Let the Games Begin ...... Again!

With our Federal MP's now back in the House and the Ontario Legislature about to resume under a new leader I am not optimistic that we will see any change in the political gamesmanship and constant efforts of each party to trample each other in the blind rush for power. We here in Ontario just saw a particularly fine example of this from one Tim Harper Hudak and his provincial Cons.......

Within hours of her victory on Saturday evening, Ontario premier-designate Kathleen Wynne was the target of two new Progressive Conservative attack ads that labelled her “another McGuinty Liberal Ontario can’t afford.” That these unproductive personal attacks were aired so quickly after the announcements tells us that they were planned, and probably produced, proir to the new leader even being chosen, a taste of things to come perhaps.

The new Premier Designate, Kathleen Wynne is making all the right noises regarding 'cooperation' in the legislature and getting on with governing the province but in a minority situation that requires ALL Partys to at least show some inclination to work towards that goal. There is little doubt that there are some thorny issues left over from the sudden suspension business some 3 months ago not the least of which is the apparent polotical decision to cancel a half built generating station just before the last election. Wynne won't say if she'll agree to an NDP demand for a public inquiry into the Liberals' decision to cancel two gas plants at a cost of at least $230 million.

The NDP also are proposing new rules requiring debate by MPPs to prorogue for more than a week — and a firm recall date, something whicch with governments of all stripes increasingly using proroguing as a 'get out of jail' card certainly needs looking at. However I do hold out hope that Kathleen and Andrea can find common ground and move forward without too much political posturing. I hold out no such hope for the PC's Timmy Hudak, he seems to have learned his political lessons at the knee of his federal counterpart and we all know how cooperative and forthcoming that gentleman demigod can be.

Which leads me to this little rant by E May about our new currency, which I would suggest is the least of our problems however as usual she makes some great comments about the remaking of Canada by said demigod. If you believe as I do that Stephen Harper and his supporters, both in the house and across the nation are leading us down the path away from democracy as we know it and towards the sort of regime that we have seen in Germany before the war then perhaps Elizabeth May's thoughts regarding the emperor having no clothes strikes a chord.

Finaly I cannon leave without passing this on from our hero Kevin Page....

In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Kevin Page, the parliamentary budget officer (PBO), told host Evan Solomon the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer will never truly be independent until it reports directly to Parliament.
"The legislation is flawed," said Page, who was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Canada's first parliamentary budget officer for a five-year term.
"I'm appointed by the prime minister and yet I'm supposed to be the watchdog for how the prime minister spends money. The office is not independent."
With more and more 'watchdogs' becoming lapdogs of their respective governments across the country do not expect the next appointment by this or any other legislature to be any less partisan than those that preceded it for the opposite will undoubtedly come to pass.

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