Strong Action, Strong Leader? Strong Response.

The following is an edited version of Premier McGuinty's letter to Ontarians.  My comments in italics.

Read the original letter here.

This is quite a place, our Ontario. (almost 8% unemployment, discriminatory schools, lack of social housing, worst gridlock in North America).

We are, all of us, blessed to live in the greatest province in the best country in the world (just don’t tell the Americans, the unemployed or those trying to live on $599 per month).

Our public schools now rank the best in the English-speaking world.

Our hospitals now have the shortest surgical wait times in the country. (Hopefully, you won’t be wanting any drugs with your surgery).

Even our economy, in the midst of a punishing global recession, has created nearly half the new jobs in Canada, and more new jobs than any of our neighbouring (Unemployment: Why Canada is trailing the U.S. on jobs. March 9, 2012: The Star. ) states.

These things didn't happen by accident. We didn't get lucky. No shit, Sherlock!

Working together, we made our publicly funded Catholic schools and our hospitals better (e-health. [1B Waste] and ORNGE ), and our economy stronger (Samsung thanks you).

But now, years of Liberal government over-spending, the recession and continued global economic uncertainty have left us with a problem: a stubborn deficit that threatens economic growth and job creation, and puts our publicly funded Catholic schools, our health care, and our very quality of life (a luxurious $599 per month for Ontario Works recipients) at risk.

We can't allow this deficit created by Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals to defeat us. And we won't.

Our strong plan will eliminate the deficit by Ontario's and Canada's 150th anniversary, on July 1, 2017. (Unless there is a 1 point increase in interest rates, among many other variables).

It won't be pretty. It won't be easy. But we will succeed.

We'll make difficult decisions and tough choices.

Sacrifices will be made. But not on the backs of the top paid CEO’s who will still get their bonuses.

But then who among us didn't grow up hearing of the hardships and sacrifices our parents and grandparents made to create a better life for us. (I recall my Mom telling me how people could walk out of high school and into a factory or office and get a job in the 60’s. As for my grandparents, we’ve all heard stories of how the economy was booming after WWII).

Well, now it's our turn. Time for our generation to stand up and take action.
We will do whatever it takes to protect the gains we've made in our publicly funded Catholic schools and our “health care” that treats illness, instead of focusing on prevention.

We'll do whatever we need to do to preserve what is so very special about this place. Special treatment for the top paid CEO’s, putting the onus of economic recovery on the backs of our poorest citizens and allowing discrimination to continue against students and teachers, in our schools and 7.4% unemployment (Compared with 12 months earlier, employment was up by 121,000. )

And we'll do it together. (Unless your a non-catholic teacher) Because that's the way we do things around here.

Together. We can do this. We're Ontario.

Dalton McGuinty

Premier of Ontario


and

Mark Daye
Citizen of Ontario