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One-year anniversary
of McGuinty being elected Broken Promises and Incompetence Mark McGuinty’s First Year On October 2, 2003, the citizens of Ontario accepted Dalton McGuinty’s challenge to “choose change.” Well, change is what they got – but not the kind of change they expected. The past year has been littered with government mismanagement and broken promises. Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals made 231 promises and immediately started breaking the most important ones. Not only that, this year has been marked with chronic incompetence, including the Liberals floating a series of ridiculous trial balloons, including fat taxes, photo radar and even re-testing all drivers. Dalton McGuinty assured voters in the last election that he wouldn’t increase taxes, he would balance budgets and he would improve services. He has broken all these promises and in doing so has brought disrepute on the entire political process in this province. Unfortunately, our families are the hardest hit by McGuinty’s Liberals. Families are paying on average $1,000 yearly more in taxes and fees, to a premier who looked into their living rooms a year ago and promised “I won’t raise your taxes.” They are paying more for electricity, thanks to a Liberal party that promised them a price freeze until 2006. They are paying out of their own pockets for eye checkups, physiotherapy and chiropractic care. They are also paying a so-called “health premium” on top of that, to a party that said during the election “all Ontarians should have access to medically necessary health care services based on need, not on ability to pay.” They are still waiting for the 10% reduction in auto insurance they were promised within 90 days of last year’s election. What’s worse, finance minister Greg Sorbara has admitted the additional 10% in savings the government promised is unlikely to materialize. They are seeing more headlines about random violence and gang-related shootings, but they are not going to see the 1,000 new police officers Dalton McGuinty promised in last year’s election. These are just a handful of the many promises already broken by Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government. The first anniversary of their election is marked by the breaking of four more: Failing to eliminate barriers to foreign-trained professionals within one year. In their election platform, Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals promised, “We will lower barriers that prevent foreign-trained professionals and skilled workers from reaching their potential. Our goal is to eliminate major barriers within one year.” But there has been little if any reduction in barriers to foreign-trained professionals in the Liberals’ first year in office. In fact, it was only in September that the government issued a call for ideas “to move internationally trained individuals toward licensure, certification and employment.” Three days prior to the one-year deadline, Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Mary Anne Chambers announced the appointment of an “advisor” – retired judge George Thomson – to review how professional regulatory bodies deal with appeals. Ironically, George Thomson is the same person who headed up a highly regarded review of social assistance, commissioned by David Peterson’s Liberal government in 1988. Other than an increase in welfare rates, the bulk of Thomson’s recommendations gathered dust. The Liberals ignored his advice when they were last in government. Appointing him to conduct a toothless review on a promise already broken merely underlines Dalton McGuinty’s failure on the issue. Failing to require trades and professions to accept qualified immigrants within one year: The Liberals promised in their election platform that, “We will require that all Ontario trades and professions accelerate the entry of qualified new Canadians. If after one year any profession or trade has not eliminated barriers to entry, we will act.” The McGuinty Liberals have not delivered. Failing to establish a standing committee on education to hold yearly hearings: The Liberals promised in their election platform to, “establish a Standing Committee on Education to hold public hearings every year on the effectiveness of provincial funding.” One year after the Liberals’ election, no committee has been established. Ontarians are looking for a government they can trust and one that is competent. In McGuinty’s Liberals, the people of this province are seeing neither. In a series of year-in-review interviews, McGuinty said voters would concentrate on what the government has accomplished three years from now, not how many promises it has broken. I know Ontarians will never forget a Premier that has betrayed them and will remember that when they go to the polls. I also know, so far, this government has been very short on results. In three years, we will provide the province with a very clear alternative - a Party of honesty, integrity and competence. For now, we are focused on leading a Party that will concentrate on constructively opposing the McGuinty Liberals and trying our best to minimize the damage he is doing to this province. -30- |
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