Crybaby federalism

Belatedly, perhaps, it's time to welcome Maclean's columnist Paul Wells back to Ottawa and send all readers here clicking to his excellent blog post today on the Ontario-Ottawa feud.

It's called "Crybaby federalism," if that gives you a hint of the tone. Wells has been away for most of the past year on assignment in Paris. Now he's returned to find the national capital more childishly bullying than it was before he left -- or at least that's how I read this latest entry.

He also urges readers to check out the Conservative website to see just how low a party can go in picking a fight with Canada's largest province.

I don't think I can ever remember a government poking ridicule at a provincial premier, as a matter of official communication strategy. And I am at a similar loss to suggest why anyone would think this is a good idea -- politically, or on any plane.

In fact, I keep wondering -- all those Tim Hortons folk out there, the hockey moms and dads, the supposed target audience for all this negative campaigning by the Tories  -- wouldn't they send their kids to bed without dinner if they made of fun of people the way the Conservatives are doing with Dion and McGuinty?

Comments

[Regg]

By no means am I a fan of Harper, however I will state that McGuinty quite frankly is a less then stellar premier who equally snipes at the Federal government.

A factual note - The majority of Ontarians did not vote for McGuinty in the last provincial election. In fact an overwhelming 57.9% of voters voted for anyone but the Liberals! Hardly a resounding endorsement is it?

As for job growth, which was mostly in retail and construction certainly isn't what we should be building our economy on for the long term. There are to many variables which can can easily and quickly change the economic outlook of this province. (interest rates, US downturn, Asia, cost of goods etc) Also if people are losing jobs in other sectors, this
will eventually affect the construction and retail industry. Another disturbing indicator that offsets those 2 sectors is the amount of debt that Ontarians are carrying.

And speaking of budgets - if anyone thinks today's budget was a good thing for Ontario, wow are we in trouble!

[Blues Clair]

I agree Susan Delacourt. It was a great post by Monsieur Wells and it is good to have him back in Ottawa.

[Not-a-Harper-supporter]

Are you suggesting there is actually a bottom to how low Harper will go? I don't think so! This is the government which sends out MP mailings asking Canadians to check a box indicating whether they want higher taxes and more debt (pic of Dion) or whether they want lower taxes and no debt (pic of Harper), and then mail the form back to Ottawa at taxpayers expense (because the government needs to know right away). Really....there can't possibly be a floor to how low Harper will go.

Yes, the CPC website attacking Dion and McGunity on the Ontario budget was really low...but, unfortunately, more or less what one would expect from Harper. The CPC website is just putting out the visuals on the very public verbal attack on Ontario from our Conservative ministers.

[Carl]

Flaherty and Harper are not stupid, they know Ontario/Toronto bashing plays well for the rest of the country and it is a way to shift Ontario’s economic problems to the McGuinty camp. The fact remains there is not much McGuinty can do to help Ontario’s economy. We are being held down by an unfair equalization program where we pay for other province’s low taxes and better services, by a high Canadian dollar which makes us less competitive, by a slowing American economy to where a lot of our exports go to, by high commodity costs (for the benefit of the West) and by a shift in the world economy where more of our manufacturing is heading to Asia. These are parameters beyond Ontario’s control. The only thing that is somewhat in our control is the unfair amount of money leaving Ontario to subsidize other province’s competitiveness. Albertans shouldn’t be gloating, if Ontario becomes a have not province then somebody is going to have to pick up the slack, and I am guessing it will be the provinces sitting on black goo selling for $100 a barrel who will take Ontario’s place as the cash cows of federation. Wake up people, what do you expect will happen to an economy which has a heavy burden like Ontario’s where we contribute 40% of the equalization program but only get 25% of it back, where we are the ones who pay the most into E.I. but get the least amount of benefits from it, where we have over 20 billion dollars in taxes leaving our province never to come back, where we will be getting less federal representation under bill C-22? We do not stand a chance. Dion is right; if Quebec were treated the way we are they would have left Canada a long time ago. The only thing Ontario can do is to become a value added economy like Germany’s where high valued quality products are designed and built. I am sorry, but an auto-industry dependant on the antiquated combustion engine does not qualify. Ontario needs more spending on R&D, in universities and colleges and tax incentives to the right industries. A break from being milked by the rest of the country would help, but don’t count on that.

[jim]

hello??? a majority of CANADIANS did not vote for mr. harper and the "conservatives"!!

hardly a ringing endorsement, is it???

and by the way, it would seem they had very good reasons for voting for "anyone but".

jim rawling

[Ryan]

I'm not sure why this is getting such universally bad press. I would love it if any premier who tried to tell the federal government how its budget is to be written was similarly accused of "attacking Canada" etc. But for premiers, it's considered part of the job description.
I'm a Conservative who thinks this whole situation is unseemly and would rather see Jim Flaherty drop it, but let's not forget that it's common practice in Canada when it goes the other way. In a way, it's actually refreshing that Flaherty doesn't want the money sent to him!

[S. McCabe-Gittens]

I just wish the politicians that are sent to Ottawa to represent their constituents would act like those worthy enough to be there. The nastiness of Mr. Harper and his ground crew are fostering a feeling of nastiness right across the country. Is it my imagination or are people much less polite than they used to be? I am afraid I could not vote for anyone who displays such behaviour.

[Rich M,]

The one thing missing from the whole Harper/ Flaherty/ Mcguinty controversy is the truth. The Ontario government, no matter which party is in power, has little control over these types of job losses. It is a lie to claim this. If it were true, how do the Harper attack dogs explain the loss in Ohio and Pennsylvania of nearly 20% of their industrial jobs over the last 10 years?
This is American style dumbing down of the political dialogue and an insult to all Canadians. Rich M.