Category: Ontario Politics

The wonky math in Tim Hudak's new "I Want To Work" ad

This is the latest ad from the Ontario PC Party, which has built its campaign around what it calls its “Million Jobs Plan”. In short, Hudak believes that if Ontarians can leave the PCs in charge in government for the next eight years, the province will end up with 1 million more net new jobs. Western University economist Mike Moffatt has put that promise in context and, in his judgement, believes that that is an “ambitious — but not impossible — target.”

But in this new ad, Hudak is not talking about the million jobs he will create in 8 years. In this ad, he is standing in the legislature at Queen’s Park and and says: “There are 1 million people out of work.” Now I’m assuming that, as this is being released in the midst of an Ontario general election and he made that comment in the Ontario legislature, we ought to interpret what he said as there are 1 million Ontarians out of work. But that’s just not true. Continue reading The wonky math in Tim Hudak's new "I Want To Work" ad

Ontario campaign ad wars: Mike Harris versus Barack Obama vs "The Kid"

In this new ad released Saturday, the Ontario Liberals try to scare the bejesus out of any soft leftie who might be thinking of voting for Andrea Horwath that Kathleen Wynne is the only who can save us from Mike Harris, er, Tim Hudak!

Meanwhile, Continue reading Ontario campaign ad wars: Mike Harris versus Barack Obama vs "The Kid"

In new ad, Kathleen Wynne asks: Is Andrea Horwath for real?

Here’s the latest ad to hit the Ontario election campaign trail. It’s from the Liberals and that’s the voice of Liberal leader and premier Kathleen Wynne jumping on Andrea Horwath for failing to support the Liberal budget.

If you haven’t yet seen it, Continue reading In new ad, Kathleen Wynne asks: Is Andrea Horwath for real?

Ontario election set for June 12. Take our poll!

 

Kathleen Wynne visits L-G
TORONTO – Premier Kathleen Wynne arrives at Queens Park to meet with David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario after the NDP’s decision not to support the budget. Losing the budget vote would force an election but Wynne didn’t wait for the vote and got Onley to dissovle the legislature. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)

This morning, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she’d vote against the just-tabled budget of the minority Liberal government at Queen’s Park. That, of course, would precipitate an election.

Well, Premier Kathleen Wynne didn’t even wait for the vote and visited the Lieutenant Governor this afternoon to have the election called. It’ll be a long campaign – nearly 7 weeks — but Ontarions will get to choose their next premier on June 12. Continue reading Ontario election set for June 12. Take our poll!

The "budget leaking plan" of the Ontario Liberals

Budget Rollout Calendar 2014-04-01


The document above, obtained by the Ontario Progressive Conservatives and provided to the media on April 1, 2014, is an alleged Ontario Ministry of Finance document.
The PCs claim:

“The Budget Leaking Team’s “Pre-Doc Communications Rollout” plan is 11-pages long covering 39 announcements over 27 days leading up to the Thursday, May 1, 2014 budget date.
•There is $5.7 billion in explicit new spending. This will widen the hole that already exists in the Liberals’ deficit projections.”

Canadian Cincinnatus: Oh noooo: John Tory is thinking abour running for mayor

If John Tory (and his backers) want to challenge for the mayor’s chair in Toronto, it’s arguments like this they need to overcome …

In many ways, John Tory is the mirror image of Rob Ford. Tory is sober, industrious, and conscientious, with a presidential bearing who is completely incompetent. Until Tory arrived on the scene, I had always believed Joe Clarke to be the most useless politician to ever exist – of any party, any level of government or even any country. But John Tory’s bungling reign as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party dethroned Clarke as the most useless political leader ever.

via Canadian Cincinnatus: Oh noooo: John Tory is thinking abour running for mayor.

Dear Andrea: Why won't you get in Kathleen's grill? Signed, your friend, Tim.

KDN_NORTHERNLEADERSDEBATE_23-09-2011T182237
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Northern Ontario Municipal Association p president Ron Nelson, and Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak at a debate in Thunder Bay, ON on Sept. 23, 2011 (IAN THOMPSON/SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY)

Open letter from Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak to Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath:

October 27, 2013

Andrea Horwath, MPP
NDP Leader
Room 113, Main Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A2

Dear Ms. Horwath,
I write to you today in hopes that you will agree that it is time to put Ontario on the right track and restore Ontario’s faith in their elected leaders. I concluded some time ago that, given the Liberals’ pattern of self-interest-only decisions, we need to change the team that leads this province.

I remain somewhat astounded, though, that you and your party don’t grasp that continuing to prop up the Wynne government by being at its beck and call is doing Ontario no favours.

Continue reading Dear Andrea: Why won't you get in Kathleen's grill? Signed, your friend, Tim.

In Ontario, do Horwath's NDP have the this fall's spring in their step?

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne seems to be threatening an election — threatening, in fact, to do what Prime Minister Stephen Harper did in 2008 and break a fixed-date election law — which could see Ontario voters having to choose between Wynne, PC Leader Tim Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in a fall vote.

Pollster Abacus Data was in the field recently and found that the three parties are basically tied with around 30% support of committed votes. But, as Abacus CEO David Coletto writes:

… the results suggest thatt the Ontario NDP and its leader Andrea Horwath have the greatest opportunity to expand its support since Horwath is the most popular provincial leader and its potential pool of support is equivalent to the Liberals 45% would consider voting NDP and Liberal and higher than the PC Party 42% would consider voting PC.

Find the polling data and methodology here:  Ontario Politics: Tories lead by 3; Ontario Liberals and NDP tied at 30% | Abacus Insider.

We’ll have more on this tonight on my television program Battleground on Sun News Network at 6 PM ET and 8 PM Pacific with Abacus CEO David Coletto and Sun Media National Affairs Columnist Anthony Furey.

And don’t forget to read my colleague Antonella Artuso’s take on this latest poll.

Biggest winner in Ontario politics this summer? Andrea Horwath. Biggest loser? Tim Hudak

Andrea Horwath and the Ontario are going to finish the summer with a caucus that has grown by 2 MPPs and with some decent political momentum. Horwath was on my program Battleground on Sun News Network Monday night and I asked her for her interpretations of the summer’s byelections and about her political objectives for the fall:

Continue reading Biggest winner in Ontario politics this summer? Andrea Horwath. Biggest loser? Tim Hudak

Ontario premier accused of "cheating" to win byelections

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will call five byelections Wednesday — the byelection are in ridings that had all been held by McGuinty cabinet members (including McGuinty himself) — sending voters to the ballot box on the Thursday before the August long weekend. Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod, on Battleground earlier tonight on Sun News Network, says the choice of that date — and a campaign thru the month of July amounts to “cheating”.