The Amazing Daltoni reveals Ontario’s new non-Drummond plan

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The Amazing Daltoni reveals Ontario’s new non-Drummond plan for debt reduction

Kelly McParland Mar 14, 2012 – 9:55 AM ET | Last Updated: Mar 14, 2012 12:54 PM ET

Ontarians are starting to get a picture of the Liberal government’s strategy for reducing the huge deficit it ran up in its first eight years in office.

It turns out it has little if anything to do with the 362 recommendations offered up in the year-long analysis it commissioned from economist Don Drummond. That report — much anticipated and released to great fanfare by members of the media who had been fooled into believing the government actually planned to treat it seriously — has evidently been assigned to some remote shelf deep in the dusty underground storage area used to keep MPs from being infected by good ideas. Instead, Premier Dalton McGuinty and his capable financial henchman in chief, who goes by the alias Dwight Duncan, have concocted their own game plan.

One key element was revealed Tuesday, when Mr. McGuinty reprised one of his favourite moves. Remember when he was first elected premier, and pledged — in writing — not to raise taxes, only to fool everyone by jacking up healthcare charges anyway? The charges weren’t a “tax”, he insisted, therefore weren’t a violation of his promise. Well, welcome back: Mr. McGuinty has been telling everyone there’s no way he’ll introduce “new” taxes to raise money. But that doesn’t mean he can’t cancel a promised tax cut (see: corporate tax pledge), or hike existing “fees” and “levies.” Presto: watch carefully folks, my hand never leaves my arm. On Tuesday The Amazing Daltoni (Knows all, Spends all) revealed that drivers’ fees, licence fees, examination fees, trailer fees, renewal fees, fee-increase fees, ugly licence-photo fees and any other fees they can find on the books will be increased forthwith. I may have invented a couple of those fees, just as Transport Minister Bob Chiarelli invented the justification that fee hikes were a “thoughtful” way to raise money. No Bob, they’re what governments do when they’re as bankrupt of ideas as they are of cash..............http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... reduction/