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They won the provincial election, hands down, up from a minority government

Everybody was at a loss, they expected a minority government, the question whether the Progressive Conservatives under Leader of the Opposition Tim Hudak or the Liberals under Premier Kathleen Wynne. Nobody expected a majority government.

The Liberals had too many scandals, performed by former Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, and PC's who started with a slight lead came up with some questionable policies.
Kathleen Wynne. Photo by Adu Raudkivi

The Liberals had moved two gas production plants out of a riding where they had a chance of winning to one which they had no chance of winning at a cost of over a billion dollars. Another billion dollar boondoggle was the eHealth mess where the Liberals were to computerize the medical records in doctors offices which came to naught. Then came the Ornge medical helicopter overspending miscalculation of around $800,000 . They had wiped the computers clean of data when McGinty turned the Premiership over to Wynne. Nobody believed that the Liberal deserved to win the election.

Hudak, if he kept his nose clean, was squeaking in to a minority government if not an outright victory but had to play mister honest Indian and talk about firing 100,000 civil servants (from a civil service of a total of one million two hundred thousand) and creating a million jobs (out of his hat). We all sat around our TV sets hoping to hear how he was going to do the wondrous act of job creation but all he said was, “in my mind and in my heart it can be done.”

Wynne was a new broom in the Liberal helm but there was only so much distancing she could do without destroying the Liberal brand. Hers was a very delicate balancing act.

Hudak on the other hand explained how he going to revitalize the provincial economy but he could only reach so many people.

One bright star in the provincial, political landscape is Yvan Baker, the Ukranian, friend of Estonian Central Council Medal of Merit Recipient, Borys Vresesnewskji who did incredible work in Ottawa as Member of Parliament for the east European cause, who won handily in Etobicoke-Centre. We anticipate that Baker will do similar work for the east Europeans at Queens Park and it is very likely that he will soon take his management consultant skills into cabinet.
There's no doubt that Wynne is not the same as McGuinty and will do much to clean up the mess left her and at a more manageable time frame and greater humanity.

Adu Raudkivi

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