Tonight, the final #onpoli debate. I'm at the CBC death star, where it'll be Doug Ford v. Andrea Horwath v. Kathleen Wynne. Will Ontario become Ford Nation, or will it fall to the socialist hordes?
If you don't give a shit, you can mute this thread. You'll never see it again!
If you don't give a shit, you can mute this thread. You'll never see it again!
I bumped into Kory Teneycke, my Harper-era nemesis and current Doug Ford campaign manager. I asked him for a prediction and he told me "We already know who's going to win tonight's debate: Ontarians" so anyway he's dead to me.
"Nobody will be laid off!" promises Doug Ford, again.
"A new day will dawn in Ontario!" he promises.
Ford also says Wynne is "bad," and Horwath is "a hundred times worse." That's pretty worse. 1000% worser.
"A new day will dawn in Ontario!" he promises.
Ford also says Wynne is "bad," and Horwath is "a hundred times worse." That's pretty worse. 1000% worser.
Oh my god, end opening statements. Just a total waste of time.
Ok I take that back. Kathleen Wynne just said "Sorry-" dramatic pause "-not sorry." Then added "I'm genuinely sorry that people don't like me." Which is kind of hilarious to hear from the premier.
Doug Ford runs a business, where he learned how to "make the right decision."
Welp, I'm sold.
Welp, I'm sold.
Doug Ford just said that he "saved the city of Toronto $1.1 billion dollars" and "nobody lost their job."
That is an absolute lie. It's wildly untrue. Within that $1.1b figure is a $200 *tax cut*, and ~$750m in cost reductions that involved significant layoffs.
That is an absolute lie. It's wildly untrue. Within that $1.1b figure is a $200 *tax cut*, and ~$750m in cost reductions that involved significant layoffs.
Nevermind that spending at the city of Toronto *increased* over the four years of the Fords.
That lie is just so beyond the pale.
That lie is just so beyond the pale.
Wynne, meanwhile, pumping up her record. "Everyone who needs tuition will get it." Which is wildly misleading — she expanded free *college* tuition, but it's means tested. So.
(The question was about cynicism in politics and hahahahaha I wonder why.)
(The question was about cynicism in politics and hahahahaha I wonder why.)
Doug Ford (accurately) attacking the NDP for bungling the costing on its platform. He says it's "$7 billion." (It's $1.4 billion, annually.)
Doug Ford doesn't have a costed platform. His team promises it's coming, but won't say when. It's 10 days before the election.
Doug Ford doesn't have a costed platform. His team promises it's coming, but won't say when. It's 10 days before the election.
Now Andrea Horwath, who apparently just finished reading "how to do debate," is telling us of a woman she met on the campaign trail whose personal experience would, ostensibly, be improved by an ONDP government.
Wynne: We're bringing in dental, childcare, pharmacare
Horwath: This government is bad for people. What we need is dental, childcare, pharmacare.
Horwath: This government is bad for people. What we need is dental, childcare, pharmacare.
Doug Ford repeats the obscene statement that "the carbon tax does nothing for the environment" which is based on literally [waves hands wildly] nothing.
Doug Ford, unironically, asks: "Where is your money coming from?"
several people are typing
On sexual harassment:
Horwath: We have diverse candidates. We need them around the table. Also, training.
Ford: We have really good candidates "we're ready to form government." [doesn't answer the question]
Horwath: We have diverse candidates. We need them around the table. Also, training.
Ford: We have really good candidates "we're ready to form government." [doesn't answer the question]
Doug Ford just said that the NDP candidates "get their inspiration from Adolf Hitler."
Ok in the end, Ford said he'd have "zero tolerance" for sexual misconduct. But he also wedged in "my opponent is Hitler" into the answer so, friends, I just don't know.
In case you're unawares, an NDP candidate shared a Hitler meme. cbc.ca/news/canada/to…
Doug Ford uses the phrase "training school."
Andrew Horwath: "Doug, if you had less of a sense of humour and more of a sense of, uh."
And we'll never heard the end of what I'm sure was an incredibly good zinger, because Horwath just sort of stared off in the distance, as Wynne jumped in to tell us we're all neighbours.
And we'll never heard the end of what I'm sure was an incredibly good zinger, because Horwath just sort of stared off in the distance, as Wynne jumped in to tell us we're all neighbours.
There was some back-and-forth on back-to-work legislation. I'm not sure Doug Ford was listening, because he's now just on a long tangent about "the people."
Ford got on track, eventually got in a good answer about collective bargaining, then said "26,000 sounds students lost their job because they didn't go back to work." So.
Horwath asks Ford why he hasn't released a spending plan.
Ford: "Our announcements actually put a dollar figure." Uh. Yes. For *spending,* not expenditure reductions or new revenues. I don't think Ford has identified a single revenue tool or cut.
Ford: "Our announcements actually put a dollar figure." Uh. Yes. For *spending,* not expenditure reductions or new revenues. I don't think Ford has identified a single revenue tool or cut.
Horwath and Wynne take turns hitting Ford on not releasing a costed platform.
Horwath: "You can't just put dollar figures next to a spending announcement. That's not a costed platform. That's not how it works!"
Horwath: "You can't just put dollar figures next to a spending announcement. That's not a costed platform. That's not how it works!"
The audience cannot be tamed. They're applauding things left, right, and centre like goddamn anarchists. The moderators are utterly powerless. I fear for my life.
Doug Ford just asked Andrea Horwath whether she'll bring about a recession "like what happened the last time."
Man, I had no idea that was Bob Rae's fault. Was remarkable how he went back in time to before he was elected and recked the entire North American economy.
Man, I had no idea that was Bob Rae's fault. Was remarkable how he went back in time to before he was elected and recked the entire North American economy.
Audience questions! How will you pay for all this?
Horwath: Tax the rich
Ford: I'll find efficiencies that I won't name, and audit the books. (Which he did in Toronto, and his brother followed virtually none of the auditor recommendations.)
Horwath: Tax the rich
Ford: I'll find efficiencies that I won't name, and audit the books. (Which he did in Toronto, and his brother followed virtually none of the auditor recommendations.)
Audience guy wants to know whether Ford believes in global warming, and what he'll do to fix it.
"I actually believe in, Tom, is man-made global warming." Okay cool. Then we've got some stuff about cap and trade. Nothing about what he'd do.
"I actually believe in, Tom, is man-made global warming." Okay cool. Then we've got some stuff about cap and trade. Nothing about what he'd do.
Kathleen Wynne finally gets a chance to defend her cap-and-trade system, and it's one of her best moments thus far.
"It is...GOOD!" she ends.
"It is...GOOD!" she ends.
Doug Ford keeps going on about how the carbon tax the "single worst tax ever."
I know he's just being bombastic, but like, he knows we literally had race-based taxation in the 20th century, right?
I know he's just being bombastic, but like, he knows we literally had race-based taxation in the 20th century, right?
Wynne: "Andrea, you want people to believe we sold Niagara Falls...we sold a piece of a piece of a piece."
Yes but when you sell a piece of the company you lose ownership of that company so?
Yes but when you sell a piece of the company you lose ownership of that company so?
And now an audience question from a guy who pays $20,000(!!!)/y in childcare costs. He can't have anymore kids and his dreams of, I assume, a familial baseball team has been dashed. He wants low/no fees, which is basically the NDP plan. So that was a gimmie.
Doug Ford is now warning about government-run daycare. (Heaven forbid the government run the places we put our kids in.) Instead, he wants some kind of 24/7 childcare program. Baby night schools, I guess?
(Doug Ford's childcare plan is a means-tested tax rebate, covering 75% for low-income families and 25% for high-income ones.)
Ford insists that government-run daycares would close at 4:30.
Horwath: "Have you ever been to a daycare?"
Horwath: "Have you ever been to a daycare?"
Horwath does seem pretty over-confident. She's spent a lot of time interrupting and trying to needle her opponents. That's rare a very effective debate strategy.
Doug Ford wants everyone to call their doctors and ask who to vote for so enjoy this week, doctors.
Parents in my mentions pointing out that daycare can be, in fact, pretty 9-6ish, and Ford's tax cut at least offers some options. So, fair enough.
Me rn.
It's over. Good god. There are still scrums to come, in about 20 minutes time. Just wait for that nonsense.
I was trying to say *rarely* effective. Voters tend to hate rude leaders.
In a scrum, Horwath accidentally called Ford "Mr. Platform."
We'll have the whole rundown of those scrums on @OPPOcast on Tuesday. But Ford came out and basically tried to filibuster the questions, ignoring them and just re-delivering his talking points straight to camera.
I asked Ford point-blank how he keeps using the $1.1 billion figure, even though it's bunk. He completely refused to answer, and later went back to it and cited his cost-cutting record at city hall.
Shitshow over. Go vote for one of these candidates, or one of the other weirdos. Or eat your ballot. I honestly don't care.
