July 10, 2014 - Vol. 3 No. 50
In the Legislature
Throne Speech Outlines Program for
Majority Government
Toronto, March 22, 2014. Rally and March at
Ontario Liberal Party
AGM shortly before the provincial election was
called,
protests Liberal government's brutal austerity agenda.
In
the Legislature
• Throne Speech Outlines Program for Majority
Government
• Justifying More Arbitrary Powers for the
Executive to "Protect the Public Interest"
• Wynne as Challenger to Harper
• Push to Get First Nations to Voluntarily
Accept Monopolies' Demands
• PCs Name Interim Leader
• Note to
Readers
In the Legislature
Throne Speech Outlines Program for
Majority Government
The Throne Speech of the Wynne Liberal majority
government was delivered on July 3 by outgoing Lieutenant-Governor
David Onley. The speech was entitled "Building Ontario Up."
The Liberals asserted that the results of the election
show that Ontarians want government to be a "force for good." This is
made synonymous with an "activist" government which intervenes to push
its agenda forward. This is all to be done from a "centrist" approach
which is said to mean being fiscally responsible
but socially progressive.
Adrian Morrow, writing in the Globe and Mail
described it in the following way:
"It's a term Ms. Wynne has used several times since her
majority win and it appears again near the start of the speech. The
term is effectively meant to balance Ms. Wynne's central raison d'etre
as a politician -- to bring in major new policies, the 'activist' part
-- with her acknowledgement of her party's essential
centrism. Her election was in large part won by putting together a big
tent coalition from leftists in downtown Toronto to moderates in the
suburbs, and she is signalling that she will try to appeal to all
factions as Premier. Besides her major policy moves, she is trying to
position herself as fiscally responsible, prepared
to balance the budget in three years."
The Throne Speech described it this way: "[...] by
convening people first, instead of directing them. It [government] will
not invite your questions only after decisions are taken, but as
decisions are made. Your government will put evidence before ideology
and choose partnership over partisanship. This is how
your government will solve the challenges we face as individuals, as
communities, as businesses and as a province."
According to the Throne Speech, because the Liberals ran
in the election using their budget as their platform, their election
means Ontarians affirmed this "activist" role for the government.
"Since it last addressed this chamber from the throne,
your government invited all Ontarians into an open discussion that has
shaped a plan for our province's future. It is a way forward that
promises more opportunity and builds more security for all Ontarians in
this 21st century economy. [...]
"With this plan, your
government asked you to affirm the
positive role it can play. My fellow Ontarians, by putting in place a
stable government with a practical plan to help you succeed, you have
given your answer. You have entrusted your government to be a force for
good -- a full and active participant in
your communities and in your lives."
The fact that 47.9 per cent of the electorate did not
vote or only 20 per cent of eligible voters voted for Liberals is not
considered cause for concern by the Liberals and their
desire to move on their agenda.
Based on this supposed
affirmation by the electorate,
the government announced that it will now move swiftly to impose its
budget and any other measures it claims it promised during the
election. "As promised, the legislative assembly was called back just
20 days after the provincial election. And provided
that the debate on this speech from the throne is completed, on July
14, your government will reintroduce the budget originally tabled in
this chamber on May 1 and ask that the assembly move quickly to pass
it."
Measures in the budget include spending $130 billion on
new infrastructure projects. This includes up to $15 billion in the
Greater Toronto and Hamilton area for transit and transportation and
another almost $14 billion in "other parts of the province." It also
includes a new "Ontario Pension Plan" which will pool billions of
dollars of workers' wages for government use. The budget also includes
the declaration that "the deficit" will be paid by 2017-18, that there
will be no investments in public programs for compensation increases
for the workers who deliver them, and an increase in income tax for
those earning more than $150,000 per year.
The presentation of the Throne Speech was preceded by a
threat by Moody's Investors Service, the credit rating agency hired by
the big international moneylenders to threaten countries and the likes
of the province of Ontario if they do not deliver what the moneylenders
want. Its threat to the Wynne government was that it would change the
province's "debt outlook" from stable to negative, if it did not
deliver on budget promises. It nonetheless maintained the province's
current credit rating since the moneylenders are in fact raking in a
killing off the debt servicing on Ontario's public debt.
"The expected path to balance and stabilization of the
debt burden, in our opinion, faces greater challenges than before,"
Michael Yake, Moody's "lead analyst for Ontario," said in a statement.
"The required revenue growth ... and necessary operating expense
control to achieve fiscal targets will require a considerable shift
from recent trends," the statement added.
Far from protesting the moneylenders' instructions to
commit to an austerity budget, Finance Minister and former RBC banker
Charles Sousa responded stating only that: "The bankers aren't freaking
[out] here, what has happened is the degree of revenue has not met
expectations, that's really the issue."
This demand to "increase revenue" reveals the problems
the government is facing to raise investment capital and its
desperation to get this fraudulent pension plan going so as to defraud
the workers into providing a pool of capital it can use to pay for its
infrastructure and other projects. Stephen Harper in committing to
build the Detroit Bridge in June 2012 went so far as to finance the
private part of the partnership with $2.5 billion in public funds. Is
this what the Liberal government also intends to do while it imposes
austerity on the working people and freezes social programs?
Justifying More Arbitrary Powers for the Executive to
"Protect the Public Interest"
The Throne Speech, as well
as recent remarks by Premier Wynne, indicate that one part of the
government's program will be to use its majority to usurp more
executive powers. These powers are used to make sure no public
authority remains which can interfere with the demands of the
monopolies for all the assets of society to be put at their disposal.
The current use of these powers is to deprive locally elected bodies of
their authority, especially when they do not fall in line with
government dictate. This is consistent with the Premier's post-election
remarks on the public transit projects her government favours in
Toronto.
Speaking about the municipal election in Toronto, Wynne
stated: "I assume that all of the candidates that are running
understand that building transit in Toronto and beyond is an important
part of our economic growth and our community's well-being."
"We will work with municipalities, but I sincerely hope
that whoever is the Mayor of Toronto ... will work with us in a
collaborative way to make the best decisions for their residents."
In other words, those who
oppose the Liberals' program for public transit are being set up as not
working collaboratively and "in the best interest of residents."
The flip side of this push for such projects will no
doubt be the call to give the Premier the power to impose austerity in
the public sector if workers refuse to accept it so that Ontario's
"future prosperity," said to be linked to the infrastructure projects,
is not threatened.
This is similar to the way the Harper government
threatens all those who stand in its way claiming that the opposition
of First Nations and workers to government dictate "threatens Canada's
recovery" and that government requires more arbitrary powers to ensure
this doesn't happen. Smashing the public authority is all done in the
name of serving the public interest!
The Wynne government is re-introducing legislation from
the session before the election that will give the Accountability
Officer many more powers
over locally-elected boards and councils. The speech also indicates
that the
newly-created President of the Treasury Board position will
oversee all labour relations between the government and the Ontario
public service and broader public service. The Throne Speech says:
"To ensure that the government stays on track to reach
its fiscal targets, your government has created the new position of
President of the Treasury Board. The President of the Treasury Board
will work closely with the Minister of Finance, the Premier, Treasury
Board members, and cabinet, and be responsible
for overseeing labour relations between the government and the Ontario
Public Service and broader public sector. In this capacity, the
president will lead your government's oversight of Crown agencies,
boards and commissions, and through action and deed, lead the
government towards more accountability, openness
and modernization. With the new President of the Treasury Board, your
government will stay on a path to balance that protects vital public
services."
Under McGuinty the position of Minister of Finance and
Chair of Management Board/Treasury Board were merged. Most of the
previous day-to-day responsibilities of the Chair of Management Board
were transferred to the new Ministry of Government Services along with
those for Human Resources formerly
under the Premier and Consumer and Business Services, formerly a
stand-alone ministry. Under McGuinty, the Chair of the Board was Greg
Sorbara. Under Wynne, former Minister of Health and London North Centre
MPP Deb Matthews was Chair of the Treasury Board and has now become its
President.
The Treasury Board not only oversees the public service
but is also the chief regulatory agency of government. Within the
Harper government the President of the Treasury Board is Tony Clement.
He has used his powers to write regulations and issue orders to
criminalize workers, and has recently been given
much broader arbitrary powers to deny workers' ability to refuse unsafe
working conditions. This position has also been at the centre of
bringing in new arrangements to streamline Canadian regulations with
those of the United States as part of the annexationist arrangement
known as the Canada-U.S. Security Perimeter.
Wynne as Challenger to Harper
Another theme in the Throne Speech is the notion that
Wynne and the Liberal majority will defend Ontarians from the Harper
government. This is in fact a kind of turf warfare -- an inter-monopoly
tussle for control of resources to sell on the global market.
"On all matters of both
national and provincial
significance, your government will stand up for the people of Ontario
in calling for leadership and partnership from the federal government.
But understand: in the absence of a willing federal partner, Ontario
will do what is right and necessary. Ontario will lead."
It appears to be an
extension of the Liberals' strategy in the Ontario election to divert
public attention and opposition to their attacks on rights by using the
"extremism" of Hudak, and now Harper to hide the Liberals' fervent
defence of monopoly right and push for more arbitrary powers to do so.
Most notably,
this was pushed on the issues of pensions, transfer payments and
development of the Ring of Fire. In this way Ontarians are supposed to
get behind the Liberals' program to enrich the monopolies in contention
with that of the Harper government, rather than establish their own
independent framework for affirming
their rights as they have been able to do in by-elections and to an
extent in the general election, in preparation for a coming federal
election.
The government indicates that despite the budget not
even being passed, it is already moving to implement its Ontario
Pension Plan. In this way the Liberals are showing that they are keen
to sideline the Legislature, just as Harper has done in the House of
Commons and Senate, claiming a mandate to defend
the "public interest" and that any debate or discussion will get in the
way.
"Your government has
already
begun work to create an independently
managed Ontario Retirement Pension Plan," the Throne Speech says. "With
the co-operation of this
House, it will provide Ontarians an additional annual pension payout
similar to that of the Canada
Pension Plan. Michael Nobrega, former CEO
of the Ontario Municipal
Employees Retirement System will lead implementation of the plan.
Because this is a national issue, as Ontario moves forward to secure a
better pension for your retirement, your government will continue to
work with the other provinces," the Throne Speech adds.
Concerning development of
the Ring of Fire the
government states: "Your government will continue its efforts to bring
the federal government to the table as a willing and active partner,
and will seek a matching federal commitment to seize the opportunity
for Ontario and Canada that lies in the Ring of Fire."
Another indication of the turf warfare with the federal
power is that the Ontario Liberals say they will embark on their own
trade
missions, in particular to Asia. "Ontarians know that in the global
competition for investment, government needs to be a partner with
business. Your government will partner by pursuing more trade missions,
because increased exports are the clearest path to
sustainable, continuous economic growth. This will include trade
missions led by the Premier to other countries, including China, this
fall."
Push to Get First Nations to Voluntarily Accept
Monopolies' Demands
In the Throne Speech the
government made a big fuss
about being a willing partner with First Nations. The main focus of
this was not to right past wrongs and modernize the relations between
the government and First Nations on the basis of a recognition of the
hereditary rights of First Nations and their status
as sovereign nations, but on the basis of getting their buy-in for
development of their lands and resources, in particular in the Ring of
Fire. The Throne Speech, read by Lieutenant Governor David Onley, says:
"In my introductory
remarks, I acknowledged, as your government often does, that we are
gathered on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New
Credit. To give full meaning to these words, they must see expression
in the practice, policies and actions of your government. That is why
your government
will build on the success of the historic Matawa Regional Framework
Agreement. Your government will continue increasing opportunities for
Aboriginal Peoples through relationships that are built on respect and
partnership."
The Framework Agreement specifically relates to the
development of the Ring of Fire. On March 26, there was a framework
agreement signed between Ontario and the nine First Nations in the
Matawa Tribal Council on whose lands the Ring of Fire sits. This was a
requirement set by the First Nations concerned
as a first step in a community-based negotiation process which began in
July 2013.
This framework agreement set "ground rules" for further
negotiations, including on matters of environmental assessment, revenue
sharing and other issues. It was negotiated by Bob Rae for the Tribal
Council and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Frank
Iacobucci on behalf of Ontario.
With "ground rules" now in place the issue becomes
whether the government will "permit" First Nations to say No! to
development which would not be in their interest and that of all
Canadians. Based on the experience of First Nations with the Liberal
government, for example in Grassy Narrows, clearly affirming
their hereditary or any other rights is not a principle.
PCs Name Interim Leader
On July 2 when the Legislature opened, Tim Hudak's
resignation as PC Leader came into effect. PC MPPs have elected
Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson as interim leader to replace Hudak. Wilson
was the mover of some of the anti-worker legislation introduced in the
Legislature by the PCs the last several years,
including the Public Sector Capacity to Pay Act, 2013.
Wilson said the party has to rebuild. He characterized
the rebuilding as going from a party that attacks people to one that is
"progressive." Wilson said the party has been "attacking people for a
decade and in my heart and my caucus colleagues' hearts we are not that
kind of people . . . we are going to be Progressive
Conservatives. We like everybody."
Reflecting the state of the PC Party and the party
system generally and the negation of the role of elected MPPs in
decision making, Wilson said that many of the decisions made by Hudak,
including his proposal to eliminate 100,000 public sector jobs, did not
involve the party caucus. "We have had a period,
about a decade, where caucus has felt badly disenfranchised, that they
really haven't had a say in the major decisions ... given policies that
they were asked to sell that probably weren't even popular in their own
ridings," he said.
Despite this sentiment, right away the issue for the
party is being made choosing a new leader. A related issue that has
broken out is how quickly a new leader will be selected, with reports
that some want a quick process in order to start "renewal now" while
others favour a longer process of "renewal." Wilson
is said to favour an earlier transition to a new leader. Whitby-Osahwa
MPP Christine Elliott announced that she will run for the leadership of
the party. She is the widow of former federal Finance Minister Jim
Flaherty who was also Finance Minister in the Harris provincial
government. She finished third in the 2009
PC leadership race won by Hudak. Her early announcement, before the
dust from the election has even settled, is being reported as giving
her the early advantage over rivals.
Others who have indicated an interest are MPPs Lisa
MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton), Monte McNaughton (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex)
and Vic Fedeli (Nipissing), while other Harper government cabinet
Ministers have also not ruled out running, including head of the
Treasury Board Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka),
Minister of Labour Lisa Raitt (Halton) and MP Patrick Brown (Barrie).
Note to Readers
Ontario Political Forum
will publish irregularly during the summer and re-start regular
publication Thursday, September 4. Please continue to send in your
reports and views so that together we can ensure that the
independent voice of the working class takes its place in the politics
of
Ontario.
The editorial and technical team of OPF wishes all its
readers a safe summer.
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