Q&A: Discussing The Globe's endorsement of Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberals
Join The Globe's Editorial Board Editor John Geiger at 11 a.m. ET as he discusses the board's endorsement of Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberals in advance of the Thursday provincial election. Tweet your questions in advance to @globejunius.
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@globejunius So I thought the media was suppose to be unbiased towards coverage and politics? I don't think this is right. #BiasGlobeandMailby DomDuguay via twitter 10/3/2011 3:04:05 PM -
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The role of the editorial board is to offer opinions on behalf of the newspaper. We weigh in on all sorts of things, like concussions in hockey, and the fate of the wheat board. We comment on foreign governments and economic policy too. It would be pretty strange if we did not offer views during election campaigns.
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The McGuinty government has broken some promises. Show me a government anywhere that has not. Circumstances change. By and large, the Ontario Liberals have been true to their commitments, and they put forward the most serious platform in this campaign. There's is also not a hugely costly or ambitious list of promises. It will be a lot easier for the Liberals in Ontario to fulfil them, than, say, some of the very strange NDP promises, or costly ones made by the Tory leader.
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All media have embedded biases and it's good that they are open about them in endorsements such as this. But I am a bit surprised about the Globe's endorsement. A lot of the articles about the election over the past few weeks seemed, in my view, to paint a positive view of the Conservatives and were more critical of the Liberals and McGuinty. What tipped the scales to an endorsement of McGuinty?
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It was not an easy discussion or decision. We debated it for two days. We met wit all three provincial party leaders. We looked at their platforms. The NDP were out of the running almost immediately. They have some policies that are potentially very harmful for Ontario's fragile economy. So it came down to Mr. Hudak and Mr. McGuinty. We had people in both camps during the Editorial Board discussions. It was very much a back and forth. Mr. Hudak has a good team, and the ideological resolve to make some hard choices. But he ran a badf campaign, that focussed on attack and not enough on his leadership potential. Mr. McGuinty ran a smarter campaign, he talked policy.
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The endorsement is the consensus view of the members of the board. After meeting with the party leaders on Thursday and Friday, and after covering the campaign throughout (I personally went to around a dozen events), we met on Saturday for a long discussion (around 2 hours) around the pros and cons of each party and leader -- and, perhaps more importantly, around the challenges Ontario now faces. Everyone’s arguments in that meeting made it into the final editorial in some way.
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Brian, that's a good question. As today's editorial mentioned, there is something to be said for strong provincial governments that hold in check the power of the federal government. The intervention of some federal Conservative cabinet ministers, namely the Finance Minister of Canada, in a highly partisan way on Mr. Hudak's behald, was troubling. It did have an influence. It made several people ask if Mr. Hudak would be able to go nose to nose with the federal Conservatives on health care, and other issues.
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@globejunius Do you believe that your judgment on the #ONDP was at all heavy-handed? #ONpoli #voteONby IGMcMillan via twitter 10/3/2011 3:17:50 PM -
We’re very concerned about the backward-looking economic protectionism of the NDP platform, and its apparent total disregard for fiscal prudence. So no, we don’t feel our judgment was heavy-handed -- in fact, we are working on another editorial looking at the risks of an NDP-supported minority government.
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In response to John: the fact of the matter is that the McGuinty government has broken several major promises, particularly with respect to taxation. We have not seen any broken promises from a Hudak/Horwath government because we have yet to have one. Does it really make sense to endorse a known liar as opposed to a potential one?
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McGuinty's broken promises after the last two campaigns, and you have endorsed him for his platform, even though he has lied, been taken to court, and admitted that he brakes election promisies. My question is: Is a commitment from a lier that builds a platform worth endorsing when you have no idea what he will do when elected?
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Re: the con taglines painting Premier McGuinty as the 'the Tax man', perhaps you can help dispell some of the myths surrounding the HST; why it's good for Ontario's economy, and moreover, how it will invest in our province's future. One interesting note, Hudak comes out swinging against the HST but nowhere has he said, 'if we get in, we'll reverse the HST'...clearly it's not what he believes is right for Ontario.
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Here are some thoughts from our colleague Gerald Owen on the HST:
The HST is good and fair because it covers almost the whole range of goods and services, whereas the old sales tax favoured certain industries by exempting them. The taxing of value added rather than simply prices encourages economic efficiency. -
The tax increase in 2004 was a clear broken promise, and we were very critical of it at the time (although it was in response to a difficult fiscal situation). Despite that broken promise, Ontarians re-elected Mr. McGuinty and the Liberals. The imposition of the HST was different -- a largely revenue-neutral tax change that increased efficiencies for business. Mr. McGuinty has run this campaign asking to be judged on his record ... and so we included our consideration of the HST as part of that. To us, that was not a “broken promise.”
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I'm really undecided at this point, but the article today was very helpful in synthesizing the campaign thus far. My concern is the faith in McGuinty to really push a fiscally conservative strategy. Your conclusion states that that's what we need - how confident are you that that's what he'll, in fact, fulfill?
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In response to IGMcMillan on the NDP, we have very strong concerns about what an NDP government would do to Ontario's economy. They have some policies to meddle in the marketplace, throw up trade barriers, that could be highly destructive. People need to look at the platform. These are not moderate, Manitoba-style New Democrats.
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Thanks LK. There is plenty of evidence that Dalton McGuinty understands the fiscal challenges. Look at the Liberal platform: It was more fiscally responsible than either of the other major parties. We think Mr. McGuinty helped lead Ontario well in the last global recession, and is very aware of what is needed during the current economy.
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Can The G&M not do a better job of challenging ideological assertions and Platforms driven by Sound bites? The only thing we have heard from Hudak is he loves his daughter and Taxes are bad. We need more substance from our potential leaders than this kind of populist sound bite.
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How do you address the fact that Ontario has gone from a have province to a have-not province under McGuinty. Does the Glove accept that this was a inevitable result and that Ontario will continue to decline in economic power and stature. Or do they believe that Ontario will continue to fail no matter which party is in power?
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Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s inappropriate intervention on behalf of Mr. Hudak on Friday also did him no favours. In Canada, provincial power serves as a check on the power of the federal government. With upcoming negotiations with Ottawa over the renewal of federal-provincial transfers for health and social spending, Mr. Flaherty’s statements leave the unfortunate impression that Mr. Hudak is not an independent actor, as the premier of Canada’s largest province must be.
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Provincial premiers must stand up for their provinces. The impression that Mr. Hudak might owe something to his party counterparts in Ottawa is troubling. It was not the deciding issue, but it was something that raised our eyebrows collectively, especially after the Flaherty intervention. Up until that moment it weasn't really an issue.
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I understand the G&M's reluctance to consider either of the alternatives considering the glaring problems with some of their campaign promises. But to say that McGuinty has been a competent administrator - I would have to disagree on that point. Ontario has the longest string of consecutive deficits of any Province in Canada. That province's fiscal situation has worsened tremendously under McGuinty. That's not even getting into issues such as the lack of leadership during the Caledonia situation, lying about taxes and the expensive and largely unfruitful "green jobs" strategy. So while I grant that you were faced with a lack of compelling alternatives, what is the G&M's opinion on the Liberals' fiscal track record?
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We would say the record is mixed. The Liberals have run both deficits and surpluses. The province was the worst hit by the recession, with a decline in manufacturing and less of a resource base to make up the difference, so that helps explain the larger-than-proportionate deficits -- money spent on stimulus, on the auto bailout, on higher welfare payments, etc. They’ve kept the increase in health care spending to just 3.2 per cent this year -- an admirable feat. At the same time, their ability to keep public sector wage demands under control is very much in doubt; and that's what's needed more than anything in the coming years
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You stated in an earlier answer that you say Hudak's "ideological resolve to make hard choices" as a plus. Don't you think that ideological resolve is the biggest problem in politics?Doesn't the editorial board agree it is better to have reasoned conclusions based on evidence and to be adaptable to changing circumstances, rather than stubborn ideology?
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During the election the Ontario Green Energy Act has seen a lot of debate mostly due to the skyrocketing prices of energy. What people are not discussing is the fact that Japan has launched a complaint with the World Trade Organization that the OGE Act and the Samsung Deal violate Canada's obligations under the WTO b/c certain restrictions prevent other entrants from participating. This does not seem to be fiscal conservatism to me. During the Chretien years we all saw how much we had to pay in cancellation fees for the Sea King helicopters. Could a ruling from the WTO allow Hudak and the PC's to scrap the act and deal (like he said he would) without significant penalties?
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Here are thoughts from our colleague Gerald Owen on this question from Osiris:
We do not support the economic interventionism/picking-winnersism of the Green Energy Act, which does seem to be protectionist as well. We endorsed the Liberals on other grounds, in spite of the Green Energy Act. Let the WTO strike it down -
Daniel, We are saying there that Mr. Hudak's instincts are good. We had a very good meeting with him. But he has not adhered to them during this campaign. There has been a tendency to tell voters what they want to hear on too many issues. It was the Liberals who were more restrained.
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Have you considered the McGuinty's indebtedness to the unions (e.g. millions spend by the "Working Families") and how will it play out when it comes to negotiating the benefits and wages with these unions. How much more will it cost the province which is already in a tough financial position?
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Thanks Dmytro -- Mr. Hudak spoke about that relationship at some length during the editorial board, identifying the union link as one of the reasons for Ontario’s broken apprenticeship system (union leaders, he alleges, restrict the number of apprentices who could enter the skilled trades). In the absence of solid reporting establishing that indebtedness, it’s hard to pronounce on that particular point.
(see this link for more on that editorial board meeting: live.theglobeandmail.com)
We are concerned more generally about Mr. McGuinty’s apparent unwillingness to drive a better deal for taxpayers at the bargaining table. -
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But ultimately, this is not a personal decision, it's not John Geiger's personal view necessarily, it is an endorsement for the Globe and Mail, and people put aside their own views and worked, in this instance, to forge a lucid case for Mr. McGuinty. Obviously in these meetings the Editor in Chief, John Stackhouse, plays a critical role. Ultimately, as editor, he has to wear out in the community what the Editorial Board decides.
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The Liberals slogan this campaign has been "moving forward, together" - I think a conclusion to be drawn from this is that McGuinty has faced a lot of challenges in his two terms. Yes we have seen prices rise but it seems to be worth it. Our healthcare, education, and electricity systems are stable albeit still need improvement. Can the Globe say if these large investments now will pay off in the future? Dealing with the issues now before they grow and become worse in the future?
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That was very much in our thinking S.G. We have been impressed by the moderate tone of this Liberal government, which incrementally has worked to improve education, and health care, and frankly the economy. They are centerists, generally, and pragmatic. But they have been able to look ahead, and have shown some leadership on critical files.
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Thanks everyone for your thoughtful questions, and John for taking part. This is turning into quite an exciting final week of the campaign. We urge you all to vote on Thursday, and to keep following the story on our news and editorial pages. Thanks for taking part.
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