All Entries in the "Pundits" Category
Selley: City Has Spoken, And It Is Angry
The National Post’s Chris Selley offers his take on the Toronto election results and what politicans should take from them: “Whatever happens over the next four years, this election sent a hugely important message to Canadian politicians: Ignore voter anger at your peril. If you think voters shouldn’t be angry, make your case early and [...]
Ashton: Ford May Stop The Gravy Train, But Here Comes The Grease
Former councillor Brian Ashton suggests that mayor-elect Rob Ford may need some political grease to get his agenda through: “For our new mayor, it’s not all roses and “watch-people-jump” when you speak. You are where the buck stops and media criticism begins. The bag of goodies is indispensable for greasing the political slews, but is [...]
Globe Ed: Rob Ford’s Election Is A Mandate For Change
The Globe and Mail editorial board offers that the larger challenge for mayor-elect Rob Ford is to successfully bring change to Toronto: “Mr. Ford ran a blunt campaign that fed an appetite for change. He responded to, as he put it in his victory speech last night, a popular sense that “enough is enough”. But [...]
Sun Editorial: Ford’s Election A Game Changer
The Toronto Sun Editorial Board offers their view that the election sends a clear signal that voters want to see results, and are looking to mayor-elect Ford and Council to deliver: “As mayor, Ford now has an obligation to work with this new council and to govern for the good of the entire city. But [...]
Goldstein: Rob Ford Slays A Goliath
The Sun’s Lorrie Goldstein offers that Rob Ford’s election dispels a number of myths about municipal campaigns: “In the wake of this election, it’s time to put a knife through the heart of the political fiction that only the NDP engages in party politics at the municipal level. The Liberals’ entire Big Red Machine, backed [...]
Gee: Ford Raged Against The Machine, And Now Runs It
Marcus Gee of the Globe suggests that Rob Ford’s next challenge will be to run a government as successful as his campaign: “Whether Mr. Ford can deliver that in the city of Toronto is, to say the least, an open question. In a system where there are no political parties and the mayor’s is only [...]
Star Editorial: Ford Needs To Reach Out
The Toronto Star Editorial Board thinks that mayor-elect Rob Ford’s first order of business is to start building bridges with Council and other stakeholders: “He needs to extend a hand beyond the right-wing councillors who backed his campaign to the more progressive ones who opposed him. It would make sense for Ford to put at [...]
Levy: City Hall’s Broken, Voters Want It Fixed
The Sun’s Sue Ann Levy offers her thoughts on last night’s election results – voters are fed up: “By giving Ford the nod, Toronto citizens have said enough to wasteful spending on pet projects while basic needs like road repairs, parks maintenance and our dirty streets are consistently neglected. They’ve said enough to self-serving politicians [...]
James: What Happens Now? Four Turbulent Years
Royson James predicts that the next four years will be marked by political battles as Mayor Ford works to push his agenda through council: “Issues like contracting out garbage services and ending sole-source contracting and the sale of city assets promise titanic struggles among the left-leaning councillors. And any mayor who attempts to cut front-line [...]
NP Election Panel: Forget About The Mayor’s Chair
The Post’s municipal election panel turns their attention away from the mayoral horserace to look at some of the more interesting local races: Furey on Ward 19 There is no greater symbol of clannish politics than the Layton cabal’s attempts to stranglehold municipal politics. We see this in Jack’s unashamed history of consistently running for [...]
Levy: ‘Closet’ Ford Supporters Can Finally Speak
The Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy thinks that the “silent majority” may not admit they support Rob Ford, but will speak tonight: “Why should they come out of the closet, so to speak, when the elitist Lib-left — who feel it is their divine right to control the fiefdom of Toronto — are ready to pounce on them [...]
Granatstein: A Chance For The ’Burbs To Yell
The Sun’s Rob Granatstein notes that the fate of the election largely resides on whether suburban voters exercise their democratic rights: “This is your chance, great people of Toronto’s suburban neighbourhoods, to be heard. Known for a propensity to whine and moan how no one downtown at City Hall listens to you for four years, [...]
Woodcock: T.O. Election Has Shaped An Entire Country’s Campaigns
Connie Woodcock writes in the Toronto Sun that the impact of the Rob Ford campaign is being felt across the GTA: “[I]n municipalities both near and far — from Durham Region to Edmonton and Winnipeg — you can see signs of the massive, news-dominating Toronto campaign’s effects. In Oshawa, for instance, Mayor John Gray has [...]
DiManno: Riding A Bad Mayor Out Of Town On A Rail
Star columnist Rosie DiManno feels that Toronto could benefit from recall legislation at the local level: “So, yeah, one or t’other, I think Toronto needs the parachute of recall as fail-safe to what either candidate might unleash on the city — impeachment legislation as introduced in 40 jurisdictions across North America, including British Columbia and [...]
Gee: Toronto, It’s No Time For Cynicism. Every Vote Counts
The Globe’s Marcus Gee implores voters to make their voices heard through the ballot box: “Who that winner is depends on the informed judgment of Torontonians. In a jaded world, cynical about politics and skeptical of politicians, voters often complain they are powerless. Here is a case where they can really make a difference. The [...]
Warmington: Dalton Closely Watches T.O. Election
Sun pundit Joe Warmington figures Premier Dalton McGuinty is quite interested in the results of the mayoral contest: “If all goes well Monday, he — with the Liberal Party machine he controls — may even have his own man in place to open up a new pipeline of cash to pay or cover for his [...]
Siemiatycki: Is it Party Time For Municipal Elections?
Academic go-to guy Myer Siemiatycki offers 10 reasons why it may be time for political parties to be permitted at the municipal level: • Elections would more likely be waged on issues than on sheer name recognition. Parties would present their candidates for mayor and city council, backed by a shared program. The ballot would [...]
