The Drummond Report
The eagerly anticipated Drummond report has been released - if you're into horror stories, by all means curl up by the fire and read the full 562 pages here.
In it, Drummond offers 320 recommendations. The initial reaction by many pundits is that this puts NcGuinty in a bind, since he will never agree to reverse tuition cuts or scrap full-day kindergarten.
Actually, the report might prove to be a political saving-grace for McGuinty. Tough cuts are coming, and this report offers McGuinty the political cover he needs to implement them. Because if those on left holler about cuts, McGuinty can calmly put his hand on their shoulder and in his best Premier dad voice say "I know it's been tough, but it could have been a lot worse"; this gives him an opportunity to present himself as the saviour of green energy and education all over again.
Politics is all about managing expectations, and anything McGuinty brings forward now is going to seem a lot less draconian, when measured against the Drummond benchmark.
Mind you, that's assuming McGuinty brings forward a serious budget this spring. If he just plugs his ears and ignores the bulk of the valuable advice Drummond offers, then McGuinty will have effectively used taxpayer dollars to help develop the backbone of Tim Hudak's next election platform.
Stay tuned.
In it, Drummond offers 320 recommendations. The initial reaction by many pundits is that this puts NcGuinty in a bind, since he will never agree to reverse tuition cuts or scrap full-day kindergarten.
Actually, the report might prove to be a political saving-grace for McGuinty. Tough cuts are coming, and this report offers McGuinty the political cover he needs to implement them. Because if those on left holler about cuts, McGuinty can calmly put his hand on their shoulder and in his best Premier dad voice say "I know it's been tough, but it could have been a lot worse"; this gives him an opportunity to present himself as the saviour of green energy and education all over again.
Politics is all about managing expectations, and anything McGuinty brings forward now is going to seem a lot less draconian, when measured against the Drummond benchmark.
Mind you, that's assuming McGuinty brings forward a serious budget this spring. If he just plugs his ears and ignores the bulk of the valuable advice Drummond offers, then McGuinty will have effectively used taxpayer dollars to help develop the backbone of Tim Hudak's next election platform.
Stay tuned.
Labels: Dalton McGuinty, Don Drummond, Ontario Budget 2012
posted by calgarygrit at
5:32 p.m.
8 Comments:
If Hudak (or whoever) is smart* then McGuinty has given him his platform. Whatever space emerges between Drummond and McGuinty can be painted as spendthrift. To the extent that is not enough, McGuinty brought the need for Drummond's prescriptions upon Ontario in the first place.
*you can stop reading at this point
By
Anonymous, at 6:47 p.m.
This is just what the Premier ordered. Now he can take measures that otherwise would have appeared drastic and have them appear moderate.
By
rww, at 7:20 p.m.
"Because if those on left holler about cuts ..."
They'll also holler about the corporate tax cuts and not raising personal income taxes on the 'rich'. Just because McGuinty told Drummond tax hikes are off the table (*snicker*) doesn't mean other people won't put them there. It's not like there is an all-party consensus that the deficit should be dealt with solely with an axe.
By
Back in the real world,, at 10:10 p.m.
McGuinty promised a balanced budget during the last election.
Since then, he has INCREASED spending by more then two billion dollars a year.
And you think he cares what Drummond has to say about the mess McGuinty has made of Ontario's economy? Boy do I have some things to sell you!
By
Anonymous, at 4:45 a.m.
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.
By
Calgary Flooring, at 4:49 a.m.
It is so bad for Have Not Ontario that down East in St Johns they are making Ontario jokes with McGuinty as the punchline.
Took him only two terms to go from economic powerhouse of Canada to Have Not Province status.
A truly Liberal legacy for a true Liberal Believer.
By
Anonymous, at 3:18 p.m.
McGuinty is set to break, not one, but two records for a provincial premier.
He's already managed to outspend Bob Rae. He now has to out-cut Mike Harris.
By
Brian Henry, at 9:40 a.m.
McGuinty didn't commission this report so much for political cover in the House. He did it for political cover around the Cabinet and Caucus tables.
Let's be honest...people who run as Liberals generally have their career in mind. Doing something that hurts and makes you unpopular is not on the cards for these people. With the exception of Dwight Duncan, McGuinty's crew did not go into provincial politics to cut, crush and burn.
He needs the clout of this report to get his colleagues to agree to support something that is not in their nature. Implement measures of this nature without a a sufficiently stern driver behind it? It's already been written about Cabinet's doubts re: the severity of the situation, before this report was even commissioned. The rank and file would have revolted.
It's McGuinty's version of Bob Rae's mid-nineties video on New Zealand's debt problem..
By
Marc formerly from soccer, at 2:51 p.m.
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