Ontario

Wednesday February 15, 2005

Wednesday February 15, 2005By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 15, 2005

Jealous Eye

Prime Minister Paul Martin appeared to take an oblique swipe at Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty on Monday when he said “all great Ontario governments” have understood the need to help less-prosperous regions of the country. Martin was responding to criticism from McGuinty about an offshore royalties deal signed Monday between Ottawa and the governments of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

McGuinty complained last week of a $23-billion gap between what Ontario contributes to federal coffers and how much it receives in return.

But Martin, who travelled to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia for the official signing of the offshore deals, said federal transfers to Ontario have increased almost 40 per cent in the last five or six years.

And he pointed out that Ontario will receive $2 billion this year and next in increased health transfers – or roughly 40 per cent of the total payout.

“This country is held together by the recognition that we are one nation,” the prime minister told reporters after the signing ceremony in Halifax. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Wednesday October 2, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 2, 2004

McGuinty’s Taxing First Year

A year ago Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty solemnly pledged to Ontarians in prime-time TV election ads that he would make Ontario a better place without raising taxes.

A year later, Ontarians who voted for the “choose change” motto and believed the party would follow through on its election commitments face a harsh and opposite reality.

Instead, over the next four years Ontarians will be paying $9 billion more in taxes thanks to a hefty health premium that now-Premier McGuinty continues to insist he had to implement because a huge deficit left him with no choice.

“You bet that put a crimp in our plans,” McGuinty said, still blaming the derailing of the rookie government’s plans on the multibillion-dollar deficit left behind by the previous Conservative government.

“We made a very difficult decision, not a popular decision,” McGuinty acknowledged in an interview as the Liberal government arrives at the first anniversary of its election today.

“It wasn’t the kind of thing designed to boost our political popularity,” he said with a smile of resignation after facing months of relentless criticism for breaking his marquee election promise. “It was designed to get more money so we could invest and improve the quality of our health-care system for Ontarians,” he explained.

“I’m proud to report we’re making some real, measurable progress.” (CP)

 

Friday June 11, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday June 11, 2004 Dalton's Approval Rating A poll released this week by SES Research shows that the provincial Liberals have dropped precipitously and are now in second place, with the support of 34 per cent of decided voters - down 15 points from the previous poll - compared with 41 per cent for the Conservatives. (Some 500 randomly chosen Ontarians were surveyed May 29 and 30 for this poll. A sample of this size is accurate within 4.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.) Even worse news in the poll for the provincial Liberals is what it says about McGuinty. He has slipped below lame-duck Conservative Leader Ernie Eves, for goodness' sake, as the voters' top choice for the job of premier. Indeed, McGuinty is running behind even "don't know" in this category, although he is still ahead of NDP Leader Howard Hampton. And only 9 per cent of voters rate McGuinty's performance to date as "good" or "very good" compared with 54 per cent who think it has been "poor" or "very poor.Ó This 9 per cent figure has been misrepresented by other media and by the opposition parties as an "approval rating, " which would represent a historic low for a politician in Canada. (Brian Mulroney's approval rating as prime minister once dropped to just 12 per cent.) But voters were not asked by SES Research whether they "approved" or "disapproved" of McGuinty's performance. Rather, the question posed was: "Based on his performance to date, would you describe the job he has done as very good, good, average, poor or very poor?" Some 32 per cent rated it as "average." It is a big stretch to interpret their answer as "disapproval." Still, the numbers for McGuinty in the SES Research poll are bad enough. (Source: Toronto Star) Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, poll, support, popularity, Liberal, pollster

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 11, 2004

Dalton’s Approval Rating

A poll released this week by SES Research shows that the provincial Liberals have dropped precipitously and are now in second place, with the support of 34 per cent of decided voters – down 15 points from the previous poll – compared with 41 per cent for the Conservatives.

(Some 500 randomly chosen Ontarians were surveyed May 29 and 30 for this poll. A sample of this size is accurate within 4.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)

Even worse news in the poll for the provincial Liberals is what it says about McGuinty.

He has slipped below lame-duck Conservative Leader Ernie Eves, for goodness’ sake, as the voters’ top choice for the job of premier. Indeed, McGuinty is running behind even “don’t know” in this category, although he is still ahead of NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

And only 9 per cent of voters rate McGuinty’s performance to date as “good” or “very good” compared with 54 per cent who think it has been “poor” or “very poor.”

This 9 per cent figure has been misrepresented by other media and by the opposition parties as an “approval rating, ” which would represent a historic low for a politician in Canada. (Brian Mulroney’s approval rating as prime minister once dropped to just 12 per cent.)

But voters were not asked by SES Research whether they “approved” or “disapproved” of McGuinty’s performance. Rather, the question posed was: “Based on his performance to date, would you describe the job he has done as very good, good, average, poor or very poor?” Some 32 per cent rated it as “average.” It is a big stretch to interpret their answer as “disapproval.”

Still, the numbers for McGuinty in the SES Research poll are bad enough. (Source: Toronto Star)

 

Tuesday May 18, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday May 18, 2004

Budget Day

Taxpayers are likely to be paying more after Finance Minister Greg Sorbara unveils the Ontario Liberals’ first budget this afternoon. And they can thank a deficit the Liberals say has grown to as much as $8 billion. 

Sorbara will read his budget speech in the Legislature to an attentive audience of groups advocating for more public funding and critics demanding that he hold the line on taxes. Watching from the sidelines is a general public that voted for both those policies in last October’s provincial election.

The Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty are expected to move to deliver on a promise to improve public services. And they are expected to reveal the final amount of the deficit they inherited from the former Conservative government as well as what the books will look like for their first fiscal year in office.

Former provincial auditor Erik Peters pegged the shortfall from last year (fiscal 2003-04) at $5.6 billion, although the Liberals have said that when hospital and children’s aid societies’ debt is included, the real deficit for last year is closer to $8 billion. The total provincial budget will exceed $71 billion. (Source: CBC)

 

Monday May 17, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday May 17, 2004

Passing the torch

October 3, 2002

Sheila Copps is joining the list of MPS who won’t be running in the next Federal Election. 

The former Heritage Minister held back tears on Friday as she told the House of Commons she won’t re-offer. 

But the Hamilton Liberal MP says it’s not a final good-bye, suggesting she could make a comeback. 

“I turn the page today at peace…at peace that we have built a stronger Canada,” Copps told the House of Commons on what was likely its final day of sitting before an election call expected next week. 

“Today I’d like to say goodbye, but not adieu,” she said in French. 

There had been speculation Copps would consider running as an independent after being pushed out of her Hamilton east seat in a bitter nomination battle. 

Other MPS not running again include Art Eggleton, Joe Clark, Elsie Wayne and Herb Dhaliwal. (CP)