Dalton McGuinty …Dalton McGuinty

 

I know I promised never again to use his real name but …

Just this one time more … I promise.. for real.

Earlier this month, McGuinty took ‘full responsibility’ for the cancellation of the two power plants in Toronto which in turn saddled the taxpayers of Ontario with costs in the billions of dollars. ( In a previous Blog I explain how this large number was arrived at).

Anyway, what a great Ontarian …the buck stopped with him.

It got me thinking though – as a former political advisor myself …what would I have advised McGuinty to do in this circumstance.

Why I would have advised him to do exactly what he did.  

“I did it for the kids”, he said.  Especially for the asthmatics having to walk daily passed these belching monstrosities.

I’d have told him to do just that too.

Why you ask?

Because no one – other the Dolster himself, could prove otherwise. 

Never mind that his conversion came at the very last minute – just days before Voting Day and never mind that a dozen or more other gas plants were completed without even an afterthought about children’s welfare.

Indeed, we can all be most suspicious of his real intent – very, very, very suspicious that is – but in the final analysis, it comes down to what is rolling around in the former Premier’s head.

So as a political advisor caught up in an albeit sleazy business, I would have given McGuinty or any other politician who asked, the ammunition to come out and take ‘full responsibility’ while at the same time not take any ‘responsibility’ whatsoever.

But dear reader, I would hope the person I worked for was made of better stuff and rather than seek a contrived way out, he or she would take responsibility by stating the real reason for their decision and if applicable, apologize unreservedly.

In McGuinty’s case here is how I see it would play out:

My Fellow Ontarians, I have come here today to accept full responsibility for alone making the decision to shut down construction of the two gas power plants just days before Election Day.

We were fighting for our political lives and polling showed that the ridings in which these plants were situated were in danger of falling to the opposition.

Politics is a dirty business; it is not for the faint of heart.  As the Leader of my Party, it was my job to see us re-elected and that is why I made the decision I did.

I am sorry that the costs for the cancellation have  proved to be so high but in all honesty, had I to do it over again…I would.

We in the Liberal Party believe we are best placed to do what is in Ontario’s interest going forward and we cannot do the job from the opposition benches.

The initial reaction would no doubt be horror but once it sunk in, I believe the listener would grudgingly come to the conclusion that not only was the former Premier telling the truth like it is  … but he was describing accurately the way politics in Canada is conducted.

Indeed, there is not all that much difference in bribing voters with expensive election promises during an election compared with shutting down the two gas plants during that same vote.

They both end up costing you know who far to much.

For a concrete example let’s look back at the federal election between Kim Campbell and Jean Chretien.

Campbell came out for the need to purchase helicopters for our military.  If I remember correctly, the cost was some $50 million.

These copters were to replace the aging and very dangerous Sea Kings.

Chretien ridiculed Campbell saying they were too expensive and were not needed.

Chretien won and the cancellation of the contract cost millions.

Moreover, those dangerous and out of date Sea Kings continue to be in service to this very day.

Again I ask, what is the difference between an opposition leader like Chretien promising to scuttle a helicopter contract during the heat of an election and upon winning, doing just that and McGuinity’s promise to scuttle gas plants during the last election?

As I had McGuinty say, ‘politics is a dirty business … it is not for the feint of heart’.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

 

The Duffy et al.

 

Long time readers will know the low level esteem I have for our Senate and its contents.

Many times I have said that it is full of ‘hacks, flacks, and ne’er do wells’.

I was so discouraged with this bunch of rascals that I thought…quite innocently…that it could not slip further down my esteem scale.

It has though and our Mr. Mike Duffy deserves all the credit … I mean blame.

I will not bore you with the recent uproar with the Duffster claiming expenses for having to live away from his primary residence in PEI when all the while his primary residence has been here in Ottawa.

I will though remind you that barely a year has gone by when it came out that our esteemed senator was traipsing around Canada charging for his speeches.  Free speeches usually go with the honour of being a Senator…but not for the Duff.

But the main reason for my Blog this eve is to comment on his taking a payment from the PM’s Chief of Staff to pay for his ill gotten living expenses here in the nation’s capital…some $90k.

It may be small change for Nigel Wright … it is not though chump change for you or me and apparently it is not for Mike Duffy as well.

So where did Duff go wrong in the recent event?

First he took the money.  Money intended to recompense the taxpayer for being ripped off in the first place.

Second by taking such a payment from the PM’s head staffer, he broke several laws, and,

Third he lied that he did any of the above.

As he lied about his actual residence when all this first came out.

The guy has no credibility left …Zilch.

What to do?

Well Duffy needs to resign – like yesterday.

Given his character on display to date, this is not likely to be voluntary so the Senate needs to convene and boot the poor guy out before he does further damage to this aging, undemocratic and totally useless institution.

Sober second thought you say – maybe it will be with the LCBO strike set to launch.

And as for dear Nigel.

He too needs to go and again, if he does not see the merit in resigning himself …then Harper needs to do the deed by this weekend.

My guess is that they will both be gone soon but the longer either or both hang on … the more damage Harper and the Conservatives will sustain.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

1957 seems so long ago…

 

And in many respects it is, but it is even longer ago than one can imagine.

Take Pipelines for instance.

In 1957 the Liberal Government under Louis St. Laurent lost to the up and coming John George Diefenbaker of the Conservatives.  The issue was over a national pipeline to be built to provide gas to Ontario and Quebec from the West.

The issue was not though whether it was needed, indeed everyone agreed that it was and no one opposed its construction.

Rather, the issue was one of cost and American involvement in its construction.

How things have changed in 50 some years.

Now everyone who is anyone seems to be on the side of opposing pipeline construction: environmentalists on both sides of the border, indian bands wherever located, liberals generally and more recently, the two main parties engaged in the current BC Election (the Libs oppose oil pipelines / the NDP opposes all pipelines). 

Like many have said, if CPR applied today to build their railway across Canada – as it did successfully in the 1880s, it would be turned down for environmental reasons.

What nonsense.

Today, the main thing that Canada has going for it is Oil.  It is not coincidental that our only three have provinces can point to oil for their have status.

And it is no coincidence that the other 7 have-not provinces can point to the country’s oil revenues as the major source of their transfer payments from the feds. 

It takes a lot of nerve for these have-nots to, day in and day out, complain about dirty oil… it is like biting the hand that feeds it.  And it begs the question, if the oil is so dirty why don’t they see the money it generates in transfer payments as just as dirty?  Hypocrites the lot of them.

What to do.

Well I am glad you asked.

For an answer, let’s go back to Newfoundland’s development of its Churchill Falls Electric Power Generation in the early 1970s. Since Churchill Falls is located in Labrador, the only land border they have is with Quebec so to get their power out to its customers …it has to use Le Belle Province’s power lines.

Quebec though had other ideas and demanded that Newfoundland enter into a Contract in 1969 which forced Newfoundland to Sell its power to Quebec for below market cost.  Not only that, Newfoundland would be locked in to these below market prices for the term of the contract some 40 plus years.  For instance, in 2009 it was estimated that the cost of 1 M.W.H. was between $40 and $60 dollars; Newfoundland received but $2.50 per from Quebec.

Mindboggling.

Newfoundland appeared to have no other choice because it could not get its power to markets outside of Quebec without Quebec’s cooperation.

But dear reader it did have an option.

Inter Provincial Power Transmission now and then  falls under federal jurisdiction …not provincial.

Back in those days, the ruling Liberals simply did not have the stomach to rock the boat so to speak with Quebec.  In fact, I discussed this several years back with a lawyer who told me he was directly involved in those discussions and said that in a meeting he attended, Pearson himself, said that neither he nor his government would intervene even though he knew they had the authority to do so.

Flash ahead to 2013.  Now we have British Columbia blackmailing Alberta and to a lesser extent Saskatchewan.  Its government and its official opposition have both said ‘no oil pipelines can cross its borders’.

So we find ourselves – Canada that is, producing more oil than we can get to market and the oil we do sell is sold at a discount.

South East Asia is begging for our fuel and we cannot deliver.

Well the law that existed in 1969 remains today – inter provincial pipelines are a federal and not a provincial matter.  The Feds could push it through.

Moreover our Constitution contains the over-riding power in favour of the Feds to act for ‘peace order and good government’.

All of this is in addition to the Tories majority status which could be used, I suggest, to suspend existing environmental laws for the purpose of getting these pipelines completed.

If Harper wants to do the right thing and get re-elected with another majority, the above provides him with a blue print as to how both can be accomplished.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’