Byelections fall like fairs and leaves across the province

Former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister of Canada John George Diefenbaker might have be right when paraphrased about polls being for the dogs, as the last couple provincial elections in Alberta and Québec had pollsters thrown for a loop, the last one projected the Ontario Grits and Tories being virtually tied in popularity. Yet everyone that I speak with in the social media circles believe more in the Greens, New Democrats, Bloc Québécois, even the old Reform Conservative Alliance fringe say they would vote back in that past brand again if given the choice of a chance at change. For our sakes, talking about the provincial byelections yesterday in Kitchener—Waterloo and Vaughan, where the current Dalton Mcguinty Liberal government in Toronto has become a whole lot more stable overnight than its previous teetered position as a minority.

Premier Mcguinty was able to keep Vaughan the Liberal bastion that elected former finance minister and party president Greg Sorbara way back in 2001, by running and electing Steven Delduca in his place, giving the Grits another seat in the Legislature for 54. In Kitchener—Waterloo, the previous stronghold of the Progressive Conservatives and home to former Deputy Premier of Ontario and education, environment, health and long term care and labour minister Elizabeth Witmer since 1990 back when it was Waterloo North, was shocked to its core when Catherine Fife and the New Democrats took control to raise its caucus seat count to 18. Obviously, this made the Ontario Progressive Conservatives and their leader Tim Hudak electoral losers again, once more humbled, humiliated and hindered politically to the point they could not keep a seat it had for years with Witmer and another at one point and time it had back in the days of Al Palladini and his reign over York Centre just after defeating Sorbara in 1995.

Questions abound for the Ontario Tories, who despite seeing the last days of Mcguinty styled leadership, can not seem to regain the groove it had with Mike Harris and his Common Sense Revolution or Bill Davis and his Big Blue Red Tory Machine, refusing to obey the historical rules of the party being to both work hard and bland works. These simple rules to peaceful tranquilized yet dependable management, public service and civic duty seemed to have been copied by the Mcguinty Liberals, but have slowly been ignored, abused and no longer followed a governmental protocol at Queen's Park, which has lead to what kind of situation we have today. Being bloody boring was the only way Mcguinty could win the last provincial general election for the Grits, however now the negative factors of complexity, chaos and a lack of command and control has really ensued and taken on a life of its own since, this only happens when there is no real opposition to hold a government to account which is why the Orange and the Blue had better figure it out soon, quick and fast before the Red without reform starts to really bleed Ontario.