By Doug Draper
Tim Hudak has used his pulpit as Ontario’s Conservative Party leader to aim a hard punch from the right at the Liberal government’s Niagara Falls backbencher Kim Craitor, accusing him in an April 9 media release of being “powerless and isolated” within his party’s caucus.
“Craitor admitted he was ‘caught by surprise’ by the decision not to reappoint (Larry) Iggulden (the now-gone Niagara Regional Police Services board chairman) and ‘disappointed’ that nobody in the premier’s or minister’s office bothered to inform him in advance of this controversial and highly political move,” states the media release from Hudak’s office with reference to news earlier this April that the Liberal government had decided not to reappoint Iggulden to the board.
“The decision to freeze Craitor out of the decision to block Iggulden’s reappointment is just the latest sign that, even within the McGuinty government, Craitor is already viewed as having one foot out the door of his MPP responsibilities as he prepares for a potential run for mayor (of Niagara Falls).”
“This is unbelievable,” said Craitor during an interview with Niagara At Large shortly after the media release went into circulation. “I am wondering why he (Hudak) is saying this (and) as far as the suggestion that I have no influence or say with the premier and the party, that is an outright lie.”
Craitor said he has “never been frozen out” by the premier or caucus and that if he has to, he can provide the media and people in his constituency a long, detailed list of all the funding and other supports he’s helped bring to a riding (encompassing Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie) for the past seven years. But he said he hopes his record speaks for itself and that is not necessary.
As far as ongoing rumors that Craitor, a Niagara Falls city councillor for years before he was elected MPP, may run for mayor of Niagara Falls in this October’s municipal elections, he said he still hasn’t made a final decision on that score. But he wonders if Hudak may be hoping he leaves provincial politics for a mayoralty race because he’s concerned Craitor would win a third term as the MPP in the Niagara Falls riding if he chooses to go that route.
Another possibility, and Craitor didn’t want to share in speculating on this one during our interview, is that Hudak and his Conservatives may be concerned that if Craitor runs for mayor, he may be a strong candidate in a race against the current mayor and longtime Conservative Party member Ted Salci, should Salci decide to run for mayor again. In that event, it might help Salci if a little sand was kicked in Craitor’s face or if voters are at least given the impression he has little or no standing with a provincial government any mayor would have to work with on the city’s behalf.
There is also the possibility that Hudak’s missive was a bit of retaliation for a story that appeared earlier the same day in some of the daily newspapers in the region under a headline that read: “Hudak no ‘saviour’ when it comes to health care, Craitor says.”
That story quotes Craitor questioning why Hudak is speaking out against hospital service cuts and the Local Health Integration Network (a provincially appointed body that responsibility in deciding on hospital and other health care plans in Niagara) now when he could have spoken out against an amalgamation of hospitals in the region that led to the cuts while he was cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris a decade ago.
“I have no problem with Tim playing his role. He is the opposition,” said Craitor in an interview with Niagara At Large, “but when it comes to health care, it just seems kind of late to me. What I am saying (to Hudak) is you had a chance to stand up (10 years ago when he was a cabinet minister and his Conservative government established the Niagara Health System as an amalgamation of hospitals in Niagara). … A case was made then for keeping the West Lincoln hospital out of the NHS and letting it stand alone. An equally strong case could have been made for keeping Fort Erie’s hospital out of the NHS. ….
Hudak “never spoke out or criticized at the time, when it could have made a difference,” said Craitor. “He just towed the party line.”
Craitor told Niagara At Large that when has attended events in the Fort Erie end of his Niagara Falls riding over the past six and a half years, people have continuously approached him, asking why services are being cut at their local hospital and why the NHS has pulled equipment out of a hospital that their community helped pay for. He said he’s done his share of complaining about the NHS and LHIN too, and has sometimes criticized his own government for not doing enough to address the concerns of residents in his constituency.
But Craitor said people should also remember that the NHS was launched before he was elected MPP and while Hudak was in cabinet and still the provincial representative for the Fort Erie area. Craitor said he still has flyers Hudak circulated to people in the Fort Erie area at the time the NHS was being created saying the amalgamation would be good for them because it would protect their health services and save them money.
For the record, Niagara At Large is posting the entire media release from Hudak’s office. It is included below.
April 9, 2010
Dalton McGuinty Freezes Kim Craitor out of Decision on Niagara Regional Police Services Board
News
Dalton McGuinty’s decision to leave Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitor in the dark about his decision to block the re-appointment of Niagara Regional Police Services Board Chairman Larry Iggulden further confirms how powerless and isolated Craitor has become within the Liberal Caucus.
Craitor admitted he was “caught by surprise” by the decision not to reappoint Iggulden and “disappointed” that nobody in the Premier’s or Minister’s office bothered to inform him in advance of this controversial and highly political move.
The decision to freeze Craitor out of the decision to block Iggulden’s re-appointment is just the latest sign that, even within the McGuinty Government, Craitor is already viewed as having one foot out the door of his MPP responsibilities as he prepares for a potential run for Mayor.
Quotes
“Dalton McGuinty’s decision to keep Kim Craitor in the dark about the firing of Larry Iggulden is the clearest evidence yet that the McGuinty Liberals have written off both Craitor as well as Niagara Falls.”
— Gerry Martinuk, Ontario PC MPP for Cambridge
“Kim Craitor cannot even get Dalton McGuinty to return his phone calls as a member of the Liberal Caucus. What makes him think he would be treated any better as mayor?”
— Gerry Martinuk, Ontario PC MPP for Cambridge
Quick Facts
- On Monday, March 29, Niagara Regional Police Services Board Chairman Larry Iggulden was informed that the McGuinty Government was blocking his reappointment to the Board. Iggulden’s ouster came despite his receiving a vote of confidence from the Board to continue as chair.
- Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitior has admitted he was “disappointed” that he was left in the dark about the decision to block Iggulden’s reappointment saying “”I thought he had been doing a good job. I was really caught by surprise when he wasn’t (reappointed).” (Niagara Falls Review, April 3, 2010)
- “Confirmation of Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor’s lightweight stature in government came with news he was miffed no one from the ministry bothered to tell him Iggulden was out.” (DOUG HEROD; St. Catharines Standard, April 7 2010)
- In January Craitor was caught picking up municipal nomination papers at Niagara Falls City Hall (January 20, 2010)
(Click on www.niagaraatlarge for Niagara At Large and more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
I remember when Hudak was a mere back bencher in the Harris Government. That was when I was on the Niagara District Health Council from 1992-1998. We were the scapegoats for the dismantling of the Niagara health services as we were told we had to trim something like $30 milli0n from the operating budget. By the time the deed was done, Hudak had been elevated to a cabinet position. He had been encountering a huge backlash over the Harris cuts to the health services as well as social services. The rural hospital policy was adopted at the time as a “save” for the Harris Government. Be careful Tim. Some of us have long memories.
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Mr . Craitor you are the better man on this health issue and there is the old saying – what goes comes around. Mr Hudak is the real culprit and ailed terribly on this issue. You can always hold your head high. You have taken bold steps and stand proud!
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Kim Craitor has backed us in our fight for health care, openly spoke out for us and welcomed the Yellow Shirt Brigade as Friends, when we attended the Legislature Question and Answer period as guests of Andrea Horwath. He also answers our calls and letters personally, no matter what our personal political affiliation.
As I keep saying: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO STARTED THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM – IT IS WHO STOPS IT THAT COUNTS.
Joy Russell – Yellow Shirt Brigade
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Though I am not a fan of either of these two, Craitor or Hudak I find Hudak to be rather inane and forgetful in his attempt to tar anyone with a brush of infamy. For it is my opinion that the Leader of the Conservatives is self serving and cares little about the electorate who he is suppose to represent ….Past history.
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If every Politician in the Southern Tier had the political will and sense of justice that Kim Craitor has, we might still have our Hospitals intact.The NHS managed to divide and conquor. Instead of defiance our politicians chose negotiations and we all know what the famous agreement left us with….or more to the point..without.
Come to Fort Erie, Kim, and choose whatever office you want to be elected to and we will welcome you and your integrity.
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Craitor’s lack of influence should come as no surprise.
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I agree with many of the above statements. Mr. Craitor has been the only government individual with the guts and compassion to stand up against his party’s constant stream of platitudinous propaganda in spite of possible (and probable) repercussions. Admittedly he is somewhat rstrained by his position but such is the practice in today’s politics. Independence and true representation of constituents is next to impossible because if you don’t tow the party line you are ostracized. Political parties as such should be abolished and all members should be independents. That way we could hopefully eliminate the strong arm, goon tactics at least to some degree. If the local constituents are not satisfied, have a by-election and get rid of them without disrupting the whole government.
As for Mr. Hudak, he has made a fine living off the public purse all of his adult life and accomplished nothing of value to show for it considering that he claims, as did his mentor Mr. Harris, that the private sector should take precedence over the public sector. If so, why has he avoided like the plague working in the private sector? God forbid he should ever work for minimum wage while pursuing his truly altruistic course in life! While he speaks about the terrible things being done by the current government I cannot recall him presenting the viable alternatives that he will put forward. Will he restore the health care system to what it was prior to 1995 and the Harris government’s dismantling campaign? I know he won’t. Harris said he would resign if his cuts hurt the public. Never happened. How about Walkerton and Dudley George? Those incidents were full of compassion weren’t they? Should we expect more compassion from “son of Harris”?Criticism is invalid unless you present realistic remedies to the complaints AND (this is the clincher) actually follow through. Hudak is a politician.That in itself invalidates anything he has to say as far as I’m concerned. Maybe if he is voted out in the near future he will actually have to work for the private sector that he claims to love so much. Sadly for us and happily for him, I’m sure one of his cronies will appoint him to some cushy post where he won’t have to break a nail.
Don’t open too many cans of worms Mr. Hudak for some of us DO have a memory of your past.
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Oops! I meant “toe” the party line. My bad!
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Tim who dat? Knocking a much better man (Kim Kraitor) than himself. Always tooting his own horn. Always coming in late to tout causes he’s habitually neglected. A retrogressive political hack. Dat’s who dat!
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Let’s all please remember the goal: accessible hospital services for ALL residents of Niagara. McGuinty’s Liberals have shown that they are very skilled when it comes to deflecting attention from the real issue. The PCs and the NDP were giving Matthews a hard time over the LHINs. Then Matthews produced the attack on pharmacies out of the box, and the question of the LHINs risks being sidelined as the Liberals pretend to give a damn about the cost of our drugs, mere months before they slaughter us with the HST. Craitor has certainly championed the cause of the smaller Niagara hospitals, no question, but his attack on Hudak fits neatly with his party’s ploy of deflecting heat from the LHINs. Hudak’s counter-attack is so clumsy that it is already backfiring. Yes, Mr. Craitor has shown considerable courage, but his efforts have not stopped the implementation of the HIP. So let’s leave these chaps to throw rocks at each other, shall we, and get back to the work of holding the government’s feet to the fire on hospital restructuring. Whether you like the players or not, that is the role of the opposition.
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You take the ‘high’ road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in … ? … afore ye.
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True Fiona. The political type are great at throwing stones and deflecting and distorting criticism with peripheral issues. With their control of the media they filter out what they don’t want the public to know. Who owns the media? Big corporations. Who has the most to lose? Big corporations. Who has the politicians in their pockets? Big corporations. The public has a short memory and a big capacity for apathy. What this country needs is a little more militancy. We, as a people, by and large take what is dished out and it’s time that stopped but how do you get people off their butts? How do you fight people who hold all the cards?Everybody complains but expects someone else to fix things! We are a complacent society and will only realize what we have lost after it’s gone.
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Please … let us keep Hudak’s party OUT … I am a fan of neither party, but if it comes down to the two men in this frazzle, at least Kim Craitor has stood up for his constituents. Most people have long memories and we certainly don’t want to bring back ghosts of Harris past.
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Mr.Hudak and Mr Kim Craitor should leave the tiny issues aside and rush to Queens Park to witness Dalton Mc Guinty is placing the final feather in his cap with the complete knockout of Ontarioscare
Happy Nurses Week from the house !
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