Liberals win Majority, Tim Hudak Resigns.

The votes have been counted, and Ontario has a Liberal majority. The Liberals won with 59 seats, the PC Party ended up with 27, and the NDP who triggered this election ended up with 21 seats which was the same before the election.

As a result of the NDP bringing down the government, it cost taxpayers 88 million dollars, and a Liberal majority. PC leader resigned last night, and has asked the PC party executive to meet so they can decide the next steps. So what went wrong for both the PC party and the NDP, and what went right for the Liberals?

Both the PC's and NDP felt that with all the scandals involving the Liberals, they had a chance to form government. What they did not calculate was the fact that Wynne was not McGuinty, and she's a very well liked leader who's started the process of cleaning up the mess left behind by McGuinty. Cleaning up a political mess does not happen overnight. Just ask Mike Harris who had to clean up the mess left by the Bob Rae NDP in 1995. Ontario was very hard hit during the recession, and we have not fully recovered. All western governments had to resort to deficit spending and adding debt to create jobs and maintain our social programs. The Federal Conservatives have not had a balanced budget since 2007, and have added close to 180 billion to our national debt. They have also ran massive deficits since the recession, but my Conservative friends fail to see that.

This election like the 2011 election was Hudak's to win, and he blew both. While I give Hudak credit for being honest about what he was going to do, that was his downfall. Any respectable campaign and policy manager would tell you that you don't make the firing of 100,000 government workers over 4 years a part of your platform. These 100,000 people are voters who have families, and they will not vote for you. Another issue was the creation of 1 million jobs over 8 years. This platform piece was written by Tea Party members of the Republican party, hence the nickname "Tea Party Tim". The people of Ontario are proud people and the last thing they want to see is our policies being written by Conservative Americans.

NDP leader, Andrea Horwath ran a lousy campaign. It was because of her that we had this election, and it took her party over a week once the writ was dropped to get their act together on the campaign trail. The budget which was introduced by the Liberals which lead to their defeat, was a budget catering to the NDP. Had the Liberals only won a minority, and they did promise to re-introduce the same budget what would the NDP do? Well that's something we don't have to worry about as the Liberal have a majority. The problem with the NDP is that they decided to move from being a far left party to more of a centralist party, and that failed for them, and left a wide opening for the Liberals to fill that void. Hudak did the right thing by stepping aside, and Horwath should have done the same thing.

Both the PC party and the NDP need to rebuild their brands, and they will have 4 years to do so. My advise for the PC party is to elect as your next leader a more centralist type of person who can connect with voters. Don't come out with these wide eyed ideas, and don't have really politically stupid people running your party and campaigns. For the NDP you need to go back to your grass roots, and return to being a true socialist party. Don't try and reinvent yourself as a centralist party with progressive ideas. It did not work in this election and it won't in the next.

As for the Liberals, you have finally put the ghost of Dalton McGuinty behind you, and now you now need to govern. Don't abuse your majority position, you need to keep your promises including balancing the budget by 2017/18, investing in public transit, health care, and education. Keep your noses clean, and don't repeat the mistakes made by McGuinty.

The end is near, the end is near!

 I can't remember a Provincial Election that was very interesting to follow. On the right you have PC leader Tim Hudak who's main party platform is the creation of 1 million jobs over 8 years, and the firing of 100,000 public sector workers over 4 years. For Hudak to create 1 million new jobs the economy would have to grow by 125,000 jobs each year for 8 years, plus don't forget finding jobs for the 100,000 he plans on firing. Add to that his proposed tax break to corporations at 3% bringing it down to 8% from the current 11%. It's been proven time and time again that corporate tax breaks do not create jobs. Look at our largest trading partner, the United States during the Bush years when he cut both corporate taxes, and taxes for the top 2%. They just sat on their money and did not invest to create more jobs.

Getting closer to the right is Andrea Horwath of the NDP. The budget that the Liberals put forth was as far left as it could be, yet Horwath decided to defeat the budget, and trigger an election. She said it was not the budget, but the scandal's and the corruption in the Liberal government. Her main platform is to increase corporate taxes by 1%, take off the HST from our energy bills, and invest more money into our schools and health care sectors, but does not have a proper plan to pay for that.

Moving more to the left than the NDP is the Liberal party under the leadership of Kathleen Wynne. Since winning the leadership contest and replacing former Premier Dalton McGuinty, she been followed by the ghost of McGuinty as it relates to all of HIS scandals. Her platform is mainly based on the budget which was defeated by the PC's and NDP. She plans to introduce a made in Ontario pension plan, which would help out our seniors when they retire. The Liberals are on track to wipe out the deficit by fiscal 2017/18 which they've said all along they would be able to do. They don't plan to fire 100,000 public sector workers, they won't increase our corporate taxes, they won't promise to create 1 million new jobs in 8 years.

Now I could spend hours talking about each party's platform, the pro's and con's of each, but I will leave it to you the voter to decide. My oldest daughter is voting for the first time this year, and she asked me who should I vote for. While she knows I support the Liberal Party, I'm not going to put my beliefs onto her. I told her like I tell most people, it's your right to vote, and you should take a look at each political party, including the smaller one's like the Green Party, and based your voting decision on who YOU feel best represents your interests.

So my friends this will be my last post until election night, and I encourage you to vote for the party YOU feel best represents your interests.

Tea Party Tim Strikes Again!!!

 If you liked the guy on the right, then you will for sure like the guy on the left. For all that Mike Harris did to Ontario, a Tim Hudak government would be 1000 times worse. Take for example Hudak's 1 million jobs plan. All of Canada's leading economist have shot down Hudak's plan, saying it's a fraud, and I'm not surprised as it was written by Tea Party members of the Republican party in the United States. Do we in Ontario really want the Tea Party involved in a Hudak government?

I was planning to enjoy a movie tonight at my local Cineplex theatre, and just before the movie started a commercial of Tim Hudak appeared on the big screen. Hudak's political ad claims that 1 million people are out of work in Ontario. Here's some math facts for Tim Hudak and the PC party:

• Ontario's Population as of May 2014 stands at: 11,323.30
• Ontario's workforce at full employment stands at: 7,483.60
• Ontario's current employment level stands at: 6,934.70
• Ontario's unemployment level stands at: 548,000
• Ontario's rate of unemployment stands at: 7.3%
• Canada's unemployment rate stands at: 7.0%

Clearly Hudak and his Tea Party team can't do simple math. Based on Hudak's claim of 1 million people out of work, our unemployment rate would be over 13%. Hudak further claims that if he does not balance the books in 2 years instead of the projected 3 years he would resign. Hudak makde a similar claim that if he did not create 1 million jobs in 8 years he would also resign. Does Hudak really think voters are that stupid? He's basing the creation of 1 million jobs on the fact that he would win 2 back to back majority governments.

Hudak plans to terminate 100,000 public sector workers over 4 years. There people are teachers, nurses, front line workers, and so on. Ontario has the lowest public sector workforce compared to all of the other Provinces. This is of course based on our population level and as a percentage of GDP. Hudak and gang cry that our public sector gets paid way too much money. What Hudak can't seem to understand is that the cost of living in most major urban areas of Ontario is the highest in Canada. You can't buy a half decent house in the GTA for under $ 600,000. In P.E.I. you could buy 3 house for the price of one in Ontario. these public sector workers who Hudak wants to fire pay taxes, buy homes in the community, spend money at local businesses, and send their kids to local schools.

Bottom line is that a Hudak government would take Ontario back to the days of Mike Harris when he closed 28 hospitals, fired 6200 nurses, forced our best doctors to leave Ontario for other Provinces and the United States. Teacher strikes were the norm, large class sizes, and no after school activity's will be what's in store for Ontario.

If you want to see schools closed, hospitals closed, teacher strikes, cut's in our social programs, then vote for Tim Hudak, and don't say I did not warn you!!

2014 Provincial Leaders Debate.

The one and only debate of the 2014 Provincial election has come and gone without much fanfare. The spin doctors from each of the political parties were all over social media and the post debate talk shows, cheering for their respective leader.

Now here's my take on this one and only debate. Each of the party leaders stuck to their message. Hudak and Horwath did what was expected of them and attacked Wynne for the actions of Dalton McGuinty. If I hear the words "gas plants, corruption, and scandal" one more time I will blow a gasket.

Hudak took aim at Wynne for not saying no to signing the paper that cancelled the 2 gas plants. These same 2 gas plants are the same ones that both Hudak and Horwath said in the 2011 election they would have cancelled, had they formed the government. Hudak knows all too well that when the party leader tells you to do something you do it as a member of the cabinet. The same can be said when Hudak was a cabinet minister during the Harris years when he signed the papers to cancel the Eglinton subway, close 28 hospitals, and fire 6200 nurses. Wynne failed to make it very clear that she was not Premier at the time, she was not the party leader, and therefore had very little control over this matter.

Horwath promised to raise corporate taxes by 1% if elected and said that the business leaders she's spoken with have no issues with the tax increase. Really, please list the names of  the business leaders who are in favor of a tax increase. Wynne on the other hand will raise taxes on the top 2% of wage earners in the Province to help bring the budget into balancee by the 2017/18 fiscal year. Hudak will lower corporate taxes by 2% claiming that the lower tax would encourage business leaders to invest in Ontario and create jobs. Please Tim, tell us how that's worked out in the United States? All the proof points to the fact that lowering corporate taxes does not produce more jobs.

Hudak made a promise saying that if he does not create 1 million jobs he would resign from office. What Hudak failed to mention is that his 1 million jobs plan takes place over 8 years. So I say that if he forms government and does not create 125,000 jobs in his first year he should resign. 125,000 X 8 years equals 1 million jobs. Every leading Economist has said his 1 million jobs plan is a fraud. Regardless of who wins the election, the economy is slated to create over 500,000 jobs in the next 8 years.

I will say that whoever did the debate prep for Wynne should be fired. The using of the hands, her failure to directly look at both Horwath and Hudak gave me the impression that she was nervous, and also reminded me of the first debate between Romney and Obama in 2012. Obama tanked, but he hhad 2 more debates to turn things around and he did. Wynne does not have the option, and she really needs to step up her game if she wants to win this election.

Not one of the party leaders addressed the issue of the environment, and it further proves that all of them are more interested in saving their jobs. We all know that at least one of the party leaders will be heading out the door, maybe even 2 after this election. If Wynne loses the election I suspect she wil be gone as leader, and the same for both Hudak and Horwath.

The bottom line for me is that none of the leaders impressed me, and while I usually vote for the local candidate, this time I just don't know if I'm even going to vote.