Ontario election: "Would you rather?"

[阿土仔]

哪个党执政也得给他们个少数党执政，最理想的就是个联合政府。

我希望福娃多数执政，这样才能干成点实事。

 

[ccc]

The songs politicians pick are usually upbeat — intended to energize their supporters, said Henry Jacek, a political science professor at McMaster University.

“If you pack in a lot of your party workers and you want to motivate them, having a good song — even if they go to a number of rallies and they hear it over and over again — it does essentially start to send psychological messages ... that they ought to be working harder for the campaign,” he said. “For the people that are there, it is very important.”

New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath has chosen “Feeling Good” by The Sheepdogs to enter her campaign events and “Young & Wild” by The Strumbellas sometimes to exit. She chose those two songs because they are by Canadian bands, a spokesperson said.

“She is proud to promote Canadian artists as she tours the province during the campaign,” Rebecca Elming said in a statement.

 

[ccc]

I'd rather。。。not？？

你就看他那眼神儿。

 

[ccc]

A dramatic shift in the first week of Ontario’s election campaign may see two of the province’s major parties redraw their plans as New Democrats try to build on their momentum and the Liberals seek to hold their ground, experts say.

The NDP saw itself in the spotlight during the first stretch of the campaign as the party moved up in the polls, which until then had consistently predicted a strong Progressive Conservative lead with the governing Liberals coming in second.

While several weeks remain before the June 7 vote and polls only provide part of the picture, Liberal fatigue appears likely to bolster the NDP, which could prompt both parties to change strategies as they vie for seats in the legislature, experts said. The Tories, however, should continue what has so far been a cautious campaign in order to stay ahead, they said.

“It’s interesting because the outcome is no longer absolutely certain,” even though the Tories still appear poised to win a majority, said Barry Kay, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University who specializes in polling and public opinion.

The next few weeks could see the Liberals scale back their campaign to focus on ridings they believe they can keep rather than venturing into those held by their rivals, Kay said. The NDP, meanwhile, could travel to regions where they hope to make gains, particularly ridings where they came in close to the Tories in the last election, he said.

“The Liberals should be worried about holding seats they’ve got…for the NDP it will be the reverse,” he said.

It’s unlikely Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne can turn the tides and score a victory for her party, even if she shifts gears completely, Kay said. “I don’t think it matters what she does anymore.”

Wynne has spent much of the first week touting her record while suggesting that key services such as education and health care could be compromised if her competitors form government. Tory Leader Doug Ford, meanwhile, has continued to promise pocketbook relief through government belt-tightening, which he says he can achieve without job losses.

Both leaders have sharpened their attacks on NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, painting her as fiscally irresponsible, while Horwath has pitched herself as a more positive alternative to the other two leaders.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Horwath said she was trying to stay hopeful even as the campaign takes a negative turn.

“People generally in the province are more interested in what’s next for Ontario. I think it’s pretty clear that’s what people have been saying for some time now that people want to see a change,” she said. “Notwithstanding all the negativity, we’re going to try to stay hopeful and show people it doesn’t have to be this way.”

While acknowledging the polls, Horwath downplayed their significance when asked whether she foresaw major gains for her party.

“I would never be so arrogant to think that’s where or how we look at elections. It’s a serious decision people have to make,” she said.

Wynne, who spent the previous months stressing the “stark contrast” between her plan and Ford’s, said in an interview this week that the campaign was a “three-party discussion” and that it was always her plan to focus on the NDP as well the Tories.

“I’m certainly sensing it from people that there are lots and lots of Liberals, Tories, NDPers who wouldn’t consider voting for Doug Ford and so that makes the comparison of the NDP platform and the Liberal platform even more important because people really need to know what the impact of both of our plans would be,” she said.

At a campaign stop in Ottawa on Thursday, Wynne was pressed on whether she felt her policy-focused approach could resonate with voters who polls suggest are hungry for change.

“I have a strong and deep belief in the people of this province and they will make their decision but we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that they have the information, that they are able to make an informed decision,” she said.

Ford, who has yet to present a costed platform, bristled Thursday when asked whether he would address criticism over the lack of details in his plan over the coming weeks.

“I think I’ve been pretty in-depth,” he said. “Every single day we (make) a new announcement. So, maybe the other two candidates are getting desperate right now. We’re making announcements every single day about saving taxpayers money. … This is a sign of desperation from the NDP and Liberals.”

With the major policy announcements out of the way, all three parties will be looking for other ways to get a leg up on the competition as the campaign unfurls, said Paul Thomas, a postdoctoral fellow in political science at Carleton University in Ottawa.

“Things may move away from policy to ad hominem attacks,” and the NDP may see its candidates facing more scrutiny, he said.

Overall, the New Democrats have done well to stay largely above the fray while their two opponents battle each other, Thomas said.

And while some fiscal conservatives may have qualms about Ford’s lack of a costed platform, they are still unlikely to vote for any other party, so it’s to his advantage to keep his promises vague, Thomas said.

“I don’t believe the costings would work in his favour…Just promising and saying he can do it is his best bet,” he said.
“The main advantage for the Conservatives is they don’t have anything to criticize.”

 

[ccc]

PC Leader Doug Ford under fire over alleged stolen data
By Colin Perkel The Canadian Press
May 20, 2018 10:16 am

Ontario PC leader makes a campaign stop in Cobourg. Amber Irwin/Doug Ford campaign

SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. – The rookie leader of Ontario’s poll-leading Progressive Conservatives came under concerted attack on Saturday over allegations his candidates for next month’s election might have used stolen data to further their cause.

The leaders of the Liberals and New Democrats called for the police and Elections Ontario to investigate the alleged data theft, while PC Leader Doug Ford dismissed the attack.

At a campaign event in Baysville, Ont., Saturday, Ford said he won the Tory leadership to “clean up the mess” in his party – and said he had done so, blaming his predecessor for any problems.

“This goes back to Patrick Brown,” Ford said. “You want to get answers on this, Patrick Brown was the leader under this whole group of people.”

One Tory candidate nominated under Brown was Simmer Sandhu, who resigned Wednesday from a riding northwest of Toronto, citing unspecified allegations about his work life and nomination campaign.

His resignation came shortly after his former employer issued a statement about what it called an “internal theft of customer data” affecting 60,000 people.

“We heard of one candidate,” Ford said. “As you know, I acted immediately. If there’s any other issues, I can assure you I’ll deal with it immediately.”

Police in York Region have confirmed they are looking into a data breach from the 407 Express Toll Route – the private highway that runs north of Toronto.

During a campaign rally in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., NDP Leader Andrea Horwath shot back at her opponent.

“I have a news flash for Mr. Ford: He’s now the leader of the party,” said Horwath. “It’s now his responsibility to own up to what his party has done.”

Horwath said she has filed a complaint about the data breach with Elections Ontario, but has yet to hear what form their investigation might take.

Liberal campaign co-chair Deb Matthews rejected Ford’s explanation as a brush-off that didn’t hold up to scrutiny.

“He said as soon as he found out there were problems, he acted – that is untrue,” Matthews said in Toronto.

Matthews played an audio recording of Ford made in February, during the Tory leadership campaign to replace Brown. In it, Ford said he knew of as many as 40 ridings where “scandalous” practices had been used in nominations.

She also said she had recently received a text message from Ford’s party – even though she had never given her cellphone number to the Progressive Conservatives. She later said she no longer has the text.

Matthews called any potential use of the alleged stolen 407 data an “unforgivable breach of ethics” and said every Conservative candidate was now “under the shadow of suspicion.”

The Liberals are also calling on Ford to bring in the provincial police to investigate his party’s nomination process across the province.

In a statement Saturday, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne said the PCs should purge their database of any illegally obtained voter information connected the alleged Highway 407 data breach, fire all candidates linked to the alleged breach and invite Elections Ontario to investigate the allegations.

“Those who aspire to lead our province have an obligation to put the integrity of our electoral process ahead of partisan gain, political ambition or, indeed, any other consideration. Mr. Ford has an opportunity to act,” Wynne said in the statement.

Horwath, too, said Ford has to come clean before the June 7 election, given the “legitimate” concerns voters have.

“We only have a couple of weeks (left) in this election,” Horwath said.

“The people of Ontario deserve to know … where did that data end up (and) is it impacting this election?”