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 Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| cosmostein wrote: | I find the timing of Greg Sorbara's retirement as an MPP odd;
The Ontario Liberals had a defacto majority with Witmers seat empty, and now they are in a situation where they need to retain a seat and win a seat rather then simply win a seat?
Sorbara may be too old to run for leadership federally (65) but perhaps he will assist someone to do so. |
Any idea where he's positioned in the Liberal Party, more of a lefty or on the right? |
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Bugs
Joined: 16 Dec 2009
Posts: 1940
  
votes: 5
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| Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:49 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Any idea where he's positioned in the Liberal Party, more of a lefty or on the right? |
Greg Sorbara is more of an 'operator' than an ideologue. He was CFO of an aluminum extruding firm that was making big money, and came under investigation -- while he was provincial treasurer -- for crimes where the officers of the company skimmed off profits from their own company, through a shifty real estate deal. How he avoided culpability when he was CFO is beyond me. (Well, not really ...)
He was the brains of the first McGuinty term, and showed McGoof the ropes, and never resumed a cabinet position (if I remember correctly) for his second. God only knows what he had going behind the scenes. He was chiefly notable for bringing in an additional tax to fund medicare, in the immediate wake of McGuinty's extravagant promise not to raise them ... He shrewdly offered that his was not a tax, but an insurance premium, but that ran into the ditch when it ran afoul of union contracts that compelled employers to pay for health premiums. |
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| Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:24 am Post subject: |
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| Garneau will be launching his leadership bid soon, if he can find a "dream team" to run his campaign. |
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| Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:48 am Post subject: |
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| Progressive Tory wrote: | | cosmostein wrote: | I find the timing of Greg Sorbara's retirement as an MPP odd;
The Ontario Liberals had a defacto majority with Witmers seat empty, and now they are in a situation where they need to retain a seat and win a seat rather then simply win a seat?
Sorbara may be too old to run for leadership federally (65) but perhaps he will assist someone to do so. |
Any idea where he's positioned in the Liberal Party, more of a lefty or on the right? |
I think Bugs assessment is pretty spot on;
He is an opportunist first, and a slight right fiscal Liberal second.
However, he is very well connected in the "machine" which makes him a solid asset amongst any potential candidates as a behind the scenes guy. |
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| Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| cosmostein wrote: | | Progressive Tory wrote: | | cosmostein wrote: | I find the timing of Greg Sorbara's retirement as an MPP odd;
The Ontario Liberals had a defacto majority with Witmers seat empty, and now they are in a situation where they need to retain a seat and win a seat rather then simply win a seat?
Sorbara may be too old to run for leadership federally (65) but perhaps he will assist someone to do so. |
Any idea where he's positioned in the Liberal Party, more of a lefty or on the right? |
I think Bugs assessment is pretty spot on;
He is an opportunist first, and a slight right fiscal Liberal second.
However, he is very well connected in the "machine" which makes him a solid asset amongst any potential candidates as a behind the scenes guy. |
It could be quite possible he has been recruited to head up a leadership bid. David McGuinty's would be a good bet. |
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| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| Progressive Tory wrote: |
It could be quite possible he has been recruited to head up a leadership bid. David McGuinty's would be a good bet. |
Its entirely possible;
However I suspect baring any major changes in the next few months that many Ontario Liberal MP's may be opting for the job of top Ontario Liberal. |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Jean Charest anyone? |
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Bugs
Joined: 16 Dec 2009
Posts: 1940
votes: 5
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| Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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Say whatever, Charest is still a valuable political commodity, not nearly as damaged as Bobbo Rae, for instance (and look where he is, after five years).
He's only about 55.
But he's a Mulroney Progressive Conservative, in the old Quebec mould. A patronage guy. Surely, if you needed a guy to bring into cabinet to give Quebec some 'heft', he'd be on the short list? But (in my judgement) you have to accept the reality of the patronage factor.
Are we sure that's a bad thing?
It's a fascinating question. What is Jean Charest's political value, now that he is not a sitting member of the Quebec National Assembly?
Any thoughts? |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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I think he is a guy who's party still secured 1,361,618 (or 31.21%) in an election that had turnout rumored to be in the 70% range.
For all his "flaws", he is still a popular figure in Quebec with a lot of tread left on his political tires.
His political value (IMO) is still very high, in the same way that I think Mario Dumont could get elected as an MP in Quebec in a heartbeat. |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Would Charest want to be just an MP? Would he want to be a Conservative or a Liberal? If Harper could get him to run for him he'd be an asset around the cabinet table, and could help the party in Quebec. However, if he is now a Liberal would he want to be an MP in the third party or would he have to be leader? |
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:13 am Post subject: |
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| Progressive Tory wrote: | | Would Charest want to be just an MP? Would he want to be a Conservative or a Liberal? If Harper could get him to run for him he'd be an asset around the cabinet table, and could help the party in Quebec. However, if he is now a Liberal would he want to be an MP in the third party or would he have to be leader? |
If Charest wants to join the Tories, it will be as an MP and basically the Quebec Lieutenant of the party out of the gate.
He is only a year older then Harper; so theoretically he has a lot of time left politically speaking.
For the Liberals; I think it would need to be leader or bust.
Because the party would need to mold itself to be more Martin-esk around Charest, and with such a small caucus that wouldn't be too hard to do. |
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| While the Liberals aren't affiliated with most of the provincial parties, I think just the Atlantic Canada parties, most of them are still centre centre-left parties. As well Liberal parties throughout the country are all in huge problems, I've been wondering if it would be smart for the next leader to reach out the provincial parties and build better relationships? Possibly look at common themes they could start promoting so that they start standing for something. The CPC isn't affiliated with any provincial parties, however a lot of them still support similar ideas and work together. |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:56 am Post subject: |
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Have been looking over Deborah Coyne's platform;
"The implementation of a carbon tax, allowing a mix of public and private health care to meet national health care standards, reforming the electoral system, reassessing supply management of dairy products, eliminating tax credits to simplify the tax system, abolishing the Indian Act, and replacing sporadic first ministers meetings with a formal council of Canadian governments"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.....orah_Coyne
Interesting. |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| cosmostein wrote: | Have been looking over Deborah Coyne's platform;
"The implementation of a carbon tax, allowing a mix of public and private health care to meet national health care standards, reforming the electoral system, reassessing supply management of dairy products, eliminating tax credits to simplify the tax system, abolishing the Indian Act, and replacing sporadic first ministers meetings with a formal council of Canadian governments"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.....orah_Coyne
Interesting. |
Some good ideas IMO, they need a candidate to spark a policy debate. Her carbon tax proposal is interesting because she wants the provinces to receive the revenue. I'm not a big fan of tax credits and abolishing the Indian Act sounds good. While I want the federal government to respect it's jurisdiction I also want the Prime Minister to to work with thee premiers more. |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Martha Hall Findlay has supposedly recruited Stephen Carter to run her campaign. |
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