Oh no he didn't....

The G&M is reporting that Stephan Dion just referred to the Conservative budget as "unfair".

Wow.

From the moment the Conservatives began running those ads where Dion meekly replies to Ignatieff's leadership attack about the environment by saying "This is unfair!", I've watched the line become a cult media reference. The thing's taken on a life of its own. It shows up in newspaper editorials, television political satire, even everyday conversation. Hell, I was even invited to join a Facebook group mocking the maladroit Liberal leader called "This Facebook Group is Unfair!!".

If I were a Conservative staffer in the PMO communications department I'd have to check my calendar to see if Christmas had come early. After all, you'd think Dion could have thought of a different word to support his objection to the budget other than the one that is, you know, single-handedly destroying his career.

As if it wasn't already bad enough....

The Toronto Star reports today on some of the new tax measures that Mayor David Miller is implementing in the city's budget. This passage sums it up nicely:

"Many of the proposed levies are "sin taxes" that would tack 5 per cent on to the cost of alcohol (at LCBOs or table service), tobacco and tickets at cinemas and live events. Parking lots would pay the city a yearly fee per space while an unspecified road toll is suggested for the Gardiner and DVP."

Does David Miller even live in Toronto? The cost of living in this city is already high enough compared to other Canadian cities, and the items Miller is targeting contribute significantly to this disparity.

It is especially unbelievable that the city seems to think they can squeeze more money out of parking. Without a doubt the "yearly fee" will fall on consumers who already pay exorbitant prices to park. I suspect that Miller may not be bothered by this situation - seeing it as merely part of his broader campaign to promote public transit and discourage those nasty commuters from bringing their gas-guzzling, environment-destroying vehicles into the city. But, caught in the cross-fire of this battle will be Toronto's entertainment and tourist industry.

If you're a commuter, you have to find your way downtown no matter what - so faced with toll roads and parking gouging you may just switch to GO or TTC. But if you don't live or work in the city, but merely visit for entertainment or social purposes, you may just not come at all. Or even more troubling, if you are choosing a place to work or set up a business, you now have all the more reason to locate somewhere else. And therein lies the problem - Miller is risking making life in Toronto prohibitively expensive.

I am from a rural area in southwestern Ontario. Many of my old friends and family members simply refuse to come to the city because it's already too expensive. The idea of paying $20/day to park their car (because how else are you going to get there), and $6 for a pint of beer is just too much. Tack on Miller's 5% tax increase and I'd expect to see even fewer Ontarians contributing to the economy of the provincial capital.

Finally, as Councillor Doug Holyday points out, these tax increases, combined with hikes in the city's business taxes, can only do further damage to the Toronto economy. Were Toronto the only thriving metropolis in the country things might be different - people and business would still come because they have no choice. But faced with red-hot up-and-comers like Calgary and Edmonton, making life and business in Toronto even more expensive seriously endangers Toronto's competitiveness.

Ultimately, Miller is going to raise a few extra bucks for city programs through these tax increases. But in the process he risks driving people, business and tourism from the city, on top of making life more expensive for those of us already living here. Whatever programs are the lucky recipients of this money had better be worth the price.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Who'd have thought a year - or even a month - ago that the Quebec election would turn out this way? Sure the Liberals still won a plurality, but the significance of the results should not be underestimated.

The emergence of the Action Democratique du Quebec (ADQ) constitutes a seismic shift in the political landscape and culture of Quebec - and one that I consider to be for the better. For decades the conventional wisdom has been that provincial elections are a battle between the federalist Liberals (LPQ) and separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) - making the sovereignty question the most important and overriding issue of every campaign. Notwithstanding the fact that this ensured the future of our country consistently rested on a knife's edge, it also sapped a good deal of the strength out of Quebec democracy. Government does a whole lot more than just separate or not. Reducing every election to a virtual referendum on how Quebecers feel about having another referendum allowed all other issues to be, at best, greatly deprioritized, and at worst swept under the rug. Economically, socially and even on the issue of Quebec "nationhood", the ADQ, LPQ and PQ offer very different perspectives on how Quebec should be governed. (The ADQ is particularly notable since it introduces an element of conservatism into the spectrum that was previously non-existent.) For the first time in generations Quebecers have some real political choices.

Now, if you're a federalist you might be worried that the emergence of a rival anti-separatist party to the LPQ threatens to "split" the federalist vote. Don't be. The dream of any federalist is to see the end (or at least neutralizing) of the separatist movement. The emergence of a strong third party to smash the status quo PQ-LPQ battle is an essential ingredient to achieving this goal. So long as the battle for Quebec was consistently fought between only two parties, the sovereigntist movement would be kept alive by the sheer fact that the PQ held the mantle of being the only alternative to the Liberals. When people were sick of the LPQ, they had no where else to turn. With another viable party on the scene the PQ is no longer the default anti-Liberal vote. Insofar as the ADQ and Liberals provide viable alternative platforms for the governance of Quebec within a united Canada, it opens the door for the PQ to become a one-issue third party in the Assembly. And once they are relegated to the sidelines, they become vulnerable to slowly slipping from the scene - no longer propped up by the old dichotomy.

Sure there is the risk of some vote splitting, but if you want to see the eventual end of the separatist presence in Quebec how else do you believe it could come about? It's not as though the LPQ would one day just win every single seat and govern Quebec as a one-party state. The strong showing of the ADQ may just be the beginning of the end of separatism in Quebec.

Great Dominion Dust-Up

Everyone loves a good political contest. Kudos to Tim Hudak for providing me with one more means of procrastination.

http://www.timhudak.ca/great-dominion-dust

Based on the votes so far I have a feeling that the Conservative competitors are going to fare a touch better than their opponents. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the contest is hosted on the website of an Ontario PC MPP? Or, perhaps it's because the Conservative candidates simply are better.

My gut tells me it's the latter.