Other governments in Ontario have had corruption, but for the most part it would be an individual minister. Here the corruption mot only reaches the very top, but it was orchestration by removing oversight procedures that were put in place by many previous governments including Conservative. This is not the only time this has happened with this government. Trying to have Ron Taverenor appointed as OPP commissioner, by avoiding the normal appointment process is another. Trying to have a fundamentalist religious college converted to a university with degree granting powers, without going through the proper channels is yet another. Ford promised transparency but we have seen none. Both the cabinet and the caucus has remained silent with nary a word of criticism. This makes them complicit, meaning this government is corrupt to its core and needs to be turfed. It has even been found guilty of violating the constitution. This government and the Conservative Party in general, has long past brought disgrace on the party of John Diefenbaker, Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark and Bill Davis. It is the greatest internal threat to democracy in this country in my view
As always, bang on. The other issue is the people who agree that Ford is responsible for what happened with the Greenbelt land process, but don't think it's a problem. Canadian made Trumpism.
As a PC, David, I agree. Ford should resign. I would, however, appreciate some equally hard-hitting commentary on other governments, cabinets and individuals.
Thank you for putting into words what I am too shaken up to articulate myself. (Although it clearly wasn't the Integrity Commissioner's report, either, that finally caused Clark to resign since he spent a few days with his back up first...)
It just infuriates me the number of people who say they just can't be bothered to vote. I really get the impression from some that they would like to be able to vote ONCE and that fixes everything and they never need think about it again.
Be careful of simple solutions. Australia has both mandatory voting and ranked-choice, but still got decades of ultra-right-wing, climate-denying governments. The most recent is the first crack in that wall, thankfully.
Some how we have to get the 57 per cent , to vote. They should understand that even if the candidate they support does not win, their vote still counts. It has long been known that the more a person earns the more likely they are to vote. That means the vast majority of those who do not vote are low income or marginalized.. Politicians like Ford are aware of that, and they know that those non - voting members of the electorate are not going to vote against them because they don't vote. If the marginalized people voted in greater numbers it would mean in some ridings they would actually contribute to the defeat of a Tory. Even if they did not manage to defeat the Tory, the margin of victory would be narrower and the Tories would at least have to pay attention.. I am 83 years old, I cast my first vote in the first election I was eligible to do so, in the 1962 federal election. I have never missed the opportunity to vote in any election, municipal, provincial or federal. Sometimes the candidate I supported won, but more often they lost. Each and every time I cast my ballot, I came away with the sense that I have made my voice heard. I usually vote in the advance poll and jokingly say to anyone that will listen, that if I die between now and election day, I have gotten my licks in. By not voting you are really saying everything is fine and it doesn't matter. These days everything is far from fine, and that should matter enough for all of us to stand up and do something about it, even if that something is just voting.
Meh, I stand by it. Changing how a railroad is built changes property values all along the way, with outcomes you can't calculate, but would be "A Lot". Ultra-valuable land in the centres of cities is the greatest generational wealth in history, read up on London's Grosvenor family.
So I'm kind of adding up a few generations of benefit from the decisions back then, great-great-grandkids still rich today.
Thank you, sir; well aware of the Pacific Scandal... had to review it when a Gen-Z'er told me in 2021 (wait for it) that WE was the biggest political scandal in Canadian history. (Yes, really.)
I hope we can stay on-point with the $8B figure and use your term of real-estate value. I see some slight misstating and that creates an opening for the bad-faith-actors.
Even more tragicomic... the Hamilton Spectator reported last weekend that some of the unprotected lands are out by the airport... and can't be developed residentially because they're too close to the airport. But no one at the province cross-checked for that.
The purpose of the exercise was to make a few developers wealthier than they already are. Cross- checking anything was the last thing on their mind. Everything this government has done since becoming elected in 2018 has been unethical, deceitful, without moral purpose and corrupt.
Other governments in Ontario have had corruption, but for the most part it would be an individual minister. Here the corruption mot only reaches the very top, but it was orchestration by removing oversight procedures that were put in place by many previous governments including Conservative. This is not the only time this has happened with this government. Trying to have Ron Taverenor appointed as OPP commissioner, by avoiding the normal appointment process is another. Trying to have a fundamentalist religious college converted to a university with degree granting powers, without going through the proper channels is yet another. Ford promised transparency but we have seen none. Both the cabinet and the caucus has remained silent with nary a word of criticism. This makes them complicit, meaning this government is corrupt to its core and needs to be turfed. It has even been found guilty of violating the constitution. This government and the Conservative Party in general, has long past brought disgrace on the party of John Diefenbaker, Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark and Bill Davis. It is the greatest internal threat to democracy in this country in my view
Thank you.
Thank you!
Also, it is nice to see the word "scandal" used for a non-Liberal government.
Not like a recent CBC headline "Greenbelt controversy putting pressure on Ford government, knocking it off message, experts say"
I like using the most plain, honest, and direct words I can.
As always, bang on. The other issue is the people who agree that Ford is responsible for what happened with the Greenbelt land process, but don't think it's a problem. Canadian made Trumpism.
"A shit Voltron" 🤣🤣🤣
Here's hoping the stain of this failure is the one that actually leaves enough of a mark for Ford to step down. Or the caucus to revolt.
As a PC, David, I agree. Ford should resign. I would, however, appreciate some equally hard-hitting commentary on other governments, cabinets and individuals.
I admit, however, that Ford is an easy target.
Thank you for putting into words what I am too shaken up to articulate myself. (Although it clearly wasn't the Integrity Commissioner's report, either, that finally caused Clark to resign since he spent a few days with his back up first...)
The Buck Stops with the VOTERS !
But they have to vote and 57 per cent of the electorate did not do that in the 2022 provincial election. Therein lies the problem
It just infuriates me the number of people who say they just can't be bothered to vote. I really get the impression from some that they would like to be able to vote ONCE and that fixes everything and they never need think about it again.
Be careful of simple solutions. Australia has both mandatory voting and ranked-choice, but still got decades of ultra-right-wing, climate-denying governments. The most recent is the first crack in that wall, thankfully.
Thank you.
That's true -- at least eventually. Let's hope we do better next time around.
Some how we have to get the 57 per cent , to vote. They should understand that even if the candidate they support does not win, their vote still counts. It has long been known that the more a person earns the more likely they are to vote. That means the vast majority of those who do not vote are low income or marginalized.. Politicians like Ford are aware of that, and they know that those non - voting members of the electorate are not going to vote against them because they don't vote. If the marginalized people voted in greater numbers it would mean in some ridings they would actually contribute to the defeat of a Tory. Even if they did not manage to defeat the Tory, the margin of victory would be narrower and the Tories would at least have to pay attention.. I am 83 years old, I cast my first vote in the first election I was eligible to do so, in the 1962 federal election. I have never missed the opportunity to vote in any election, municipal, provincial or federal. Sometimes the candidate I supported won, but more often they lost. Each and every time I cast my ballot, I came away with the sense that I have made my voice heard. I usually vote in the advance poll and jokingly say to anyone that will listen, that if I die between now and election day, I have gotten my licks in. By not voting you are really saying everything is fine and it doesn't matter. These days everything is far from fine, and that should matter enough for all of us to stand up and do something about it, even if that something is just voting.
Biggest political corruption scandal in Canadian history... is that hyperbole?
Yes. Please search-engine on "Macdonald" "railroad" and "scandal".
The bribe there, $350K, would exceed $10M in today's funds, and what was purchased exceeded $8B in real-estate value.
And whole "Father of our country" and "Railroad built Canada" concepts basically mean the country was built on corruption.
That was a Tory government too. Amount swindled even in today's dollars falls far short of $8.28 billion.
Meh, I stand by it. Changing how a railroad is built changes property values all along the way, with outcomes you can't calculate, but would be "A Lot". Ultra-valuable land in the centres of cities is the greatest generational wealth in history, read up on London's Grosvenor family.
So I'm kind of adding up a few generations of benefit from the decisions back then, great-great-grandkids still rich today.
Thank you, sir; well aware of the Pacific Scandal... had to review it when a Gen-Z'er told me in 2021 (wait for it) that WE was the biggest political scandal in Canadian history. (Yes, really.)
I hope we can stay on-point with the $8B figure and use your term of real-estate value. I see some slight misstating and that creates an opening for the bad-faith-actors.
Even more tragicomic... the Hamilton Spectator reported last weekend that some of the unprotected lands are out by the airport... and can't be developed residentially because they're too close to the airport. But no one at the province cross-checked for that.
The purpose of the exercise was to make a few developers wealthier than they already are. Cross- checking anything was the last thing on their mind. Everything this government has done since becoming elected in 2018 has been unethical, deceitful, without moral purpose and corrupt.
One hundred percent agree.
When they got elected with that 'for the people' folderol in 2018, I amended it to 'government for the property developers.'
I was slightly off. It should have been 'government BY, and FOR, the property developers.'