McKenna: She wants back in; the allure of public office is something she just cannot resist.

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

June 4th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Will Burlington send Jane McKenna back to Queen’s Park or will she get there because a majority of the people who vote on Thursday want Doug Ford to lead the province?

MPP Jane McKenna with the best job she has ever had will have to seek re-election when the expected provincial election is called in the Spring.

Jane McKenna once told the Gazette hat her Father told her to have one really good suit and wear it often – that will get you the best job you will ever have.

In the event that Jane McKenna gets sworn in as a Member of the Legislature for a second time what might she do on a second occasion that she was not able to do during her first trip – she did tell the Canadian Federation of University Woman (CFUW) audience at Central High School that she was sitting as an Opposition member and wasn’t able to do very much.

Does that mean that if she sits in the Legislature as a member of an opposition the citizens of Burlington can expect another lack lustre performance?

Watching Ms McKenna for four years as a Member of the opposition we are hard pressed to recall anything she did.

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McKenna speaking to the Burlington Progressive Association.

Our recollection is that she chose to become what can be best described as a Progressive Conservative power groupy. Being attached to or near people elected to office seemed to be an end in itself for Mc McKenna. We never had the impression that Ms McKenna actually knew what she was doing.

She was given different roles by then Leader of the Opposition Tim Hudak who, in the fullness of time, came to the conclusion that he could better serve in the private sector and left government to be was replaced by Patrick Brown which required Ms McKenna to re-align and attach herself to the new leader.

During the four year hiatus that Ms Mc McKenna spent outside government our understanding is that she served as a lobbyist for the nuclear power industry. It isn’t possible to confirm whether or not Mc McKenna served in that capacity – she made no mention of that work during the CFUW debate.

What we did hear from Ms McKenna was a regurgitation of the Doug Ford plan for the province. In this capacity Ms McKenna did the same sterling job she did when she explained the Tim Hudak platform promising to create a million jobs and to reduce the public service by 100,000 jobs through attrition – resulting in his math being challenged by the other parties and various analysts.

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McKenna at the Central High school fund raiser.

In September of 2012, after listening to McKenna address the Chamber of Commerce, the Gazette said:
“Jane McKenna is growing as a politician. A little less stridency, more reflection and over time she could become a Charlotte Whitton – all the Tories that matter in this town will remember her – and nod approvingly. Can McKenna make that transition?. It will be a challenge.”

It proved to be a challenge she was unable to overcome – but she is back. The allure of public office is something she just cannot resist.

In her first election McKenna defeated Karmel Sakran.   She was then defeated by Eleanor McMahon who she now faces in 2018 – along with a much stronger NDP candidate.

McKenna

Different times – different look. The 2018 campaign.

The two McKenna nominations had a tinge of discord about the.  The first in 2011was a 15 minute affair; the second in 2017  was mired by controversy and doubt that led a number of people to walk away from the association.

There was a time when Ontario had sound stable government led by John Robarts and Bill Davis, who might have been bland but the province prospered and there was stable government without the histrionics.

What have we done to deserve the current Progressive offering?

 

Background links:

The first nomination for Jane McKenna

The second nomination for Jane McKenna

Search boxFor a deeper look at how McKenna has served the community use the search box at the top right of the front page.

Salt with Pepper is the views, opinions and observations of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette.

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4 comments to McKenna: She wants back in; the allure of public office is something she just cannot resist.

  • Hans

    “the allure of public office is something she just cannot resist” = Jane needs a job.

    To be fair to Bob Rae, he won office in a major recession. Maybe his coping tactics were disappointing, but who would have done better?

    The Liberals have expanded the QEW, expanded the JBH, and haven’t killed anyone at Walkerton or Ipperwash. We could have done worse and electing Ford, who is essentially a second Mike Harris, would be a big mistake.

    • Philip Waggett

      Hans, while you’re listing the Libs accomplishments, I thought I’d add a few that you may have forgotten–nearly tripling the provincial debt, ruining local communities through overintensification, increasing gridlock, skyrocketing electricity and auto insurance rates, overcrowded hospitals, increased taxation, and fraudulently hiding the deficit numbers. I could go on about numerous scandals but you can probably fill those in.

  • “If we don’t learn from our mistakes we are doomed to repeat them”.
    https://www.jimgbetterrepresentation.ca

    • Philip Waggett

      I totally agree, Jim. Having witnessed the economic disaster that was the last NDP government in Ontario under Bob Rae, why would we elect another one?