Notes from the campaign trail: Ontario the focus for leaders today

CP24.com
Sept. 9, 2015
by George Hoff

Is it all about Ontario? It sure seemed that way today.

The three leaders all woke up in southern Ontario and got to work selling their policies. Liberal Justin Trudeau was up first in downtown Toronto. Trudeau was in the new riding of Spadina-Fort York to back Adam Vaughan in his re-election bid. Vaughan replaced the NDP’s Olivia Chow in a by-election a year ago in the old Trinity-Spadina riding. After a failed run for mayor of Toronto Chow is back and wants to return to Ottawa. It should be an interesting riding to watch on election night. One early poll showed Chow giving Vaughan a good fight and the changed boundaries make it hard to predict the outcome. Like so many of the 416 races the Conservative party isn’t likely to be a factor in Spadina-York.

Trudeau is sharpening his attack on Harper accusing him of “fear mongering” and adding that using fear is “not the way to conduct an election.” Trudeau went on to say the NDP under Mulcair is no different and that Mulcair “is also trading on fear.” He then turned each and every question to his “change” mantra and reminded voters the “Liberal party is the only party to provide a concrete, hopeful” platform.

Trudeau’s message of the day was to improve public housing in Canada. As with every Liberal promise the underlying premise is that the Liberal party will make life better for Canadians. He continues to try to make the case that only the Liberals have a vision for what Canada can be. For Trudeau Mulcair is Harper light and he will have to cut programs to keep his balanced budget commitment.

Stephen Harper was in Welland in the riding of Niagara Centre, another of Ontario’s new ridings. He was welcomed to a mostly friendly sit down chat with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. In his introduction the President of the Chamber, Allan O’Dette, said all the leaders had been invited to a similar discussion but only Harper accepted the invitation. Minutes later the Ontario Chamber of Commerce corrected the boss with a tweet that the Liberals and NDP have not yet declined. Both the NDP and Liberals tell me that negotiations for their leaders to appear at a similar event are on-going.

The ever so friendly, respectful pro-business discussion had Harper hitting long home runs from the soft lobs tossed his way. He also was quick to roll out the economic fear factor again. At the opening of the session Harper reminded his audience and the cameras that “There are two contrasting visions. The other guys are proposing massive increases in spending. It’s an underlying ethic that is extremely hostile to business.” Later Harper went at it again. “Let me be blunt on this one ... iif we get an NDP or Liberal government that will be a disaster for Ontario,” he said. Harper was pressed on improving Canada’s manufacturing sector. Harper said his government continues to work with the private sector to improve the manufacturing sector.

Tom Mulcair was in the riding of Niagara Falls not far from Harper and in the riding next door to Niagara Centre. This has all the markings of a safe Conservative seat. Rob Nicholson won with more than 50% of the vote in 2011.

The manufacturing sector was also on Mulcair’s agenda today. He promised an NDP government would work with the auto sector to fund incentives that will create new jobs. The NDP campaign then rolled east to Peterborough and another Conservative held riding. The Conservatives won the riding easily in 2011. For this election the Conservatives have a new candidate after the incumbent, Dean del Mastro, was found guilty of three election violations. The NDP keep trying to signal that every Ontario riding is in play. The polls suggest the NDP is still lagging in Ontario and the GTA. The party knows it has to break through along the MacDonald-Cartier or 401 corridor to win a majority. It is still very unclear if the NDP will get the break it needs on October 19.

The debate on how to handle the refugee crisis is not going away. Today Barbara MacDougall, a former Conservative Immigration Minister wrote in the Globe and Mail, “Canadians are looking for a leader to lead - to express the sympathetic outpouring of Canadians and act upon them.” She ended by saying, “But it is still up to Stephen Harper to seize his moment.” And another provincial government, this time Saskatchewan, has committed money - $150,000- to help resettle refugees. Harper is sticking to his refugee lines as he continues to resist pressure from his own party’s alumni and from his opponents to ramp up Canada’s response.

The Green Party is the first party to release its platform. Elizabeth May was in Vancouver, her platform in hand, making a number of big promises and insisting that the plan is fully costed and her budget will be balanced. One sure headline is the Green promise to abolish university tuition by 2020. To pay for that and the other commitments the tax bite on large corporations would increase by four points to 19%. May called the election campaign a “carney side show” and said Canadians are tired of being “tricked and conned” by the other parties. May flies to Toronto and will be at CP24 to talk to Stephen LeDrew about the Green Party platform Thursday night at 8 p.m.