By Chad Paulin
While summer-like weather is heating up the province, voters are cool to an election that’s been anything but sizzling.
Around water coolers, in coffee shops and on street corners, the election appears to be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Bathing suits, gardens and car washes are in; health-care cutbacks, education reforms and the Common Sense Revolution are out.
But don’t blame the weather for voter apathy. Blame the politicians.
This campaign has turned out to be a dud, with all leaders failing to capture the imagination of — or even some attention from — voters. Instead of discussing issues and ideas, the leaders are more interested in personal attacks.
The Liberal leader, Dalton McGuinty, has made a sport of calling Premier Mike Harris a bully and a liar. Harris has questioned McGuinty’s leadership abilities.
Beyond the immature name-calling, neither has made an effort to explain his agenda and why Ontarians should buy it. Neither has made an effort to provide vision; neither has given voters their due by saying what will become of the province if his party is elected.
The NDP? Well, in the mid-teens in the polls, its now running for its political life and not for office. While leader Howard Hampton’s performance in the debate was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dull evening, his of tax- hike promises are out of date.
Hampton’s only chance to save this social-democratic ship is to win back traditional supporters and the 12 seats needed for official party status. With union leaders backing the Liberals so as to knock the Tories from power, that goal is a challenge.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the political spectrum, the Conservative campaign has proven to be equally ho-hum.
Harris has crossed the province, skipping from one photo-op to another. Campaign stop after campaign stop, handshake after handshake, the campaign has been choreographed to show what strategists see as the party’s strength — Harris himself.
But that leadership is being promoted at the expense of the voices of dissent.
Conservative strategists have sheltered Harris from protesters who have dogged him since Day One. Name the cause — health, education, gay rights — and a group has followed the premier to question his agenda. They want answers — but they’re not getting them from Harris, or anybody else.
With the NDP fighting for its political life and the Tories fighting off the protesters, opportunity was knocking for the Liberals. Unfortunately for them, McGuinty wasn’t up to the job.
Throughout the campaign, McGuinty has appeared distracted and confused about his party’s policies. And with unfortunate comments about the spectre of school shootings brought on by Harris education cuts, a leaked memo that the leader should wear shoulder pads at the debate to appear more masculine, and a wooden, lacklustre debate performance, McGuinty’s campaign has never taken off.
With all three parties failing to step up to the political plate, Ontarians aren’t getting what they deserve. There’s no vision, no hope and no answers. In short, there’s no leadership.
Alas, the campaign of 1999 is coming to a close just as the summer is getting started. It’s too bad for the province and for democracy that the leaders chose to take their holidays so early this year.