Social and economic success are broadly founded on universal health care, high standards of accessible education and a reasonably fair distribution of wealth. The maintenance of that troika is, in turn, dependent on a clear distinction between the government acting in the public interest and a vibrant private sector driven by innovation and productivity. The criteria of success in the two broadly defined sectors are not the same. Success is the result of investing in growth, in access to education in a knowledge-based economy and the long-term health of the population. Public debt could be the most effective instrument to achieve beneficial results. The payback is profound. Many Canadians understand this relationship, wanting tax value, not tax cuts. What is of grave concern now is that the Ford administration is in the process of undermining the foundation of Ontario’s success in every field of public endeavour. The paradox is that the policies being adopted will have the opposite consequences as those claimed by the bumper sticker, simplistic slogans that masquerade as policy. Opposition parties and the informed media have the responsibility to make the effects of this provincial government abundantly and comprehensively understood. Not to do so will diminish the quality of life for all Ontarians.
A. J. Diamond, Toronto
Recent Comments