

Here’s another thing I’m wondering: how long can the human body go on without adequate food and water? I know that a human can go on without food for days, but they do need water. And if they have water, at some point they’re going to have to go to the bathroom.

My idea would be to deprive them of the luxury of going to the bathroom. Let them piss in a bottle like Curling did and see how long that will last. Frankly, this would charade is ridiculous from a group that have proposed no alternative ideas to this tax change.

And yes, John, you haven’t answered the pressing question of why Hudak won’t say he will repeal the HST, or what alternatives he would propose. Since you’re such a Tory policy wonk, I’d like to hear your thoughts.