A Brief Comment from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
While Ontario Liberal Party supporters reveled in this June 12ths majority government win for their party, and however number of other voters just sounded relief that the Tim Hudak Tories did not win, Hudak supporters are now living through their own ‘Heart of Darkness’ version of “the horror.”
In the last half day since Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals swept to victory with a surprising majority rather than the minority seats they hoped they might win to form a government, I’ve had a number of Hudak supporters email me with comments to the effect that this will send Ontario down the drain hole when it comes to over-spending, deficits and so on. One commenter that had the courage to share their real first and last name with Niagara At Large (as per our site’s comment policy) described Wynne’s big win as a “recurring nightmare.
Possibly no front page in an Ontario newspaper depicted the upset and anger of Hudak supporters and Liberal opponents more than the following one w are posting below. Check it out and share your views by following the link below it.
Just as a footnote here, there are more than a few Hudak Tea Party Tories out there that want to blame the so-called mainstream media for spinning false information about Hudak and company that contributed to their defeat. And that is a crock. Of the three major papers in Greater Toronto Area alone, the National Post endorsed a Hudak government, The Globe and Mail editorialized for a “Conservative Minority, The Toronto Sun has Hudak a full-throated endorsement, and only The Toronto Star editorialized for a Liberal government.
So much for thebig, bad mythical ‘liberal media’ ganging up against conservatives. Frankly, this journalist always wondered where this liberal media was. If it existed, I might still have a job working for a newspaper in one of your communities.
(Now it is your turn to weigh in just so long as you have the courage to share your first and last name with your comments. That is our policy – full accountability for news and views posted here.)
Niagara At Large 
In the 2011 election Hudak managed to turn a victory into a defeat and during the run up to this election his tea party type rhetoric and hidden agenda scared hell out of the common taxpayers and once again Victory was turned into a horrid Defeat.
The far, very far Right Wing Agenda does not fly in Canada as we watch and watched the bitter hatred that has polarized the United States…,..Thus fear became action and the Liberals were the benefactors of this fear in the form of scare voters.
The NDP were slow off the mark where as they should have had a pre- arranged plan or a platform that met the approval of all factions within the party., it actually looked like they were grasping at straws with a new straw coming about from day to day. or periodically from time to time. pathetically unorganized and ill prepared.
Just saying
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I have mixed emotions about the election results. To be honest, in the back of my mind I kind of hoped no one would vote at all!
I lean slightly to the right on the political spectrum – what some would call a red Tory. In the past, that made me a Progressive Conservative. Tim Hudak has turned that into the Regressive Conservative Party. It is my sincere hope that the ultra-right-wing faction that took control of the PC party realizes the election loss (and dropping 10 seats from the previous election) is the direct result of their ill-advised (some would say idiotic) push for a small-minded, mean-spirited government.
To his credit, Hudak did the right thing and has resigned. I hope the party hierarchy take time to seriously analyze where they went wrong – the voters were not wrong – the party was wrong! The last two leaders of the PCs have self-destructed in the midst of election campaigns. John Tory shot himself in the foot with his comments about providing public funds for private religion-based schools. Tim Hudak shot himself in the foot with the 100,000 firings.
I certainly hope Kathleen Wynne lives up to her commitment to clean things up within her caucus. She is going to shuffle her cabinet and there are a few that should be dumped. Unfortunately, she will keep Deb Matthews because she chaired the election campaign. She has been ineffective in cleaning up the mess at MOH, started by the Tories and then taken further by McGuinty and Smitherman.
Can Wynne really clean things up? I, and I am sure, many others, will be watching closely.
As for the NDP, for the third election in a row, I held my nose and voted for the New Democrat candidate in my riding (Ancaster, Flamborough, Dundas, Westdale) simply because I felt of the three main candidates, she was the least objectionable. I came within a few seconds of actually declining my ballot, but at the last second thought that would be less effective than voting NDP.
I was a long-time supporter of the NDP, but have come to realize the New Democrats are best at opposition. A strong NDP can help keep the government, whether Liberal or Conservative, in check somewhat.
All in all, the election results were a surprise, but it could have been much worse for the people of Ontario.
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Wynne won’t be able to keep her promises, as few politicians do. More strain will now be put on the dear old Conservative federal government to assist in Ontario’s bailout. Mr. Hudak was the architect of his own destruction, blabbing too much about his intentions with specific numbers which were perceived as a threat to many people’s livelihood. The massive reactionary lobbies against him was a huge gift for the Liberals, who surely would’ve floundered had Hudak said absolutely nothing. This outcome seems unjustified from the standpoint of the seeming reward for an irresponsible and deceptive government, which has now been handed the mandate of a virtual blank cheque by the people of Ontario who’ve been having a tough enough time coping as it is. It certainly doesn’t bode well for Niagara and Fort Erie, unless the medical marijuana facility flourishes and more spin-off jobs are created. We may as well get used to the facts of life under this administration, with increased provincial and municipal taxes, along with higher utility costs, leading the way.
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Will
You and I are basically in step with Doug and a realistic society with a foundation steeped in honesty, truth and yes even forgiveness.
“BUT” I do hope that Madam Wynne realizes it was not voter confidence that gave her the majority but fear of the agenda of the Regressive Conservatives under the present ideology of anger and bitterness.My late uncle was a die hard “PROGRESSIVE” Conservative who hated the very ground Mulroney walked on after he introduced “FREE” trade into an equation that saw Canada literally give its soul to the U..S. (Forty pieces of Silver?)
There is a novel written by David Orchard under the title “The Fight for Canada” this novel is probably one of the most concise historical outline of the fight to keep Canada free and sovereign. (The Liberals for and the Progressive Conservatives against integration)
I have written this so damn often but the SON of a “Progressive” Conservative from Nova Scotia, Elmer MacKay must have turned over to see Peter MacKay sell his soul to Stephen Harper and that spelled the end of an old and to some venerated “PROGRESSIVE” Conservative Party.
When you coined the phrase “REGRESSIVE” you were in truthful mode for the “Conservatives are now a very bitter and hateful group of wanna be and if they ever get the mantle as Harper has God help the peoples of Ontario and of Canada. Sorry if I seem to be rambling on but truth does that sometimes for I have Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren
who will have to cope in the future….
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Great picture. I’m astounded that the Sun is referred to as a newspaper, it’s more commonly called Fox News(?) of the North. That the Sun chose to endorse Hudak was only one more reason not to vote for him. It’s simply entertaining.
I have to wonder how much the federal Con regressive policies, secretive dealings, silencing of entire sectors, damaging trade deals, not providing receipts for $3.1 Billion, proroguing parliament when it suits, and slams against democratic process, have damaged provincial elections and Con reputations everywhere.
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