Space, the final frontier … they even think Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party Government are an interstellar disaster at Starfleet Command! Well, in fairness to the Alberta premier and his out-of-its-depth government, William Shatner was never a real Starfleet commander, he just played one on TV. Ontario Health
Continue readingTag: Christine Elliott
Alberta Politics: Ignoring worried doctors, Jason Kenney sticks with largely voluntary ‘pause’ to keep lid on COVID-19
The pandemic is bad and quickly getting worse in Alberta with 860 new daily cases reported yesterday, but Premier Jason Kenney remains deeply committed to the please-knock-it-off-guys approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19. Only, this time, he really means it. Really! Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Bankrupt Ontario.
You had no idea that Ontario was bankrupt, did you? We find that conservatives seem to have a very different definition of bankrupt than most bankers and economists. The other day Ontario’s deputy premier and health minister, Christine Elliott was on Global TV’s Focus Ontario, being interviewed by news anchor,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How Supple Are They?
I hope, for the sake of their well-being, that each loyal soldier in the Doug Ford regime has a gym membership they regularly use. Otherwise, I fear they will sustain myriad and grievous injuries to their joints and sinews. Twisting oneself out of shape while proclaiming black is white and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Christine Elliott’s Debasement
There was a time I had a measure of respect for Christine Elliott. She seemed to me to be someone largely above the toxic politics that now ensnares public discourse and office. However, after her leadership loss to Doug Ford, she changed. Now she is just one of the many
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: How great is it going to be?
Do you really want to trust a politician who insists on telling you how great it is going to be? When the Ontario government announced its health care reforms this week, everyone was left wondering just how they were going to accomplish these great results. That was all we got,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: When compromise is the problem.
Nobody should celebrate too soon about the compromise solution to paying Ontario’s doctors. After more than four years of arguments, back-stabbing and threats, nobody is particularly happy. The three-member arbitration board did not have to find the money, so they could be generous. And they were. The doctors got what
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ford’s Valkyrie are in flight.
Cue the Wagnerian music. Ford’s Valkyrie are choosing who lives and dies in Ontario. While Ford makes war on his old colleagues in Toronto city hall, his cabinet Valkyrie are slashing and burning liberal attempts at humanity. Both Christine Elliott as health minister and Lisa MacLeod as social services minister
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ford-style mathematics and The Kingfish.
Even health minister Christine Elliott is going along with the mathematics used by the new Ontario premier. Once you accept that two and two add up to zero, you are one of the true believers. The only problem is that when we are so obviously in need of improving mental
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: By Golly, It’s Ford Folly.
After spending some time checking out the line-up of found-ins referred to as the Ontario cabinet, we have an uneasy feeling in the middle of our back. This is supposed to be the people’s cabinet. We are not sure just who the people are to whom this refers. The cause
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Doug Ford and the Enema of My Enemies
Well he's now officially the leader, or the Boss of Bosses, of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.After complaining about "serious irregularities" poor old Christine Elliott has hurriedly surrendered.“After completing my review, I am confident in the results. I extend my congratulations to Doug Ford on a hard-fought campaign.” And
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Donald Trump Lite and the Ontario PCs.
After spending Saturday afternoon watching Rosemary Barton and CBC News struggling with the Ontario Conservative fiasco, I was not sure whether the party or the news media did the worst job. It was embarrassing. I actually paid the CBC $6.85 plus GST for the right to watch that screw-up on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Unity at all costs? Ontario PC choice of Doug Ford as leader shows need for principled conservative division
PHOTOS: Doug Ford in 2014 (Photo: Bruce Reeve, Creative Commons). Below: Toronto’s calamitous mayor Rob Ford, who died in 2016; second-place Ontario PC candidate Christine Elliott, who has not yet conceded the victory to Doug Ford; Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney; and U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photos: All from the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Ontario PCs in Wonderland.
Vic Fedeli is hardly the Alice in Wonderland who foolishly headed down the rabbit hole. Yet it was Interim conservative leader Fedeli who first let on that Patrick Brown might not have been telling the whole truth about party memberships. And with three of the four candidates still in the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Which Tory Witch is dead?
The other evening, the wife and I gathered in the den to enjoy a streaming video of the Ontario Tory leadership debate from Ottawa. It was only when the hijinks started to encroach on our dinner hour that the wife started questioning the entertainment value of the program. Amazingly, the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In search of a Red Tory in Ontario.
There are two former Conservative Members of Parliament whom I could vouch for as Red Tories. They are both very fine and principled gentlemen. They are Patrick Boyer and David Crombie. If you told me that you believed Patrick Brown MPP was a Red Tory, I might wet my pants
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Don’t count the Liberals out in Ontario.
It has been a bit disquieting lately to see the progressive bloggers’ web site infiltrated by conservatives. In checking to see what people are saying these days, I came across a conservative who was telling readers why he was voting for Patrick Brown in the Ontario PC leadership fiasco. Rather
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ontario PCs: The Morning Line.
It’s a muddy, cold day at the track but thankfully this race is not too long. The candidates for the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party will be At Post before you know it. Tanya Granic Allen: 20 to 1 Why anyone would want to put up a $125,000
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Patrick Brown, Doug Ford, and the Collapse of the Con Castle
It's hard to believe that just over two weeks ago Patrick Brown was the king of his Con castle.And getting ready to bury Kathleen Wynne's Ontario Liberals in the next provincial election.He had chiseled the rough edges off his Cons, made them look like a bluish version of the Liberals,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: And now there are three.
Even in this shortest of all leadership races, it is too early to produce a morning line on the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party contest. How are you expected to consider workouts and past performance for this mixed bag of candidates? And when you only have three—so far—you have to wait
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