Instead of going nuts with other people's money, Ontario's premier should be looking for a narrative to sell to voters
There are all kinds of clichés about how and why governments lose elections. That they defeat themselves. That they die by degrees. That they become the very thing they once pledged to always oppose. Mostly, though, governments forget the plot. All of governing – all of the politics – is telling a story, every single…
The Law Society of Ontario is asking divisive, intrusive and shameful questions of its members. It needs to stop
Lawyers in Ontario (of which I am one) have until March 31 to file our annual reports for 2017 with the law society. This usually routine procedure has become controversial because we’re now required to tick a box declaring whether we abide by a “Statement of Principles” (which we’re required to draft) incorporating an obligation…
Doug Ford overcame the odds to become the new Ontario PC leader. Here’s how he can become the province’s next premier
“I was the only Canadian columnist to endorse Andrew Scheer for Tory leader. I was one of a small handful to endorse Doug Ford for Ontario PC leader. Not bad for an old hack, eh? : )” This was a tweet I sent out at 5:23 p.m. ET on Saturday. Yes, it’s true – and…
Ontario's premier has been brought back from the dead more than once. But her competitors now seem more legitimate and committed
For a while there, Kathleen Wynne looked like the luckiest politician alive. Just six weeks ago, as she surveyed the political landscape, this is what the Liberal premier of Ontario saw: Andrea Horwath's New Democrats had been in a witness protection program for months. And, when they were finally starting to show signs of life,…
Free prescription drugs skew people away from healthy lifestyles and spread the financial burden to taxpayers who don’t qualify for the drug plans
Ontario taxpayers receive nothing but bad news from their politicians on drugs. In April 2017, both the Liberal government and the opposition NDP proposed expensive drug plans. The one proposed by Liberals took effect on Jan. 1, to the detriment of the public purse. It isn’t a prescription for affordable public health, it’s a prescription…
The Ontario PCs have a legitimate chance to form the next provincial government, despite Patrick Brown's distracting presence in the leadership race
The Patrick Clown Show continues to be the biggest political story in Canada – but the biggest provincial conservative party, the Ontario PCs, are still competitive. How come? The papers are brimming with stories about Patrick Brown. For instance: on Wednesday morning of last week, out of 13 provincial-politics-related clippings landing on staffers’ desks at…
The Ontario PC once and would-be leader finally pulls the plug on his aspirations after a wildly unpredictable ride
Is he in? Is he out? Welcome to another roller-coaster ride in the Ontario PC Party, courtesy of former leader turned leadership candidate Patrick Brown. Or, as some of us like to call it, “Monday.” After several polls indicated Brown was either ahead or slightly behind in the Progressive Conservative leadership race, news broke that…
Five clear policy ideas that will resonate with the province’s voters and make a party leadership candidate stand out
It's difficult to keep up with the implosion that has become the Ontario Progressive Conservative party. Four new leadership contenders showed how confused they are about their party's People's Guarantee policy document – which promises all sorts of expensive goodies paid for by a carbon tax these contenders reject – during their first televised debate.…
Weeks of highs, lows, scandals, ejections, lawsuits and backstabbing from every direction. Other than rape, murder and/or pillaging, what’s left?
I often said I’d run for public office before turning 30. I’ve come close to declaring my intentions as a federal, provincial and municipal candidate. Yet, after observing the Ontario PC party tsunami, I don’t even slightly regret being 17 years late in fulfilling this commitment. In fact, I fully intend to add a few…
The former Toronto city councillor has shed his bombastic ways, is reaching out and stepping carefully. It could all add up to an Ontario PC leadership win
When I quit the Olivia Chow Toronto mayoral campaign in 2014 – because she’d not told the truth to the media, among other things – guess who was the first person to call me? Doug Ford. “Warren, old buddy,” said Doug Ford, brother of former Toronto mayor, the late Rob Ford. “We’ve had our differences…