By: Lori Harito
So…politics :s oooh definitely not one of my strong points, but I do know a thing or two. And while I try to keep up with my politics as much as possible (does reading Metro on my way to school everyday count?) I can’t help but get frustrated and angry with these dumb politicians and constantly ask everyone WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO BREAK PROMISES??? I don’t get it, if you promise to do something DURING your election, and then you are elected by THE PEOPLE…should you not keep that promise you made to those people? I don’t know, it just seems simple to me.
So…politics :s oooh definitely not one of my strong points, but I do know a thing or two. And while I try to keep up with my politics as much as possible (does reading Metro on my way to school everyday count?) I can’t help but get frustrated and angry with these dumb politicians and constantly ask everyone WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO BREAK PROMISES??? I don’t get it, if you promise to do something DURING your election, and then you are elected by THE PEOPLE…should you not keep that promise you made to those people? I don’t know, it just seems simple to me.
So when I asked my friend who is in the law program at York, and is slightly a little TOO obsessed with politics why politicians are allowed to keep doing this, he simply said, “Well central campaigns usually put significant restrictions on what local candidates can promise.”
OOOkkkay. To me it still feels like they’re lying to us (except for Jack Layton whom I have mad respect for!)
So, in we bring our friend George Smitherman, who is double trouble, serving as the Ontario Health Minister also. This guy is all over the place (http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=767&Display=850, and http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/advocacy/equality_forum.htm).
A lot of what he says is like the general liberal platform, but since he is the health minister, he is talking more about the health aspects of the liberal platform. I spoke to Omid Tavakoli, who is an avid campaigner for the Liberals and helps out in the main office. He says, while they’re not really focusing on George Smitherman , there is going to be a rally for him next week. Omid says, “As for the Liberal campaign in general, the main issues right now are publicly funding schools, health care improvement (particularly cutting down wait times) and environmental initiatives (such as closing coal-burning power plants). These are at least the issues that we're encouraged to bring up when we're canvassing. “
“The Liberals are guaranteed to win and probably with a majority. I can tell you that the publicly funded school issue might become moot because the Progressive Conservatives are back-pedalling on it now. Also, the Liberals were preparing for the possibility of winning only a minority government but recent polls are really in their favour, so again that might be moot.”
Apparently, parties send all candidates a huge binder, or such, that details everything about the party's platform and how to respond to questions (so now you know where those corny, roundabout answers come from). As part of Dalton Mcguinty's cabinet, Smitherman, in his capacity as health minister has decreased wait times across a number of categories, such as joint replacement, and cancer care in hospitals.
Smitherman also had to deal with a lot of the flak that came when the health premium was introduced by the party. There was also a movement towards the greater use of electronic health records in hospitals. Now these are all health related matters, which I’m hoping would matter to a lot of Regent Park people, and would be something of concern. I assume that they like what Smitherman stands for, because a walk around Regent Park shows a numerous amount of red support than any other (oddly enough, the NDP signs were seen more than the Conservative, not something you see in too many neighborhoods.)
Here is my guess, since the majority of people who live in Regent Park have immigrated to Canada, I assume they like the freedom and protection that the liberals offer immigrants, while the Conservatives have done their part in trying to make immigration laws tighter in Canada. If one party lets you into their country freely, who are you most likely to vote for? The one that’s welcoming you with open arms.
In terms of Regent Park, Smitherman has been avidly involved in Pathways To Education http://pathwaystoeducation.ca/home.html, which is a program developed by the Regent Park Health and Community Centre. I just visited that place, and they do offer a lot of services for people that obviously can’t find them easily anywhere else (showers, laundry, job services etc). But this particular program is to help high school kids stay out of trouble essentially. They do tutoring, events, group mentoring etc. And he has also lent his “time and energy” to the Regent Park Revitalization Program, so at least he’s keeping up with the community.
When I tried to e-mail George Smitherman on his direct e-mail as linked on his website, with his promise that he would get back to our questions – he still hasn’t replied, - nor has anyone from his office replied back to my phone calls, but that’s politicians for you!
Photo Courtesy Of: http://www.ilglaw.org/images/confpics/monday/Conf%2021.jpg
OOOkkkay. To me it still feels like they’re lying to us (except for Jack Layton whom I have mad respect for!)
So, in we bring our friend George Smitherman, who is double trouble, serving as the Ontario Health Minister also. This guy is all over the place (http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=767&Display=850, and http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/advocacy/equality_forum.htm).
A lot of what he says is like the general liberal platform, but since he is the health minister, he is talking more about the health aspects of the liberal platform. I spoke to Omid Tavakoli, who is an avid campaigner for the Liberals and helps out in the main office. He says, while they’re not really focusing on George Smitherman , there is going to be a rally for him next week. Omid says, “As for the Liberal campaign in general, the main issues right now are publicly funding schools, health care improvement (particularly cutting down wait times) and environmental initiatives (such as closing coal-burning power plants). These are at least the issues that we're encouraged to bring up when we're canvassing. “
“The Liberals are guaranteed to win and probably with a majority. I can tell you that the publicly funded school issue might become moot because the Progressive Conservatives are back-pedalling on it now. Also, the Liberals were preparing for the possibility of winning only a minority government but recent polls are really in their favour, so again that might be moot.”
Apparently, parties send all candidates a huge binder, or such, that details everything about the party's platform and how to respond to questions (so now you know where those corny, roundabout answers come from). As part of Dalton Mcguinty's cabinet, Smitherman, in his capacity as health minister has decreased wait times across a number of categories, such as joint replacement, and cancer care in hospitals.
Smitherman also had to deal with a lot of the flak that came when the health premium was introduced by the party. There was also a movement towards the greater use of electronic health records in hospitals. Now these are all health related matters, which I’m hoping would matter to a lot of Regent Park people, and would be something of concern. I assume that they like what Smitherman stands for, because a walk around Regent Park shows a numerous amount of red support than any other (oddly enough, the NDP signs were seen more than the Conservative, not something you see in too many neighborhoods.)
Here is my guess, since the majority of people who live in Regent Park have immigrated to Canada, I assume they like the freedom and protection that the liberals offer immigrants, while the Conservatives have done their part in trying to make immigration laws tighter in Canada. If one party lets you into their country freely, who are you most likely to vote for? The one that’s welcoming you with open arms.
In terms of Regent Park, Smitherman has been avidly involved in Pathways To Education http://pathwaystoeducation.ca/home.html, which is a program developed by the Regent Park Health and Community Centre. I just visited that place, and they do offer a lot of services for people that obviously can’t find them easily anywhere else (showers, laundry, job services etc). But this particular program is to help high school kids stay out of trouble essentially. They do tutoring, events, group mentoring etc. And he has also lent his “time and energy” to the Regent Park Revitalization Program, so at least he’s keeping up with the community.
When I tried to e-mail George Smitherman on his direct e-mail as linked on his website, with his promise that he would get back to our questions – he still hasn’t replied, - nor has anyone from his office replied back to my phone calls, but that’s politicians for you!
Photo Courtesy Of: http://www.ilglaw.org/images/confpics/monday/Conf%2021.jpg
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