Harper wise to stay out of Ontario campaign

Fed Bashing is always popular out west it seems but perhaps with Harper in power Alberta will calm down a bit, but you never know. Since the Liberals will need to work with Harper it is probably a good idea not to complain too much. But then what happened to the idea that the squeaky wheel gets the grease?

Monday » September 24 » 2007

Harper wise to stay out of Ontario campaign: pundits

Jack Aubry
CanWest News Service


Sunday, September 23, 2007


OTTAWA -- For better or worse, a federal government can cast a long shadow over a provincial election. But as Ontario voters prepare to go to the polls Oct. 10, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Parliament Hill Conservatives are the elephant that nobody is letting into the room.

In contrast to his major engagement in last spring's Quebec election, the prime minister is keeping a noticeably low profile in Ontario.

And the only sound in the other direction is silence, with Ontario's Liberal premier, Dalton McGuinty, failing to fed bash and his main opponent, Tory Leader John Tory, declining to tout his federal connections on the hustings.

So far, Harper's only apparent nod to the political action in Ontario seems to be his decision to delay the resumption of Parliament, with what is typically a limelight-snatching throne speech, until a week after the provincial election.

By contrast, Mr. Harper helped steer billions of dollars towards Quebec in the weeks leading up to the March 26 election, only to be embarrassed by Liberal Premier Jean Charest's last-minute announcement that the transfer assistance would be redirected into a tax cut. Charest was reduced to a minority and Harper learned a political lesson that he can now put to good use in Ontario.

"I think if Harper got involved in the Ontario campaign, that could actually hurt Mr. Tory because he (Harper) is relatively unpopular in Ontario," says Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. "Besides," he adds, "it is uncommon for the prime minister to favour the side of an opposition party, especially given the fact he has to deal with Mr. McGuinty as premier."

Mr. Wiseman also notes that when it comes to federal issues, Mr. McGuinty is wise to keep his gloves on and his lips buttoned. Fed-bashing just doesn't wash in centralist Ontario.

"People want an active federal government in Ontario. Albertans and Quebecers don't, while Newfoundlanders don't care as long as you keep sending the money," says Mr. Wiseman.

Conservative Senator Hugh Segal also observed that Mr. McGuinty has avoided the impulse to dump on Ottawa.

"I think the old Robarts rule still applies," says Mr. Segal, referring to Conservative John Robarts, who governed Ontario successfully for 10 years, even as the Pearson and Trudeau Liberals ruled in Ottawa. Simply put, the governing party most effectively disarms political opponents when it quietly focuses on doing the right things for the province -- "the centre of the country, the manufacturing heartland of the country."

"The best politics is good government and you will note in the first couple of weeks, there's been no fed bashing by the Ontario Liberals."

Even so, Mr. Segal notes that top officials of the federal Conservative party are helping their Ontario brethren behind the scenes, with federal ministers holding "little fundraisers" for provincial Tory candidates.

"But the prime minister has to ... stay neutral in these matters and I think Prime Minister Harper is being absolutely punctilious about that," Mr. Segal says.

In fact, he argues, it's a good thing Ottawa has made no announcements in Ontario during the campaign -- not because it's best not to interfere, but because the governing Liberals could scoop up the credit for any federal largesse.

Historically, Ontarians have tended to elect a provincial party that is not governing in Ottawa. But all is not lost for Tory and the Tories, says Mr. Segal, pointing out that Mr. Robarts was elected while John Diefenbaker governed in Ottawa.









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