Dalton McGuinty: A Man Running Or On The Run?

I have to admit, I find the imagery extraordinarily pleasing.

Like a man on trial for criminal offences entering the courthouse via an underground passage to avoid the media glare, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty stole through the back door during a Wednesday evening stop at the campaign headquarters of Liberal lawyer Eric Davis, who is vying to give McGuinty his majority as he runs in the Kitchener-Waterloo byelection today.

Davis is trailing the NDP candidate badly, but that was not the reason for the premier's covert entrance. It was to avoid protesters out front angry at plans to privatize the Ontario Northland Transportation Corporation.

A photo showing an agitated electorate would not be consistent with the image the unflappable McGuinty likes to project of competent and trusted leadership.

It kind of reminds me of his school photo-op the other day, when he toured École élémentaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, whose teachers belong to a union that has settled its contract. The potential for unwanted publicity would have been too great had he made an appearance at a school whose teachers are members of either the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario or the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, given that their collective bargaining rights are being stripped away by McGuinty's government.

It is a fact, among many others, I suspect the voters of Kitchener-Waterloo will keep in mind as they cast their ballots today.

Thursday's Ontario Byelections -Updated

Compelling reasons to hope that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty does not secure his majority government via Thursday's byelections:

The Ornge scandal, and his refusal to appear before the Legislative committee to explain his role in it.

The $180 million taxpayers are on the hook for because McGuinty cancelled the gas-fired power plant under construction in Oakville in order to win the seat during the last general election.

His use of bribery to persuade Tory Liz Witmer to vacate her seat in Kitchener-Waterloo so he could hold a byelection for her seat.

His unnecessary and politically-motivated legislation that has robbed Ontario teachers of their collective-bargaining rights.

The Premier has amply demonstrated, from the above and a myriad of other acts, that he neither deserves nor can be trusted with a majority government.

UPDATES: Apparently Mr. McGuinty's refusal to come clean at the Ornge committee hearings is contagious.

Also, it seems like I am not the only one who doesn't believe he should achieve a majority government via unnecessary byelections.

Lisa Raitt Promises To Get The Trains Running

And will she promise to get them running on time?

Seismic Activity Reported In Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England

In one of the best examples of doublespeak I have encountered in a long time, Ontario Finance Minister had this to say about wage freezes and bargaining rights yesterday:

“Bargaining in good faith is not only the right choice to make, the Supreme Court of Canada requires it,” the finance minister said, emphasizing the goal is “not about demonizing teachers or nurses.”

“Where agreements cannot be reached that are consistent with the government’s plan to balance the budget . . . we are prepared to propose necessary administrative and legislative measures to protect the public from service disruptions — and also to protect jobs for teachers, education staff, and health-care workers,” he said.

High-placed Liberals insist that seismic disturbances detected in Sutton Courtney, Oxfordshire, the burial site of George Orwell, at the time of Duncan's announcement are mere coincidences.