The Elephant in the Room

I try not to get involved in things political; it is the poor man's Theatre of the Absurd, and if I want that, I will find it on the stage, not in a hall at an all-candidates meeting in view of the upcoming provincial election. (I use the word 'upcoming' advisedly)

That said, I nevertheless found myself at exactly such a meeting. I was collecting a bet (see previous post) and if I wanted my winnings, this was the venue at which they were being offered. So I came, I saw, and I collected, much to the chagrin of my two opponents in this endeavour, who thought that such attendance would be a bridge too far.

Once there, my desire to escape as quickly as possible surfaced, but I became intrigued at what was being discussed by the candidates.

Or rather, what was NOT being discussed.

Here we have a province, Ontario, that for most of its history was the economic engine of Canada, a "have" province that helped out those weaker provinces owing to geography or priorities other than economic ones.* And the books were always balanced, save for a brief period where the NDP stumbled into power.

After a decade under the Liberals, however, Ontario is no longer a "have" province, and the deficit has become monumental, complete with billion dollar level interest payments. True, the American laxity in terms of banking regulations allowed sub-prime mortgages to flourish, and when all came tumbling down,  the world was severely caught out, Ontario included.

Canada, given its stronger bank regulations, survived better than most, and under the leadership of the Prime Minister and a shrewd finance Minister, things began to right themselves, and a balanced ledger is in sight for 2015. Heroic efforts are also underway in other provinces, to the extent possible.*

Under Ontario 'leadership" however,, the deficit has increased, and while a balanced budget is promised by 2017, this statement belongs in the same category as one promising the flight of pigs.

So, from pigs to elephants in the room. What astounded me was that none of this financial concern was spoken about by the candidates. The Liberals and NDP promised more funding of programs for this and that, while the Conservatives promised more job creation by the private sector, while at the same time savaging jobs in the public service. This latter comment was akin to a matador coming to a full stop, baring his breast to the charging bull, and saying "Here. Gore me right here."

Bah. Humbug.

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* The Lady in both these instances went on a Jeremiad concerning la belle province and its cultural and language issues. I stashed all this stuff in my 'Grist for Future Articles' folder, for it was not really germane to the point she was making. -- Ed.