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Sunday, September 12, 2004
Toronto Star endorses a Tory
It is hardly surprising that the Toronto Star would want John Tory to win the Ontario PC leadership race. He is, as their endorsement editorial notes, a moderate. But the candidate himself and PC supporters beware: John Tory is only a moderate compared to Jim Flaherty and Frank Klees and he will no doubt be considered an extreme right-winger once his opposite number is not some Common Sense Revolutionary but Premier Dalton McGuinty. Right now the Star praises his fiscal conservatism with a social conscience. But once he wins the PC leadership, all they'll see is his supposed fiscal conservatism. They applaud his promise to (in their words) "better fund schools, strengthen health care and fix our roads," but they will criticize his willingness to allow more private involvement in healthcare and the party's demands to bring back the Education Tuition Tax Credit. They praise his reaching out to the youth, women and immigrants but will soon criticize how he is the voice of corporate Canada. This happens all the time -- the media supports the least conservative candidate vying for the leadership of a centre-right party but once he wins, they forget all their praise for said candidate's "moderation." PC Party supporters should ask themselves this: should they want a leader who is acceptable to the editorial board of the Toronto Star?
Posted by Paul Tuns on September 12, 2004 in Canadian Provincial Politics | Permalink
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Comments
Jonathan Colford here, founding subscriber to the Western Standard and longtime supporter of John Tory (from the very beginning of his mayoral campaign, when he was at 3 per cent support).
John Tory is the best candidate to build a winning coalition in 2007. He's a true compassionate conservative (sorry Jim and Frank, merely serving on boards of charities doesn't qualify), fiscally responsible and socially progressive in the truest reflection of our principles (not that neo-Reaganite bs Klees is running on, or the neo-Dubyaism of Flaherty).
We need to broaden the base of our party instead of playing the game of who's a better conservative. The latter is the quickest way for us to become a mere NDP of the right.
Posted by: Jonathan Colford | 2004-09-14 3:55:42 PM
clarification... the "game" is all those charges Klees and Flaherty have been laying... all ideas are welcome, but we need a platform that people will get behind, not one that will divide us.
Posted by: Jonathan | 2004-09-14 3:57:40 PM
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