In the afterglow of the unofficial beginning of summer the race for Queens Park is beginning to heat up. Today, Nanos released a poll showing that a majority of Ontarians would vote for the Ontario PC party if an election was held today. The Ontario PCs have the trust of over 41% with a Liberals trailing at a stagnant 34% .
The underlying story of these numbers is a notable improvement of the provincial NDP they are perhaps basking in a bit of a orange glow after Jack Layton’s big win earlier this month. Moreover pocket book issues are still front and center for most Ontarians this is all good news for the Ontario PC Party, who have their last AGM before the elections scheduled for later this week .
Furthermore, the Ontario Liberals are beginning to expose a soft underbelly of support in Toronto. On Monday the conservative incursion into Toronto was complete with a 17 vote, recount win in the traditionally red riding of Etobicoke-Centre. it seems that Toronto could be primed for the Ontario PC message this fall. In short, good news for conservatives all around, however the Liberals have a lot of catching up to do.
The Liberal’s Financial Woes
From Yahoo! News
In February, Steve Janke of the National Post, wrote an editorial warning the Liberals not to force an election because of their finances.
“Between September 12, 2008 and November 4, 2008, the Liberal party took out 34 loans from banks in Canada, for a total of $11,280,000,” he wrote.
“It is clear that loans provide the immediate cash needed by a party to run a campaign, borrowed on the promise that in the aftermath of a campaign, public subsidies and individual donations will be used to repay the loan.”
The Liberal party’s financial troubles don’t stop there. The Hill Times reports most of the 2006 Liberal leadership candidates are still in debt: Gerard Kennedy owes $164,000, Ken Dryden owes $215,000, Joe Volpe owes $73,000 and Martha Hall Findlay still owes $125,000.
Kelly McParland summarizes the Liberal financial woes in his column in the National Post.
“If I was the Liberal party, I’d declare bankruptcy, hand in my credit cards, wait two years and then re-launch as the New Liberal Party, or the Liberal Democratic Party, or better still, the Memories of Pearson Party.
With 34 seats, party infighting, no leader and financial troubles, Stephen Harper’s plan might just be coming to fruition.
Far from being politically calculating, Its always been a key principle of conservatives to eliminate the public subsidy of political parties. In addition Canadians of all political stripes should not be forced to contribute to causes that they simply don’t support. As for the liberals they will have to find some way to adapt and survive in the new political reality without the benefit of the public purse. Or wither on the vine there is no other option.
The GTA Giant Killer
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| Bernard Trottier |
Learn more about the man who beat ignatieff Bernard Trottier and what he plans to do as the new MP from Etobicoke Lakeshore. [Read This]
NDP # Hashtag Fail
This is a satirical website that explores some of the more interesting characters or I mean candidates for the NDP in Québec. It looks like background checks weren’t a high priority for Jack and his team. [Read this]
srsly jack? where did you find these people? They’re not serious candidates. And apparently they can’t even pretend to take their possible jobs seriously enough to clean up their Facebook profiles. NDP candidate #fail.
Another Newspaper Endorses the Conservatives
The Tories continue to rack up endorsements from major media outlets. I would classify this as a tepid endorsement but a endorsement nonetheless. As well check out the series of endorsements compiled by Dr. Roy.
From The Record.com
The party best situated to do this is the Conservatives. They have ushered us though a bleak recession. They helped Ontario and British Columbia introduce a harmonized sales tax, which most economists agree is beneficial. The Conservatives efficiently and effectively implemented a stimulus program, even though they were prodded by the opposition to do this. And they have a credible plan for ending deficit spending and making key social programs sustainable.
Our economy is performing better than most other G8 nations, for which the Conservatives deserve some credit. Their corporate tax cuts — already approved by Parliament — are one measure that could potentially boost investment and job growth in this country and it is noteworthy that the Ontario Liberals are also cutting corporate tax rates.
But Canadians have to create a new Parliament with the political parties and parts they have been given. When we weigh all the options, we conclude that despite their abundant flaws, the Conservatives, with their experience and vision, would be best for this country.