"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Dalon Resigns

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What Does The Cancer Society Do With It All?":

Dalton Resigns


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I didn't see that coming.
The jackpot was obvious.
The problem was created when  the gas generating  plants  were cancelled  on the eve of the  last election, to hold on to a seat. 
I could not believe he did that. 
In the previous election he committed to closing down the coal-fired generating plants to keep a seat. 
There were valid arguments but it was still not completely kosher .
Everybody who knows anything about contracts , knows  they can't be cancelled at that stage. . 
Well they can But if  they are, the cost is the same as if they are built.
In effect we would spend the money and still not have  the generating capacity. It would have to be spent again. 
The decision was bound  to come back and bite him.
It did. 
The government was  slow to produce the numbers. 
The heat did not go away. Not like the money and the gas generating plants.
First we heard $40 million .
Then $164 million. 
Then we heard of a motion  against them for Contempt of the  House for refusing to divulge  information. 
At the week-end we heard of 40,000 documents which had been with-held and a new figure of $650 million.
We heard Minister of Energy,Chris Bentley had apologized to the House.But we knew Chris Bentley was not to blame.
We knew the Bill  dealing with public service workers  wages  was not getting Conservative support.
It was too far forward to draw back. 
The Circumstances called for  an election. 
With sixty thousand teachers on the campaign trail  with Sid Ryan's giant-killer public service workers, an election now would not present as a good risk. 
The Premier had to fall on his sword but do it gracefully. 
He  didn't. 
He prorogued the house. 
He said he wanted to spend time with his family. They all say that.
After nineteen years, nine as Premier, he said  it was time for fresh thinking.
He couldn't see his way out. 
Everybody else said he is a very nice man. 
I believe that.  He is so nice he couldn't say no to the pressure group in Missuassaga, Hazel McCallion's fiefdom.
Hazel was the one to demand the coal-fired generating plants be shut down  before there was a plan for replacement.  
So............. another one bites the dust.
In the cloud that rises, the future is far from clear.   

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The man does have a full pension. But, I agree with you. He was facing huge problems about responsibility for what happened on his watch. The Air Ambulance problem set everything else in motion. Kinsella says he wants to run against Trudeau for the leadership. Personally I think it would be a mistake but his ' team ' think it's his for the taking.

Anonymous said...

I should know, but do not. Does Dalton have decent French? If he is considering running to lead a national party, he really needs both languages.

Anonymous said...

Would it be possible to put the two generating plants back on line? Perhaps something could be saved after all that money has been paid out? Everything is so confused that I can't figure out who will be running that place. Hudak has issued a couple of weird ' manifestos ' and the NDP is an unknown to me. What a mess! So far, no Liberal name has been offered but it is not likely they will get a chance to make amends - for years.

Anonymous said...

I saw Kathleen Wynne on The Agenda (TVO) last night and of all the names touted as possible contenders for the liberal leadership I think mymoney would go on her. She was there to speak to aboriginal issues as that is part of her current portfolio but all her allotted time could not slipby without being asked about her interest - or not - in running for the leadership. She has held several large, high profile ministerial portfolios and I think she has done a pretty decent job, not the least of which is to avoid scandal under her watch. Unlike George Smitherman and the e-health scandal; Deb Matthews and the Ornge scandal; Laurel Broton and the "removal of the right to collective bargaining by the unions involved in education" scandal.
Ms. Wynne alwayscomes across to me as beingintelligent, well-informed, articulateand sensible.
I amnot a liberal and never have been but if I were, I would support her.