Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Frank Klees as Speaker: Genius or Jackass move?

Frank Klees has been many things in his public life- a cabinet minister under Mike Harris, an opposition critic under Tim Hudak, and a leadership hopeful finishing second twice.  And now it looks like he could be the Speaker of the Provincial Legislature; a position vital to the government's survival in the context of a minority government.

On the surface Klees' candidacy could be viewed as a betrayal to his party.  It cripples the opposition by taking the seat away, and helps the Liberals quest to govern as a majority. The Speaker's role is to be neutral and keep order in the house- usually voting with the government in matters of confidence.  And here's where the genius part comes in.  While it is accepted convention to vote with the government, there is nothing that says Klees should he win the role must do so. He could potentially use the role to put the Liberals' feet to the fire on some of their promises. He could use the position to force compromises, and potentially accomplish something for his party.

Or it could be a totally jackass move, that will blow up in his face.  The fact is his candidacy is viewed by some in his party as a betrayal. It makes Tim Hudak look a bit of a fool- a few days after saying nobody in his party has any interest in the position, Klees announces he does have interest.  It's a huge gamble for him; the Speaker becomes a powerful job in a minority Parliament-the arguable perception is he gave up the collective good- a combined opposition force with a majority of the power for his own self-interest.  This does nothing to make any friends in any party.  If he loses, he goes back to his own party, and although he'll likely be welcomed back into the fold I'd imagine there'll be no love lost.

I wonder if Mr Klees has thought this one out.  Should he win the position, he'll have to strike a delicate balance between party loyalty, and plunging the province into yet another election.  Taking his seat out of the equation we'd be sitting with a statistical dead heat; it makes me wonder if this new/old provincial government would get anything done at all.  We may be in for a very short mandate- or a very long one stuck in the muddy world of party politics.

This either is a genius move should he win;  The P.C.'s could learn to live with it using him to their advantage in that role.  Or it's a totally jackass move that portrays him in an unflattering light as the typical politician who places self-interest above all else including party loyalty.  At this point it could go either way.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Occupy Toronto

I've been struggling with what to say about it for the last week  And it all comes down to the fact that I get it.  As corny as it sounds- I am the 99%.  I'm 29 years old, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Contemporary Studies (2004), and a post-graduate certificate in New Media Journalism (2008).  I live at home with my parents, and am carrying around a $5 thousand debt.  I'm living at home because despite my best efforts, I have been unable to find a full-time job- the best I've been able to do is freelance positions.

Part of it is the field I've chosen; journalism is a really hard one to break into. And I've never expected it to be easy but I've decided to be persistent and stay the course... my hard work has in some measure been rewarded.   Another is the economy; there was a period of time where media organizations were laying off, as I was applying for jobs.  The job market is still poor no matter what field you're in.

Another part of it is that despite whatever factors that may have led to my current circumstances; there is a problem.  I know of quite a few people in a similar situation to mine; those educated in a given field who want to make a living at it, and yet can't find jobs.  So they're stuck either working at part-time jobs, or unemployed and at home. And if the younger section of society is having this difficult a time finding a job then it is probably time to start asking the tough questions about how it went this far.


Honestly as I've been thinking about this as it applies to my own situation I've found it's all about mindset, and perspective .  The job searching process can be incredibly frustrating;  I felt like I've been knocking my head against the brick wall on some days.  But I've tried to remain positive and remember that every position I've had has been a step forward.  And I've had the chance to cover amazing stories- the St. Paul's Church Fire, interview political candidates; met cabinet ministers, and talked to passionate people with interesting tales to tell.   I've also through those positions, and interviews made some great friends.  And I've been lucky too that while I have money coming in through my freelance position, I know there are others who don't have that.

As my seemingly endless search for a permanent job continues I have wondered if this... whatever this undefinable thing is more of a symptom of a societal shift rather than a cause for protest.  Technology has made our lives easier; it's made our jobs easier.  People can work from home; jobs can be done online.  My generation has been told for a while that we'll have more than one career in our lives.  Maybe what we're turning into is perhaps a society where thanks to technology we can have more than one career happening at once.  

It could be governments are slow to respond, because they like the rest of us know there's something that's off- they just can't define it yet.  And how do you solve a problem you can't define? The only thing to do is to wait and see what develops then change to respond.

We have to remember that we are in Canada phenomenally lucky to have survived the worst of the economic downturn.  We're lucky that while the US, and EU are struggling, we're generally still pretty prosperous in the grand scheme of things.  Despite this though, there is obviously something undefinable happening here.  We just have to wait and see what happens, then respond.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Lisa Raitt vs. Air Canada Round 4

As corny, and cliched as this sounds I can see both sides on this one.  On the one hand, there's a solid economic argument here for making the flight attendants an essential service.  A strike could potentially ground hundreds of flights angering thousands of passengers who won't re-book with Air Canada.. ever.  This could cost the airline a fair bit of money.   And how much would it cost businesses who despite technology still need to meet with their employees face-to-face?  Like it or not Air Canada is the only truly national airline and if it flight attendants went out on strike it could at the very least strike a crippling blow to the economy.  It is the only "Canadian" airline to fly to Europe, and I think it's safe to say Asia.

On the other hand the funny thing about capitalism is the fittest survive.  If Air Canada flight attendants were to strike it would significantly weaken the airline, but it would also create opportunity for the others.  Air Canada serves a few destinations domestically that the other airlines don't.  In its absence I have to believe the smaller airlines like WestJet, and Porter would grow to meet the demand for those destinations as well as the international ones.  Air Canada would soon be deflated, and may never regain the customers it would lose.. going with this logic; let them go on strike, and would kill the airline. But thanks to supply and demand, more may rise.

You can never get everything you want in a negotiation.  I've heard it mentioned in media reports the flight attendants got at least 80% of what they wanted; in my estimation that's fairly decent. After all, you can't please everyone all the time.  If you give people time; everyone will complain about their jobs- Air Canada flight attendants are no different.  Yes, there are disgruntled passengers and I'm sure it's a pain in the butt sometimes. Overall, from where I sit, it seems a pretty amazing job; you get paid to travel! How many of us wouldn't give our eye-teeth to do that? I definitely would.

In an ideal world when a company does well it passes the wealth around.  The union would have us believe that didn't happen- the higher executives took bonuses, and ignored the workers.  If that's what happened, then isn't this a bit of misguided anger? Shouldn't the flight attendants  be angry at the Air Canada executives instead of the government?

Unions are here to stay.   But now when the economy is so uncertain shouldn't they bend just a little bit? Maybe we should take this moment as a sign that just as the general public have to evolve in their jobs, unions should do the same.

CUPE protests in front of Lisa Raitt's riding office

 
 Just back from a protest by CUPE(Canadian Union of Public Employees) in front of Lisa Raitt's office over the ongoing dispute with Air Canada.  Below are some photos, and raw video.  Warning: some video is a little shaky; understand I'm not a professional camera person.

Protesters gather in front of Labour Minister Lisa Raitt's Office








 
One of many protest signs



Bringing out the heavyweights: Sid Ryan is interviewed

 
Video of chanting protesters... remember what I said about the camerawork. 

Will have more on this later.








Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Very Canadian Result

If anyone lost it was oddly enough Dalton McGuinty.  He lost 18 seats to his opposition; 11 to the P.C.'s, and 7 to the N.D.P.  He ended up one torturous seat short of a majority government.  What makes it a Canadian result is the fact Andrea Horwath- the third place party ended up the most powerful, squarely in the position of being the balance of power.

This means the Liberals don't make a move now without either the P.C.'s or the N.D.P. on side with them.  I hope everyone sees the wisdom in this.  The fact is McGuinty needed a slap on the wrist- and the electorate gave it to him.  After having near total power for 8 years the knowledge you have to work with your opponents might be more humbling than a loss. With the lower voter turnout it could be said we voted en masse with our feet.

The results are by no means a ringing endorsement for McGuinty.  If anything they're a passive aggressive way of saying we want a change, but the choices we have before us aren't that great.  So we'll stick with the guy we had before.  It's as if we've put him on notice- we're wising up to your tricks, and your lies.  We're putting him in a two-year penalty box, if he minds his manners we may let him back on the ice.
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The opposition as well has a tough road ahead of them.  How they oppose will say a lot for the government's stability.  They have to act as a government-in-waiting, and offer alternatives, instead of just going against the McGuinty government for the sake of opposing them.  Hudak, and Horwath each have to act as future Premier. 

The new government could mean a lot for Milton.  Right before the writ dropped, it was announced the Liberals would fund the expansion for Milton Hospital.  A minority government could mean the Liberals actually keep that promise.  The man tasked with making sure that happens is Ted Chudleigh- returned by the voters in Halton for another term.  It could also make Milton Education Village a reality a lot sooner than anyone can hope for.

I don't know how long this will last- but the average life of a minority parliament is 18 months.  It's not starting off well-  N.D.P. leader Horwath has requested a meeting with McGuinty and Hudak- McGuinty has said no. If McGuinty acts the tiniest bit humble there's nothing to say this can't last four years.   However long it lasts, it should be entertaining.


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

How Will It end?

I'm not going to make a prediction- instead I'm going to make a best guess.  We will wake up Friday morning to a Progressive Conservative (P.C.) minority government.  I started the campaign with this opinion, and nothing has happened to change it much.

The P.C.'s and Liberal platforms are fairly equal.  On the Liberal side, if you scratch below the surface- and take a good look at what the ideas are, you'll find them wanting. on the P.C. side there is some more substance.  Both are vague in different areas; the Liberals on how they plan to pay for new hospitals, and the P.C.'s on how their platform would benefit cities.

The two parties are matched with mistakes. McGuinty made one with an ill-timed jobs platform and Hudak in the way he responded to it.  McGuinty made another one, when he cancelled the power plant in Mississauga; something that is clearly politically motivated.  Hudak made one when he released the sex-ed pamphlet with homophobic content.  Everyone hates the HST, and nobody will do anything to if not get rid of it outright or at the very least trim the provincial portion.  Nobody has taken McGuinty on about Caledonia.

  In the end, a government of any stripe has to stand on its record.  As unfair as it may seem for McGuinty this means the full eight years. And for all his successes in health care and education; his attempts to get Ontario to buy into Green energy, it's the scandals and broken promises people will remember.  In two previous elections he said he wouldn't raise taxes- we now have the health premium and the HST- which even though it could be good for business; sucks for the consumer.  Nobody likes paying more.

Hudak isn't perfect. He's hasn't run the best election campaign. He's spent a more time telling us what the NDP, and Liberals won't do for us and not enough telling what a P.C. government would do for us.  Even after one year of campaigning, we really don't know him that well; and that's why Ontario voters will only give him a minority. 


Andrea Horwath will end up the kingmaker, and I suspect do very well with that role.  Her party has run a campaign based on clearly expressed ideas.  They've stuck with the positive message of voting for hope, and not fear; and that will ring true with some voters.  Bob Rae casts a long shadow over his former party; and there will be those who will remember what it was like when Ontario last had an N.D.P. Premier. That could be enough to keep her from the Premier's chair.

Eight years is a long time for a government to last in power.  It's time for change; Hudak is the best placed to deliver that change.  Let's give Hudak a chance.