Got an advisory at work Monday regarding Ontario PC Party Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer's drive-through appearance in Brantford on Tuesday morning. As I type this post Witmer's appearance is about 10 minutes away from starting, but she's the latest in a line of PC MPPs to drive through the riding of Brant in support of candidate Mike St. Amant, who's facing incumbent Liberal Dave Levac. I had the joy of covering Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod's drive-through visit last week.
I'll post our article once it's up on the web, post visit.
Here's what confused me: All the branding in the advisory suggested Witmer was coming to town to talk about hydro and energy rates.
Yeah. The Ontario PC Party sends the last education minister of its last government -- who also happens to be its current education critic -- to a riding to talk hydro rates.
Why not send Witmer into Brant to hammer away at the Liberal government's record on education? Is it because you've got nothing up your sleeve or in your pockets that could make any kind of impact on the education file? Of all the current MPPs I can't think of anyone who would be more experienced or qualified to chase the Liberals on education than Elizabeth Witmer.
She was the first person in government to start acting on the Rozanski report almost a decade ago, the first to realize the 1998 funding formula needed its tweaks to address some longstanding issues. I could go on.
I would think her talents are wasted in coming to Brantford to talk hydro. So have the PCs just given up campaigning on any education-related matters?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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3 comments:
I agree with you ER. When you find evidence of any real campaigning by either the PCs or the NDP do let us know will'ya. It feels like we're sleepwalking through the pains of another campaign about nothing Ontarians care about...really care about.
From the Nanos poll yesterday Ontarians care about:
Healthcare
Jobs/economy
taxes
education
environment
debt/deficit
gas prices
Yet, all parties are diddling around and boring voters silly.
Are they trying to force us to stay home on purpose?
Not only do the Conservatives have nothing to add to the election issue of Education, they have a lot to subtract. So they're not going anywhere near this issue. McGuinty owns it, lock stock and barrel.
Poor Elizabeth Witmer . . . I seriously don't want the Conservatives to win but I have a great deal of respect for her. If the Conservatives had chosen a more reasonable and progressive leader (Christine Elliot) I am sure that the Cons would have had a better chance and Witmer could have been the kind of Education Minister she hopes to be. God help her (and us) if the Cons win. I couldn't imagine Witmer taking marching orders from the Hudak on Education.
The Liberals stand on education was mostly to dump billions into it while the number of kids is in serious decline. From the perspective of education spending it'd be hard to fault the Liberals, and I suspect the Cons won't even try. As to whether or not the extra billions were spent wisely or for maximum benefit...?
As an aside has anyone else noticed the "no more than 20 kids in the jumior grades!" has now morphed into a "your kid is one of 23"? I've always thought the assertion that teachers can't do a great job in classes of more than 20 was pretty dubious. One wonders why our political types were so quick to sign on.
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