Doug Ford’s Computers Bring Out Progressive Paint Before Election Day

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

If this old adage is to be believed, former Ontario Prime Minister Kathleen Wynne should be tremendously flattered these days.

This is because over the course of the past few weeks, the progressive conservative government of Prime Minister Doug Ford has begun to implement policies that Wynne boldly committed to more than four years ago – policies that Ford expressly opposed in the election of 2018 that easily won.

But a week can be a lifetime in politics, much less a four-year period.

At the end of the day, the goal of any sitting prime minister is to win re-election.

And most of the time, the end justifies the means, even if that means tacitly admitting that your government was wrong on many of the fundamental issues of the day.

The prime minister and his top campaign officials hope that Ontarians have forgotten about some of their government’s wrong positions, and betting on voters will give them credit for ultimately adopting more progressive policies, albeit at 11 hours. with an election around the corner.

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While he called himself a populist in 2018, brandishing the Campaign slogan “For the people” – In the years since, Ford’s popular rhetoric has rarely matched his administration’s penchant for enacting policies that advance the interests of the wealthiest corporations and individuals.

But since Labor Day, Ford has reversed himself on three key policies, ostensibly for political gain among an electorate increasingly seeking robust government intervention amid an ongoing global pandemic that has exacerbated the economic and social inequalities of the province.

Early last month, the Ford government announced that raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour January 1st. This policy, which clearly aims to help those most in need, originally approved in 2017 under the Wynne government.

But just four months into his tenure, the Ford government passed legislation to repeal key sections of the Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Act. To add insult to injury, the CP caucus gave the prime minister a standing ovation when the legislation was finally passed, a shameful display of partisanship that had dire consequences for Ontario’s most vulnerable.

In 2017, the Wynne government passed Bill 160: Law for Strengthening the Quality and Responsibility of Patients, which established amendments to the Long-Term Care Homes Act of 2007. The legislation strengthened government oversight over facilities and allowed for tougher administrative penalties against homes that provide poor care, something that became all too common during the pandemic.

Then, in late October, Ford once again repeated the earlier liberal policy. by announcing similar legislation. Unfortunately, the only reason Bill 160 was not yet in effect when Ford changed course was due to the fact that his government never enacted the measures in the bill after winning the 2018 election.

Finally, the Ford administration appears ready to reverse the course of child care policy. Following the federal elections in which Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party returned to government, eight provinces and a territory led by prime ministers from all political sectors hEnrolled in the federal government’s national subsidized child care program.

While Ford and Trudeau have yet to reach an agreement, Queen’s Park watchers now speculate that the prime minister is deliberately keeping his gunpowder dry in the hopes of making a media-friendly announcement with the prime minister over the next few weeks o months when the election campaign is underway. clear view and in the minds of voters.

But for those with a longer memory, it’s worth underlining that in the 2018 election, the Wynne Liberals pushed ahead. Free child care for children ages 30 months to four years, with subsidies available for younger children. As with other liberal policies, Ford’s CPs were stridently opposed to these compromises and won big on election night despite a largely bland political platform.

It’s ironic that whatever childcare plan Ford and Trudeau eventually agree on will almost certainly be similar to the one the prime minister initially opposed less than four years ago in the election campaign.

As we approach the Ontario election in six months, Ford’s PCs are increasingly mimicking the track record of their predecessor government, so far with little political pushback.

TO Postmedia-Leger The poll released on November 20 found that 34 percent of respondents planned to support Ford’s PCs in the upcoming Ontario election, compared with 31 percent for Steven Del Duca’s Liberals and 26 percent for the NDP by Andrea Horwath. While these numbers suggest a close race between the CPs and the Liberals, the same poll showed that Ford’s CPs had a double-digit advantage over their closest opponent in the greater Toronto area.

While some political strategists may find some important aspects of his predecessor’s agenda shrewd, you can bet that as Election Day approaches, Ford’s opponents will invest considerable political capital to prove that these are policies to which they actively opposed until they were no longer advantageous. for him and his party.

The prime minister will also need to explain to PC voters who supported canceling these shows why he has changed his mind almost overnight. Even more challenging, Ford will face an uphill battle to convince center-left voters that his adoption of these policies is based on principle and not merely political gain.

At the end of the day, the vast majority of progressive voters will want to vote for the real deal – a liberal or NDP government – and not for a conservative party masquerading as “progressive” in the closing days of its four-year term. mandate.

If Ontarians finally choose to re-elect the Ford government in June, that will be their prerogative. But it is not necessary that they do so under false pretenses.

Whatever its policy, voters must understand the entire record of this government in office.

Ontarians cannot allow Ford’s PCs to “fool their eyes” while they are still emerging from the COVID-induced fog of the past two years. The result would not only be alarming for our democracy, but for the province in general.