Chatham This Week Editorial, July 16, 2008
No easy solutions

John Tory says action is needed to fight job losses in Ontario. The head of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party was in Chatham on Saturday at the Tartan Sertoma Highland Games when he offered some suggestions.

Tory, who was unable to take his party to a victory in 2007, suggested that the Liberal government should institute what he calls competitive taxes, place regulations on the amount of time spent doing an audit and should show restraint in public sector hiring.

But how seriously can anyone take Tory, when he doesn’t even have a seat in the Ontario legislature? He was defeated in Don Valley West in the last election, and so he really represents no one, other than his party.

If his potential constituents didn’t want him representing them, then why should the rest of Ontario put a lot of stock in what he says? One would think that the Conservatives would find a seat for the man they have chosen as the head of their party. Shouldn’t someone give up his or her seat so that Tory gets to sit in the Legislature and express his opinion where it counts?

Tory has said that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty — who actually holds a seat — is worrying farmers and others by agreeing to revisit the issue of ethanol use in fuels. The policy requires 10% ethanol in all gasolines used by 2010. The Conservative leader argues that farmers and other business interests have made plans based on the government’s earlier pronouncements. But there are issues involving ethanol. Some people argue that the production of corn used in making the fuel has helped to drive up food prices. This is one factor, but there are a whole lot of others.

Some people suggest that it’s just wrong to use food to produce a biofuel, even at a time when gasoline prices are steadily rising. Then too, there’s evidence that sugar cane could be used far more efficiently to produce ethanol, rather than corn.

So the issue deserves some re-examination, at the very least.

The issue of taxes is always front and centre among politicians. In theory, it would be great if governments could lower all their taxes. In reality, however, taxes are needed to provide the services we take for granted in Ontario. And, we’ve seen many scenarios in which companies have received tax incentives and have still moved their operations outside the province, taking jobs with them.

It would be interesting to find out what John Tory would do, if he gets elected to a seat, in the next provincial election, never mind what he would do as head of his party.