George Smitherman Should Resign…
…and not to fullfil his hubristic fantasies of being the King of a(ny) Castle. He should resign because the eHealth scandal happened on his watch. He should resign because he was Ministry of OLG and like eHealth shoved that issue off on a Cabinet colleague instead of taking responsibly for the corrupt actions he has allowed to happen on his watch. This is a man who talks screams first, and fails to think at all. He loves the game, but clearly doesn’t do the work.
He has failed Ontarians, and demonstrated he is a man whose ethical bar is so low one could trip over it. I don’t see how Premier McGuinty expects to continue to govern with this overgrown school yard bully running around the Cabinet room, throwing cash at the firms that are run by his former employees, and prepping his Cabinet colleagues, and possible leadership contenders for a political stabbing they simply won’t ever recover from.
Caplan should have resigned too, but not for eHealth. He was the Minister of OLG until him and Smitherman traded scandals Ministries.
I’ve said before that when Andrea Horwath and Tim Hudak agree on something – the Premier should listen. I don’t believe there has been a time when they’ve agreed on something that I have disagreed, and expect many Ontarians have a similar experience to their agreement on issues.
Ontarians deserve a government that isn’t going to blow over a billion dollars on back pats for their friends, while failing to live up to the job. Electronic health records are serious business. They will save lives and create a more effecient health system by ending duplicated tests, over prescription of drugs, and the dangerous situations that arise from a lack of information in the doctor/patient relationship. If the Premier, Smitherman or Caplan actually cared about this important goal, they wouldn’t have turned the agency responsible into a scandal ridden piggy bank for their friends.
As for Minister Smitherman not feeling ‘Survivor’s guilt’ over Caplan’s firing – you need a sense of densency and integrity to have a conscience that would compel you to feel guilt. The Toronto Star put it best when they said about Minister Smitherman’s handling of the Green Energy Act: ‘George Smitherman couldn’t find the political high road with a state-of-the-art GPS.’
Perhaps Dalton McGuinty needs to find his spine and point Minister Smitherman in the direction of the nearest exit, before Ontarians opt to do the same for the Premier.
90% of 680 News listeners would agree.
10 Comments »By-Election Excellent Opportunity For Voters to Judge ‘Summer of Scandal’
I am going to start by saying that I love the idea of elections. Having been involved in many I appreciate the amount of work that politicos put into ‘framing’ election issues for voters, and all the behind the scenes work that goes into elections as well. While I do believe the actions of many, in particular some incumbent’s inappropriate use of public resources for partisan, negatively impacts the ability of the people’s messages to be heard – my hope is that St. Paul’s will be different.
With the impending HST – a tax that will screw up any economic recovery underway when it adds 8% to the cost of nearly everything; the eHealth scandal; OLG scandal; and the other issues all flapping around with blame squarely laying at the Premier’s feet – I’m not sure the Liberals could win this under any circumstances.
I have gone canvassing in St. Paul’s and the voters are angry. The HST, government waste and arrogance seem to be the key drivers of anger with the Premier. Eric Hoskins’ name recognition is weak and voters seem fairly neutral on the merits of his candidacy.
Liberals will say, ‘But Eric Hoskins is a really good guy’. That isn’t a point I will argue, but politically speaking he is proving to be a coward. No one deserves to be represented by a coward. Who seeks to be a voice for a community hides from a debate? What Liberal panders to a large ethic community by promising to support religious funding for private religious schools – especially after McGuinty’s handling and voters response to that issue in the last election? We all know that isn’t a position that is going to change simply because Hoskins thinks voters are stupid enough to believe his election will change the ridicule the Premier put that idea and its supporters through during the 2007 campaign. It goes deeper – this is the second time Eric Hoskins as sought office this year, and neither time has been in his community. What does Eric Hoskins have against local representation? A community needs a strong, local voice. One that is prepared to stand up and go to bat for the residents. No one cares about the anti-democratic mechanisms and fear tactics party leaders call ‘caucus solidarity’ – they want a voice for them. As Rick Johnson said in the last By-election Ontario saw ‘local matters’.
When a government is failing it’s people, it should be replaced. There is no doubt Premier McGuinty has failed beyond belief in his second term. Voters in St. Paul’s have an early opportunity to tell the Premier enough is enough and this is one former Ontario Liberal hoping they do just that this Thursday. I know members of Save the Toronto Bluffs – an organization close to my heart will be out speaking with voters between now and then about the importance of a local voice, and the Liberal party’s refusal to allow any communities to have one.
While I do not hold a membership in any provincial political party, I frankly hope Sue-Ann Levy cleans the Liberal’s clock in this fight, and will be doing my part to ensure that Toronto has at least one MPP in advance of the next election who has the courage to stand up and defend the interests of real people against the abuses of this government.
9 Comments »Save The Toronto Bluffs Demand a Voice for Toronto at Queen’s Park – Endorse Sue Ann Levy
Below is a press release issued by Save the Toronto Bluffs after a discussion of next steps this weekend. It is important to note that 90% of members of the Save the Toronto Bluffs steering committee, myself included, do not hold any provincial party membership. This isn’t about being partisan, this is about being represented. Sadly, we’ve seen how badly Liberal MPPs fail to represent communities when it is a choice between party line and community consensus. When elected officials fail to do their jobs and represent their communities, they get replaced.
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs will actively participate in Sue-Ann Levy’s election as MPP in St. Paul’s in hopes of sending the Ontario Liberals a message, and finding a voice at Queen’s Park that will stand up for the City, where the Ontario Liberal’s Toronto caucus has so badly failed.
I anticipate criticism from Ontario Liberals for this move, but my response is simple – we were participating in a bureaucratic process for months before the Premier and Minister Smitherman decided to come to the public aid of a law breaking, irresponsible developer (Toronto Hydro Energy Services). The Premier and Deputy Premier chose on their own to attack residents, resorting to name calling and distorting our arguments and we’ve stood up and will continue to, until they are defeated or back down. Considering John Gerretsen personally signed off on Toronto Hydro’s illegal application, it’s clear the Ontario Liberals still aren’t listening, so residents will once again turn up the heat and continue to, until Scarborough’s waterfront MPPs find their spines, stand up for residents, or are defeated.
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs frustrated at the lack of representation Toronto’s timid Ontario Liberal MPPs have provided, are calling on St. Pauls voters to heed their warning and elect someone who will stand up for their community and our City at Queen’s Park.
‘We’ve seen first hand how poorly Liberal MPPs respond to community concerns that don’t line up with the ‘party line’. Toronto doesn’t need an 18th Liberal MPP who won’t stand up for their constituents or our City. Said John Laforet. ‘Sue-Ann Levy has a proven track record of being outspoken, and her election can only help Torontonian’s voices to be heard at Queen’s Park.’ Laforet continued.
On August 11th, members of Save the Toronto Bluffs staged a protest of Premier McGuinty’s visit first visit to Scarborough since he and Minister Smitherman attacked Scarborough Bluffs residents for opposing Toronto Hydro’s Lake Ontario wind proposal. Last week, the government, ignoring all community concerns, accepted Toronto Hydro’s application.
‘Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs have tried for a year to convince the Provincial government a project like this does not belong in our drinking water, so close to a sensitive natural shoreline and especially without an environmental assessment.’ Said Barry Matthews, Vice President of Save the Toronto Bluffs, a group representing thousands of Scarborough residents who oppose Toronto Hydro Energy Services proposal to install a wind farm 2km off the Scarborough Bluffs. ‘Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, have been met with indifference from local MPPs and have seen members of Cabinet resort to name-calling while passing legislation specifically intended to deny residents a voice.’ Matthews continued.
The Progressive Conservative Party is the only party that stood up for Scarborough Residents during the debate on the Green Energy Act, a law that stripped environmental assessments, community participation and city planning legislation from renewable energy projects.
Save the Toronto Bluffs is endorsing Sue-Ann Levy in hopes of sending a clear message to Dalton McGuinty ‘listen, or be defeated.’
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs are planning to go canvassing in support of Sue-Ann Levy in hopes that an upset win for her could see all Torontonians with a voice a Queen’s Park.
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