Tax Revolt Brewing In Ontario: Liberals Wiped out?

One down, one more to go?

Toronto, Ontario taxpayers will be informed through television, newspapers of the compensation levels in staffing from Toronto City Hall, and our Ontario Provincial Government over the next few days. Any idea how that will play with the Federal and NDP politicians promises to spend billions more on adding more public servants?

HST yes, no, yes. Thanks!

The Liberals decision to lift the NDP policy of attacking large corporations as rich or evil is going to alienate many fiscal-blue Liberals. Dion in his coalition accord in 2008 forced Layton to concede to his platform for a lower corporate tax climate to spur the economy. Ignatieff has tacked farther left than Dion in an attempt to supress the NDP vote in 2011. I think it is another tactical mistake to peel off the NDP base when your trust and leadership numbers are much lower.

There’s also global competition at play. Companies make decisions on where to invest, based on many factors. Even after the Jan 1 business tax cut, the combined federal and provincial rate is still above the OECD average, but below the G-7.  Canada won’t “fall off a cliff,” but it clearly sends the wrong message to companies and the rest of the world, argued Ian Lee, MBA director at Carleton University’s business school.-Liberal math does not add up

Mayor Rob Ford has been handed a new gift this week.

When the sun shone on the list of the top City of Toronto bureaucrats who raked in more than $100,000 last year, not surprisingly, an extra 65 employees were added in 2010.Toronto had 2,136 employees on the 100K club, up from 2,071 the previous year. The combined salaries of the more than 2,100 employees total more than $250 million. -City's 100K club grows to 2,136. Ontario fares worse! Will taxpayers be going to polls looking to punish the Liberals and the NDP who advocate in not cutting or reducing government?

The big earners on Sunshine List
• $1,325,119 — Ontario Power Generation president/CEO Tom Mitchell.
• $1,041,881 — University of Waterloo president/CEO David Johnston.
• $953,844 — Hydro One president/CEO Laura Formusa.
• $732,615 (plus $100,934 in taxable benefits) — St. Joseph’s Hospital in London president/CEO Clifford Nordal.
• $453,164 — Ontario Realty Corp. president/CEO David Glass.
• $431,403 — LCBO CEO Robert Peter.

Ontario set punish the Liberals

The following seat projection is based upon a weighted blending of polls from Nanos, Harris-Decima, Abacus and Forum Research that were drawn from March 24-29. The overall sample was approximately 6000. While the national total of seats allocated drops the Conservatives down below the magic number of 155, the real story of the past seven weeks is how stable public opinion and the polls have actually been. Throughout the last five LISPOP projections during this period, the Conservative number has varied only between 150 and 157 seats, and it is now in the middle of that range.  By contrast, Ontario with a large number of swing seats hardly changed at all with the Conservatives maintaining a 10% lead over the Liberals.- LISPOP

King’s success has been ascribed by his critics to his uncanny talent for blurring political issues so as to maintain support among such ideologically opposed groups as farmers in the West, who demanded free trade, and manufacturers in central Canada, who demanded tariff protection. His genius for obfuscation was epitomized by his vacuous but successful 1935 campaign slogan, “King or Chaos.”  -Stephen Clarkson, THE BIG RED MACHINE How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics

The Liberal party has not come to understand how they come to hold seventy seven seats in 2011. They like to believe the leader was at fault and Canadians were duped with some bad press coverage. Much like the hype around the impact of social media on the political discussion on Twitter is still taking place within an echo chamber. Canadians will cast a their ballot in the fourth contest in seven years. It is very likely at least three opposition leaders will be retiring after the results are digested on May 2, 2011.

What do you think?

Liberals Faltering before Writ?

Ruby, Michael, Judy, Maria casting for anti-perspirant ad?

Brampton-Springdale MP Liberal Ruby Dhalla’s campaign suffered a major setback yesterday when several of her core team members crossed the floor to join Conservative candidate Parm Gill’s growing camp of dedicated and loyal supporters - More bad news on Liberal campaign

Take a careful read on how the author of this piece describes the public service ads on the opposition parties. I challenge a reader to find the use of "left wing" or European socialist in his earlier work describing the NDP or Liberals. I just included a small paragraph about the weakness with the Liberal party.

“These ads are part of the public negotiation process for the next budget, and they basically say to the opposition parties ‘we are prepared to have an election, we are election ready and election able,’” says Mr. Nanos “The other thing the ads do, and I think this is critical, is they are a test for the Liberals. They’re testing the mettle of Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals,” he said. “If the Liberals mishandle their response, or it’s seen as being weak or there’s a problem, it might actually escalate into an election because the Conservatives will sense opportunity. They’ll smell blood.” -Hill Times

 What do you think?

Update

Ruby tweeted this

this followed:

Okay is someone having fun with a printer or is someone unclear about the management or former management team?
h/t Michael Harkov

Candidates exiting Liberal Party

In Halton with Liberal candidate Deborah Gillis. July 30, 2010

...take one step forward, two steps back. Liberals losses continue in advance of a potential election.

Toronto businesswoman Deborah Gillis has resigned as the candidate after accepting a promotion at the nonprofit organization Catalyst Canada, which promotes the advancement of women in business.Ignatieff has been active trying to find candidates that would be able regain seats. Ignatieff is hoping to restore the Liberal brand as a national credible alternative.-The Spec

It was interesting to see Liberal candidate Nancy Charest gain some publicity. The problem was her latest impression is compliments of the Conservative attack public service ads questioning the leadership of Michael Ignatieff. Awkward!

Language plays an important role in indentifying Liberal friendly reporters.

Does anyone else notice when Canadian Liberal media cheerleaders describe messaging from the Conservatives they use the terms "American style" in a derogatory manner? It can be used frequently in an article next to describing the Conservatives as right wing. How often are Liberals described as left wing or European socialists?

The good news is Carolyn Parrish is currently available to return as a Federal candidate for the Liberal party. The advice I would give to Michael is keep her away from the CBC comedy shows and discussing our neighbours in the south. Ask Paul Martin for details.

Leadership is something missing in the Liberal party. It has been missing for years.

Maurizio Bevilacqua abandoning Federal Liberals today?

Pundits Guide Liberal Fortunes Vaughan

Is Maurizio Bevilacqua abandoning the Federal Liberal Party today for an run at Mayor in Vaughan?
Maurizio Bevilacqua won his last election, in 2008, with 49.18% of the vote.Browse his statements in the House of Commons.
If you look at the chart the Liberal margin of victory has been declining steadily since 2000 when the Liberals secured the last majority compliments of Ontario voters.
Some Liberals and Democrats are worried about his attendance on killing the Gun Registry this Fall.
Sabotage or hi-jinks within Liberal ranks may have sped up his decision to abandon the Federal Liberals.

Could it be the realization that the Federal Liberals have little chance of forming the next Federal Government and another four years in opposition was to hard to sustain?Was Mario one of the Liberals who was loyal to Ignatieff and not interested in the coalition in November 2008?

Mr. Bevilacqua suggested a number of amendments to the bill to address Liberal concerns, particularly over the designation of “safe” countries that would have a truncated appeals process, on the basis that those claims would likely be less legitimate. The Liberal MP suggested a system that would remove ministerial discretion over safe country designation, in favour of one where an advisory panel of experts had the final say. Mr. Kenney accepted this and other amendments, saying he didn’t mind if the opposition claimed victory, as long as the bill was passed.

The Liberals now seem to be having second thoughts and are considering fresh amendments that would likely be unacceptable to the Conservatives.

Senior Liberals say Mr. Kenney blew things apart by claiming there was a deal when there was no deal, only discussions. But the real reason is there was a backlash in Liberal caucus, led by committee members Denis Coderre and Jim Karygiannis, against amendments that had Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s blessing.

Bill C-11, An Act to Amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Federal Courts Act (short title: Balanced Refugee Reform Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 30 March 2010 by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Jason Kenney. The bill makes a number of changes to Canada’s in-land refugee determination system. Some of the more significant changes include: the provision that the first-level refugee determination decision-maker is a public servant and is no longer appointed by the Governor in Council; the implementation of a refugee appeal division for some claimants; changes to humanitarian and compassionate provisions; and limited access to Pre-Removal Risk Assessments and Temporary Resident Permits. The bill also increases the number of Federal Court judges.
The Liberals are now taking credit for a deal that is, in many ways, more generous to claimants than the one their caucus walked away from last week. A Liberal press release implies that their eleventh hour pivot resulted in more government concessions, but that would be disingenuous. It was the intervention of other parties, not Liberal action, that brought about a deal.

Bill C 11 has Royal Assent on June 29, 2010.
Is it possible more Liberals are getting tired of the in-fighting, bad day at the office excuses?

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