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Difficulties Choosing the Ontario PC Leader
By Dave Hodson | May 23, 2009
иконописсвети атанасMy last post on the PC Leadership Race was nearly a month ago, and since then I have been doing a lot of reading and video watching about the candidates. I was undecided then, although I favoured Randy Hillier, and while I remain undecided now, I am closer to a decision.
While things can still change before the vote, I can safely cross Tim Hudak off my list, and so I will rank him fourth on my ballot. Throughout the campaign, something about Tim just hasn’t connected with me. He seems to have lots of energy and ideas, but there is something about his presence and image that I don’t like. In a strange way, the man reminds me of Dalton McGuinty!
As for Tim’s policy ideas; they just don’t work for me. For example, he seems to be very much about ‘tinkering’ with policies to actively manage the economy. He has promoted too many temporary measures, such as the temporary suspension of payroll taxes, the temporary suspension of the land transfer tax, and a temporary rebate to trade in old vehicles (this last idea I don’t like whether temporary or permanent). This just does not sound like someone who can keep his hands off and let the free market run the economy. I would like to see some permanent improvements to our tax rules and various nanny-state regulations to give both businesses and individuals a stable business environment and increased freedom to operate.
What I am looking for in a leader is actually a combination of Frank Klees and Randy Hillier. That may sound odd, considering they are very different candidates. Of all the candidates, I like the presence and speaking ability of Frank. While he can come across as a bit of a car salesman, I like his style and his communication abilities. If you put aside policy for the moment, I think Frank is the type of personality who could be very convincing and effective in an election campaign and very statesmanlike as a Premier. As for Randy Hillier’s image, I’m not sure if he’ll come across well in a general election campaign? Perhaps he will, but I have some concerns.
For policy ideas, my favourite is still Randy Hillier. I won’t rehash them all here, but Randy’s ideas are very straightforward and centre around providing more freedom to Ontarians. After a nanny-state Premier like Dalton McGuinty, too many things have been banned, and that needs to be changed.
Frank Klees has left me with the feeling on more than one occasion that he’s not the best choice if I’m looking for someone to cut government spending and government intrusion in our lives. However, he has been getting better on his tax ideas. Frank Klees has since indicated he would like to cut business taxes, and if McGuinty moves forward with harmonizing the RST with the GST, he proposes to reduce the HST. My preference is to not harmonize the taxes in the first place, but it seems that McGuinty will do that before the next election, and our next Premier will need to deal with that reality. Reducing the HST may negate the tax increase from the merger and be less disruptive to a stable business environment than trying to de-harmonize the taxes after they have been merged.
I still have concerns about where Frank stands on issues of personal freedom and the ever-increasing size of government. However, there is one particular part of Frank’s position that I like very much. The quote below is on the front of Frank’s website.
Every Progressive Conservative member should have an opportunity to contribute to our platform through the Policy Advisory Council, a process that was the cornerstone of the Common Sense Revolution in 1995 and is now part of our constitution.
It should not be the party leader who determines policy; it should be the members. Regardless of who is selected as leader, we cannot assume that the policy positions candidates have personally promoted now will actually form part of an election platform. On an ongoing basis, the party members should have a say in the policy positions of the party. Choosing a leader and choosing policy should be separate decisions. If Frank is sincere in his position to allow the membership to form party policy, then that goes a long way with me. The bigger question is how much input would he let us have?
What I’d like to see is Frank Klees with the policy positions of Randy Hillier or Hillier with the communication abilities of Klees. I’m not sure that we’re going to get either of those, and so I remain undecided.
There is one thing of which I am certain; all four candidates would be an improvement over our last leader!
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Topics: Ontario, PC Party, Politics |
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:18 am
I am with you completely on your views comparing Frank Klees and Randy Hillier. Randy appeals to our Conservative roots in small town Ontario. Frank is the big city smooth talker that wins elections.
The only candidate that I have written off is that of Christine Elliot, because of her shallow thinking on the Human Rights issue. This issue needs to be presented as a bipartisan issue where consensus could prevail.
This country is run by too many untouchable commissions as it is. Each of them circumscribing our freedoms in one way or another.
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
It sounds fairly simple, if you prefer Hillier’s policies than choose Hillier. He can improve his electability in the next few years, and lets be clear his speaking abilities is a hell of a lot better than Dion or even Ignatief, Hillier tells it straight and that is just what people of Ontario want in a politician. I myself am supporting Hillier, and probably Kless second.
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Dave wrote: “What I’d like to see is Frank Klees with the policy positions of Randy Hillier or Hillier with the communication abilities of Klees.”
The choice is easy once you consider that what you prefer about Klees is his style, not the substance of his policies.
One the subject of policy, were you aware that (according to blogger Darryl Wolk) “Frank Klees’ official position on the Ontario Human Rights Commission” is not to abolish it, but to ‘refocus’ it? Whatever that might actually mean, it seems intended to be sufficiently fuzzy to attempt to placate some free-speech believers but not unduly offend those easily offended.
In my opinion, Klees’ wishy-washy position on the OHRC smacks of a lack of leadership, and we don’t need another weak leader.
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Some good points made all around.
But, Mike, comparing Hillier’s speaking ability to Dion or Ignatieff certainly isn’t setting the bar very high! I could pick 10 random people off the street and I’m sure every one of them would be better communicators than Dion.
Can Hillier improve his image over the coming years? Sometimes it’s difficult to change that. If he can improve, then I’m completely behind Hillier. But as much as I like his opinions, if he can’t win the election because he’s not enough of a salesman, then his policies don’t really matter.
As for policy, I’d like to know how much of what we’re hearing from all of the candidates would actually make it’s way into legislation, should they ever become premier? It’s one thing to promise something in a leadership contest, and quite another to incorporate it into an election platform and make it happen. Who is really setting the policy… the new leader? the party executive? the PC caucus? the party membership?
That’s why I don’t know how much I should even depend on proposed policy ideas. I just don’t know how important they are at this stage of the game.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Frank has a lot of what it takes in terms of image and style for the job, meeting him will more strongly make that impression upon you. But, he is considered a bit light’ as a conservative by some. Maybe Frank should run as the front man and Randy be the brains behind the scenes.
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Is there a genuine small-c fiscal and social conservative in this group of leadership candidates?
I’m still looking. I’m having trouble finding the key phrases I need in order to vote:
“downsize government”
“10% across the board cut in next budget”
“sell crown corps such as TVO & Liquor stores”
“eliminate departments and/or programs”
“privatize”
“cut regulations”
“cut taxes across the board”
“layoff thousands of employees”
“voucher system for public and /or private schools”
“different pay levels for teachers”
“no strike law pursuant to teachers”
“include only social conservative lawyers/judges on the list advising the Fed. Govt. re: appointments.”
“privatize some medical testing/procedures as far as legal”
Is there a real conservative is this group, or do we just have some moderate versions of McGuinty who is building the Socialist Republic of Ontario?