There are only 19 days left in this seemingly never-ending campaign, which really began months before the writ was officially dropped a little over a week ago. Yet Doug Ford has not elaborated on what "finding efficiencies" means exactly. One thing he's certain it isn't, however, is cuts.
How he squares that with his recent borrowing of more and more planks from Patrick Brown's left-wing manifesto, "The People's Guarantee", a grab bag of goodies for the electorate, is what many in the media and electorate are dying to know.
Of course the answer is, by and large, cuts. But in ignorantly bliss Ontario, where things are said to only grow — never recede — the ugly truth of the matter is loathed to voiced by politicians. It's clear Ford and his campaign team think they can get by as the amorphous populist, shapeshifting to whatever voters want to see. So far that strategy appears to have been working, but a lot can change in the last three weeks of a campaign. Just ask Hudak or Hillary.
Former Harper political strategist Kory Teneycke, now running Ford's campaign since he won the PC leadership race, has employed the tired and cowardly tactic of keeping his boss cloistered from the pesky questions of journalists. Sometimes this ends up with comical results, like Ford and his team ending up a dead-end alley because they hurriedly ran away after Ford gave a speech.
Compare this to NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who just spent yesterday at the Twitter Canada HQ answering voters' questions and has been basking in the spotlight, suddenly placed upon her because her party has been surging in the polls. As many Ontarians wake up from their slumber and begin to clue in on what's going on, getting bombarded with political ads and media stories, they'll see that the general sentiment is the Liberal party is on the way out and they have a choice between a smiling Horwath and an antagonistic, fleeing Ford. One has a platform — however fiscally shaky — including goodies for every voting Ontarian. The other offers a smattering of goodies as well, while harping about the debt and saying he'll get it under control by finding said elusive efficiencies, running away when asked for details. Which approach do you think will play better with the indecisive mushy middle part of the electorate?
Now, add in the latest scandals plaguing Ford and the PCs. At least nine candidates have been turfed, the latest over alleged data theft of highway 407 customers' information, as well as a few campaign staff fired, over a range of controversies. On top of all that, a reporter is now claiming to have multiple sources telling them 29 PC candidates paid $20,000 each to fix races by having foreign students vote in nomination contests via identity theft. Then there's the scandal over Ford breaking new electoral campaign finance laws by attending a party fundraising dinner. If that wasn't enough to turn off voters, Mr. "I'm doing what's right for the party" Patrick Brown decided to remind them of the not-too-distant last meltdown of the PCs. Add it all up, and the PCs might not be so palatable for the undecided voters not already refusing to vote for a somewhat polarizing figure.
Ford may be leading in the polls, but if he thinks he can coast on a five-point lead by dodging reporters, ignoring the rot in his party and not elaborating on "efficiencies" he'll likely be gravely mistaken.
Photo Credit: Toronto Star
Written by Graeme C. Gorodn
