The blame game

Premier Dalton McGuinty is blaming the federal Liberals for controversy swirling around top provincial aides misusing government computers for partisan purposes.

In the wake of revelations that his own senior staff used taxpayer-funded phones and email to conduct federal Liberal leadership business, McGuinty chided the national party for putting its contact information on a list.

"The federal Liberal party, without our approval or our consent, chose to put names on their website. That’s not something they should have done,” the premier said on Friday.

"I think it was a lapse on the part of somebody over at the federal Liberal party, somebody who was eager, maybe perhaps a little overzealous. .... Clearly, government emails and phone numbers should not form part of that list."

On Thursday, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory revealed five provincial officials who worked as deputy returning officers for the federal Liberals’ delegate selection meetings on Sept. 30 used their government email and phones for partisan purposes, contrary to previous directives

But Tory says McGuinty was "champion buck-passer" for trying to shift blame to the federal party. Two of the five Liberals in question work in the premier's office as issues managers.

Still, McGuinty’s relative contrition was in stark contrast to the combative tack his deputy premier, Health Minister George Smitherman, took when Tory first raised the matter in the Legislature.

The mercurial Smitherman revved up things so much with over-the-top defensive rhetoric that Chris Morley, the premier's press secretary, had to issue a damage-control statement later last Thursday.

Despite the Furious George routine, McGuinty said he has no plans to punish his deputy.

"I have every confidence in George Smitherman," the premier said.

Looking for Lady Luck

In Niagara Falls, a town now as well known for slot machines and blackjack as its famous cataracts, Premier Dalton McGuinty put on his casino pitchman's hat today.

<p>He encouraged more than 200 delegates to the Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario to sneak away from their convention to roll the dice.

<p>"Either you're going to hit it lucky - or my finance minister will."

<p>The remark drew hearty laughs but McGuinty wasn't just kidding.

<p>Bankers and economists are warning that Ontario's economic growth is slowing. And revenues from government-owned casinos are down, thanks in part to the higher Canadian dollar, strict new anti-smoking laws and perceptions that it's difficult to cross the border into Canada from the United States.

Introducing an Act to Reduce Bone-headed Political Stunts

We couldn't help noticing this little snippet in this morning's green-plan announcement from Environment Minister Rona Ambrose:

We will introduce air-pollution regulations for  big equipment used in construction, mining, forestry and agriculture. New regulations on outboards, SeaDoos, snowmobiles and ATVS.

Health Minister Homer Simpson?

Doh!

Health Minister and Deputy Premier George Smitherman thought he was being clever Wednesday when he issued the following press release around 1 p.m.:

Smitherman challenges Tory to stand up and be counted on Clean Water Act

TORONTO, Oct. 18 / Today at 2 pm Ontarians will witness the final vote on the Clean Water Act. But they won't be able to see where John Tory stands on clean water. He has chosen to hide in his office.

While Tory's public itinerary shows him in Toronto all day, he has been pulled from Question Period in order to avoid voting on the Clean Water Act.

"I challenge John Tory to come out from under his desk and tell Ontarians where he stands: is he in favour of protecting our drinking water or not," said Liberal MPP George Smitherman.

The Clean Water Act was a major recommendation of the Walkerton Inquiry and a measure that Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller says will protect drinking water without question. The Sierra Legal Defense Fund recently said that Ontario is leading the country on drinking water protection.

"Real leadership means standing up to be counted. Will John Tory stand with Ontarians in favour of clean water, or turn his back just like the Conservatives have done before?" said Smitherman.

Smitherman also noted the irony of Tory's disappearing act on Chicken Day at the Ontario Legislature.

To provide an answer to the Progressive Conservative Leader's whereabouts (and underscore that we have more than 11 long months until the Oct. 4, 2007 election and that Smitherman may not be as politically savvy as he obviously believes), the Tories released the following two hours later:

MCGUINTY LIBERALS WILL SAY ANYTHING TO GET ELECTED

Just like Parkdale-High Park by-election, McGuinty Liberals continue personal attacks

(Queen’s Park) – Health Minister George Smitherman today proved once again Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals will say anything to get elected but are accomplishing very little.

While George Smitherman sits in his Queen’s Park office today sending out press releases attacking John Tory, the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party is doing what the Health Minister should be doing. Tory is spending time with front line doctors and nurses at the Peel Memorial Hospital talking about the doctor shortage, rising wait lists in the Brampton Region and inadequate hospital funding.

You would think from all the time George Smitherman spends attacking John Tory he has the doctor shortage solved, the emergency room crisis fixed and every other challenge in the health care system sorted out.

Life after Langevin

Paul Martin is moving ahead with his efforts to help Africa, the world's poorest inhabited continent. The former prime minister will take a leading role in pursuing development strategies as co-chair of a high-level panel that will advise the African Development Bank Group, it was announced today.

Martin will co-chair the advisory panel of eminent personalities along with former Mozambique president Joachim Chissano. The panel includes well-known business, academic and political figures from from Africa, Europe and the United States.

The ADB, currently operating out of Tunis, is a financial development insitution which aims to fight poverty and improve the lives of Africans by promoting economic and social progress. It has 53 African member-countries and 24 non-African member-nations, including Canada and the United States.

Lest we forget they're politicians

The first poppy sighting of the year at Queen's Park happened today -- exactly one month from Remembrance Day.

Sporting the poppy on his lapel was Liberal MPP John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex) as he sat in Legislative committee hearings this morning.

It is not clear whether this is a new record for early poppy-sporting at the Park.

Traditionally, politicians -- like the rest of the public -- waited until after Halloween to begin wearing poppies as a show of respect for veterans.

Alas, in this more showy and demonstrative age, our elected officials tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves and their sympathies on their lapels for all to see.

Expect the poppies to spread like wildfire. By next week, the Legislative Assembly will resemble Flanders Fields.

The rest of us can wear our poppies with respect on Nov. 11.

Maybe this is why they call him Yak

Speaking of rants, Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke) went on one after reading in today's Star about the leadership ambitions of Health Minister George Smitherman, Colleges and Universities Minister Chris Bentley, Attorney General Michael Bryant, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan, Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello, and Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson.

"After three lost years and one to go, the knives are out for Premier McGuinty. His wannabe replacements are lining up already. It seems the Liberal caucus feels the same as Ontario voters: it’s time for a change," Yakabuski told the House this afternoon.

"Indeed, the Toronto Star reports that provincial Liberals have already started undermining their leader. They can feel the sliding momentum. They recognize their slip in public opinion. They know this could be his last year," he chortled.

"Let’s look at the top contenders. Could it be furious George, the animated health minister, who spends more time on late night press releases attacking John Tory than he does fixing the problems in our hospital ERs?

How about the member from London West — no, no, he’s not to going to win his own seat — you know, Green Lane? Better still, the visionary pit bull from St. Paul’s—please. Or how about a compassionate man, the eminently quotable energy minister who tells struggling Ontarians worried about hydro rates to wrap themselves up in a blanket and get some good red wine?" railed Yakabuski.

"Maybe they’ll pick a female leader. The public face of last month’s disastrous by-election in Parkdale–High Park, the minister of economic development is reportedly honing her French skills. Might I suggest public relations training? Or maybe the Tory floor crosser from Ottawa West–Nepean, but then again maybe he wants back in our house? And why not throw in the former transportation minister, although he’d want the leader’s office at Chalmers Group?" he said, referring to controversial Small Business Minister Harinder Takhar.

"It’s going to be a fun year. Keep your head up, Dalton."

That was then, this is politics

Liberal MPP Brad Duguid (Scarborough Centre) was such a huge supporter of John Tory's unsuccessful 2003 Toronto mayoral bid that he used to proudly sport a button reading: "Grits For Tory."

Fast-forward three years, and Tory is now Progressive Conservative Leader and, according to Duguid, someone Torontonians should avoid.

To wit, check out this rant in the Legislature today:

"I understand that the Leader of the Opposition has decided to run in the next provincial election in the riding of Don Valley West. The first question that comes to my mind is: 'Is he nuts?' Given his performance thus far as Leader of the Opposition, John Tory would have trouble getting elected anywhere but the safest Tory seats in Ontario, but given his party’s anti-Toronto positions on everything from public transit funding to fiscal assistance to this city, and his inexplicable opposition to the City of Toronto Act, the people of Don Valley West know full well that John Tory, once an advocate of Toronto, has been co-opted or influenced by his caucus to be anti-Toronto.

"After spending his time as Leader of the Opposition slagging our city and encouraging Tory members of his caucus to continue the Tory strategy of playing on the negative sentiments outside of the city against our city, John Tory thinks the people of Don Valley West are going to forgive and forget him.

"I have news for the Leader of the Opposition: They will not forget; they will not forgive him for that. They will remember that he was part of that government that brought down downloading on the city of Toronto, that damaged our community from one end to the other. But the biggest barrier Mr. Tory is going to have in getting elected in the riding of Don Valley West is none other than our own Kathleen Wynne.

I have more to say on this, but I’m running out of time. He’ll never do it—he will never do it. Thank you."

Er, yeah, whatever.