Yup, the ABF election (that no one wanted) is staring us in the face. If you are just waking up from a nap and are caught off guard wondering what ABF is, well it means “anyone but Ford”.
I don’t know about you, but I have never liked anything the “FORD NATION” has said, stood for or done. Doug Ford seems to encompass the worst of it all; admittedly memories of Rob are fading.
So as a new member of SCAN! and having been invited to join the Communications Committee, I have suggested the idea of a ‘fact check’ list. So join in as I share with you some of my ramblings and my fervent wish that we can bestow a David Peterson moment on Doug Ford. I even came up with a catchy title for it: “SCAN! THE FACTS!” I haven’t copyrighted it so feel free to share any of it ad infinitum!
And now I have been invited to re-purpose my spots in the form of a short blog post. But time is short, and blogs can be boring so please allow me to break with the traditional form and list off some of the items I have come up with.
SCAN! THE FACTS
So how do we know when a politician is lying? As the comedians say, “when their lips are moving”. Getting honest responses from a politician now is more difficult than ever. They are trained to avoid any statements that they may be held accountable for.
When asked why he called the election now, Doug Ford rambles on about needing a mandate so he can confront Donald Trump.
FACTS: We all know he already has a considerable mandate in the legislature of Ontario and that he has made repeated trips to Washington DC and hasn’t gotten close to Trump.
IMHO if he did, he would probably be brushed off like a fly (my opinion, not fact).
What everybody also knows is that by calling an election now when a lot of people either won’t be bothered or will be snowbound he stands a good chance of recouping or even increasing his majority. And wonder of wonders that nasty RCMP investigation report will not be released for years if ever. There should be a better way of securing our democracy than allowing it to be manipulated like this.
Again, my opinion; but I don’t think we need Doug Ford to be our bully in the US; we have business, diplomatic and other political leaders who are doing OK in countering the Trump madness. Also, for a ‘lame duck’ Prime Minister I think Justin Trudeau is doing a pretty good job of countering the Trump threats and of securing new trade relations with numerous European and Asia-Pacific nations.
SCAN! THE FACTS
DOUG FORD; paints himself as a fiscally responsible outsider.
And, claimed; “We will form a government that is for the people. Not for the insiders, not for the elites, a government that will have your back,” “I intend on keeping the promises that I make.”
And says “We’re an economic powerhouse” when he wants to justify spending.
FACT #1: Doug Ford spent $2.3 Billion in hidden taxpayer costs for an Ontario Place foreign-owned private spa.
FACT #2: Doug Ford spent over $1 Billion dollars to fast-track booze in corner stores.
FACT #3 Doug Ford tried to rig a $8.3 Billion dollar giveaway of Greenbelt protected land to his rich insider friends. (and called a snap election to prevent the release of an RCMP report)
FACT #4 Doug Ford expedited a $1 Billion free pass on fines to private Highway 407 owners; you paid, they didn’t !
FACT #5 Doug Ford scrapped the $120 licence plate renewal fee, costing the province about $1.1 billion a year. Shouldn’t that money have been used to fix our roads, highways, bridges, etc.?
FACT #6 Doug Ford’s $200 pre-election “rebate/bribe” is costing the province $3 billion, and a totally unnecessary election is costing another $190 million.
FACT #7 Doug Ford’s government has the largest deficits in our history and has increased the Ontario debt by $106 Billion.
QUESTION: So can any enlightened person in Ontario take any of Doug Ford’s statements seriously?
SCAN! THE FACTS
In 2018, Doug Ford proclaimed his support for then-president Trump was “unwavering.” . . . . The Ontario premier was even recently caught on a hot mic saying he was “100 per cent happy” that Trump had won the election.
So why doesn’t Doug Ford see what the rest of us see? Or is it just ‘birds of a feather’ myopia?
FACT: Neither of these guys should be in politics. Politicians are public servants and are there to support and protect their constituents.
Donald Trump has a long record of corruption, fraud, deception and continues to lie and destroy almost everything he touches. Doug Ford is not far behind and does not deserve your vote!
I fully realize that we are all being subjected to information overload but if Canada–US relations are on your mind then I highly recommend you take the time to read or SCAN! the following two articles.
Doug Ford’s love affair with Trump and Musk shows he can’t be trusted.
Some things we can do about it:
Canada’s Other Anti-Trump Weapon: Fighting Corruption
Beyond waging a tariff war, target the US president’s dependence on dirty money.
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Lance Carlson is a member of SCAN!’s Communications Committee.
If you found this blog post interesting and informative, please consider joining the Education Committee and helping with our work. We also welcome comments and feedback. Please contact Sue Craig at susan.craig@sympatico.ca