Anyone who missed Doug Ford’s announcement on October 22 that he plans to remove all proof of COVID vaccination requirements by the end of March missed what could ultimately be one of the most important days of his political career.
That’s because October 22 could well be the day that the story of Ford’s end of tenure as Ontario’s prime minister begins to unfold.
With less than eight months before Ontario goes to the polls, it seems increasingly possible that enough people are fed up with Ford’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that the outcome on Election Day is not so difficult to achieve. watch.
In other words, unless there is a large vote split between the NDP and the Liberals, there is a good chance that the Ford-led Conservatives, who currently have a slight advantage over the NDP, will lose the June 2 election. 2022, something unthinkable at the beginning of the pandemic. days when Ford was so popular.
Think about it.
Before Oct. 22, most Ontarians were already unhappy with Ford’s response to the pandemic, from its chaotic opening and closing of schools to its intermittent restaurant closings, its delay in mandatory vaccinations for workers in education and hospital and its general. pampering anti-vaxxers.
In fact, a new study from Sept. 29-Oct. 3 by the nonprofit Angus Reid Institute found a big drop in voter satisfaction over the past year in the way Ford handles the economy, attention health and general government performance.
“Your administration receives little praise on any subject in its field,” the institute said, including its handling of housing affordability and giving “a thumbs down to Ford’s handling of elder care.”
And then came October 22, when Ford basically handed a golden win to Ontario’s 1.4 million adults – yes, that’s right, 1.4 million people 18 and over, who haven’t even bothered to get at least one yet. vaccine.
He did this by telling them to wait a little longer and they won’t even have to get vaccinated.
Calling it “a cautious plan” that will work, Ford said that unless there are “worrying trends,” starting January 17, you won’t need proof of vaccination to go to a restaurant, bar or sports facility. Starting February 7, you will not need proof of vaccination to go to a nightclub or strip club, and starting March 28, all mask wear and proof of vaccination requirements will end for all other settings.
It was a slap in the face for the 10.7 million Ontarians of voting age who have done our part in fighting this public health crisis by working to get our vaccines. Millions of us lined up for hours, waited in freezing weather, took time off from work, or drove long distances to take our hits.
And now Ford was telling us that the anti-vaccines had won, that he really was on their side.
And suddenly you realize that Ford could have done a much better job of dealing with anti-vaccines, dealing with the pandemic, fixing the crisis in our long-term care homes and hospitals.
Forget all the twists and turns of the pandemic that would have caused problems for any government.
The reality is that Ford leads a troubled government that has moved from crisis to crisis, from one political issue to another, with no seemingly coherent plan to right the province.
It is a government that for the last three years refused to increase the minimum wage for 750,000 workers and is now trying to sell itself as “pro-worker” because, at last, it has agreed to a base wage of $ 15 an hour.
It is a government that sees continued chaos in long-term care facilities.
It is a government that insists it is an advocate for the environment, but pushes for unnecessary roads and development in Greenbelt.
It is a government stubbornly bent on reducing the deficit rather than spending money to help those still facing a financial crisis related to the pandemic.
It is a government that will probably have no idea that October 22 was the day many Ontarians said, “I’ve had enough,” and the end of Ford’s career as prime minister began to unfold.
Reference-www.thestar.com