Will Ontario minority mean compromise or confrontation?

[canada-man]

ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Friday Oct. 7, 2011 9:40 AM ET

Ontarians have elected a minority government to Queen's Park for the first time in 26 years, leaving the returning Liberals with a weaker legislative muscle.

Freshly re-elected leader Dalton McGuinty swept into office for a third time on Thursday evening, winning 53 seats in legislature.

"My friends, it's time to move forward together, to pull together with an Ontario Liberal government," he told a crowd of supporters shortly after his victory was declared.

But it's a bittersweet victory for McGuinty who campaigned on the hopes of a "three-peat" Liberal majority, which he needed one more seat to achieve.

Ontario hasn't had a minority government in close to three decades. Liberal David Peterson held the last one between 1985 and 1987.

It's unclear how the province's freshly split legislature will move forward, but at his victory party Thursday McGuinty appeared confident in his ability to carry out the Liberal mandate.

Amid chants of "four more years, four more years," he took a moment to congratulate his rivals PC Leader Tim Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath for "fighting hard" in their campaigns.

In the fresh minority government situation, McGuinty must work with opposition parties to get legislation passed.

Possibility of forced co-operation

While a power struggle seems inevitable, a political science professor said the split legislature could force parties to co-operate in the next session.

"One of the benefits of a split vote is we may actually have to see some co-operation and discussion between the parties,'' McMaster professor Peter Graefe told The Canadian Press.

Graefe adds that McGuinty may approach a minority government differently than Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper held the longest minority government in Canadian history before earning a hard-won majority last May. During his time as a minority leader, opposition parties threatened to bring Harper's government down over several issues.

"Not that McGuinty's necessarily the biggest consensus politician, but I don't think he will always be testing and trying to punish the opposition parties in the way Harper did and play games of brinkmanship,'' Graefe said.

McGuinty may even be able to find a Progressive Conservative to fill the speaker's chair in Queen's Park, said CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

Fife told CTV's Canada AM that some Tories may be unhappy with Hudak losing a double-digit lead during the election campaign.

Though the Liberals ultimately lost 19 seats, the election is still notable for McGuinty. It's only the second time in Ontario a Liberal premier has won three terms.

With files from The Canadian Press

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...follow-up-111007/20111007/?hub=TorontoNewHome

 

[Mervyn]

Initially compromise - as no party will want to call another election too soon, but as time goes on more and more confrontation will occur.

 

[danmand]

With a FPP election system, the best the voters can hope for is a minority government, which has to compromise.

 

[blackrock13]

With a FPP election system, the best the voters can hope for is a minority government, which has to compromise.

So the present system producing majority Ontario governments in 2003 and 2007 was a fluke? Gee, It can actually make total control harder to get. That's not a bad idea.

 

[omegaphallic]

Both. All parties will be under pressure to gain an edge, but there is counter pressure of having to get things done.

All have strenths and weaknesses.

Hudak's weakness is a lack of personal popularity and Urban weakness. TO rejected him hard. He has already promised to fight for TO in this minority, in the hopes of changing that next time. This is good news for Andrea as it will be a farther push on Dalton to serve cities better.

Andrea- I'm both disappointed and relieved. I'm disappointed that she didn't do better, there was very briefly a time that no one noticed that she was beating the liberals just after May 2 with 30 percent in one poll, but she did not exploit that opportunity by bringing attention to that poll. Other mistakes include over emphasising the HST cut at the expense of more intesesting promises that would have been far more useful in differinh herself from her foes. These are her uploading 50% of transit costs and remerging hydro into one company.

The funny thing is, if other provinces are any example we would have saved far more on hydro bills by that then the HST cut. Quebec with its proper public hydro system pays half, HALF! what we do and Manitoba pays LESS THEN HALF of what we pay. During the election campaign not emphasising this was her single greatest fuckup. One last thing, she needed better offense, like the sugar coated knife to the belly Jack dealt to both Iggy and Gilles. Its a skill she needs to aquire.
On the plus side she has gained massively in likablity and while that doesn't equal votes, it does make it more furtile territory in the future and makes you votes harder to steal.
She did well in the debates, but still needs more surgar covered knives, but otherwise she did well. The fact that she so improved from the North debate is a sign that she's a fast leaner. Just as importantly is that its a minority!!! Which will give her greater clout, exposer, and a quicker rematch. Part of what allowed jack and his team to hone thier skills was all those minorities.

Dalton- He pulled off the win, but more from resignation from voters and inexperienced foes then from anything his did as Premier. Both appear to be learning from that, so Dalton should expect a much stronger challenge from them next time so he'll have to plan for that.

 

[shakenbake]

So the present system producing majority Ontario governments in 2003 and 2007 was a fluke? Gee, It can actually make total control harder to get. That's not a bad idea.

often times, a minority government should ensure that all points of view are considered, and a more balanced government. Parties have to set aside hard ideologies to survive in power. However, as we know, that often does not happen and politics get in the way of governing. No single party is innocent of this. Let's hope for the best.

 

[shakenbake]

Both. All parties will be under pressure to gain an edge, but there is counter pressure of having to get things done.

All have strenths and weaknesses.

Hudak's weakness is a lack of personal popularity and Urban weakness. TO rejected him hard. He has already promised to fight for TO in this minority, in the hopes of changing that next time. This is good news for Andrea as it will be a farther push on Dalton to serve cities better.

Andrea- I'm both disappointed and relieved. I'm disappointed that she didn't do better, there was very briefly a time that no one noticed that she was beating the liberals just after May 2 with 30 percent in one poll, but she did not exploit that opportunity by bringing attention to that poll. Other mistakes include over emphasising the HST cut at the expense of more intesesting promises that would have been far more useful in differinh herself from her foes. These are her uploading 50% of transit costs and remerging hydro into one company.

The funny thing is, if other provinces are any example we would have saved far more on hydro bills by that then the HST cut. Quebec with its proper public hydro system pays half, HALF! what we do and Manitoba pays LESS THEN HALF of what we pay. During the election campaign not emphasising this was her single greatest fuckup. One last thing, she needed better offense, like the sugar coated knife to the belly Jack dealt to both Iggy and Gilles. Its a skill she needs to aquire.
On the plus side she has gained massively in likablity and while that doesn't equal votes, it does make it more furtile territory in the future and makes you votes harder to steal.
She did well in the debates, but still needs more surgar covered knives, but otherwise she did well. The fact that she so improved from the North debate is a sign that she's a fast leaner. Just as importantly is that its a minority!!! Which will give her greater clout, exposer, and a quicker rematch. Part of what allowed jack and his team to hone thier skills was all those minorities.

Dalton- He pulled off the win, but more from resignation from voters and inexperienced foes then from anything his did as Premier. Both appear to be learning from that, so Dalton should expect a much stronger challenge from them next time so he'll have to plan for that.

+1 You said it best!

 

[omegaphallic]

+1 You said it best!

Thanks.

 

[fuji]

Hopefully Dalton will show a little love to the GTA this time around, given that he appears to owe his career in politics to us.

Equally funny:

Ford has been going around saying that he would throw his support by whichever leader offered the most to Toronto, but when Andrea turned out to be the only one of the three that promised that Toronto would get the cash for his subway plan--not a peep from Ford.