Two local politicians have revived the traditional New Year's levy in Burlington - Sunday at the Art Gallery

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

January 6th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

This Sunday the two women who represent the political leadership at the federal and provincial levels will hold their second New Year’s levy.

Levies were once significant municipal events at one end of the political scale and the event put on by the Lieutenant Governor of the province at the other end.

Remembrance McMahon + Gould

MPP Eleanor McMahon and MP Karina Gould at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Burlington.

Karina Gould and Eleanor McMahon decided they would jointly hold the event this year – the Mayor in his six years as the man with the chain of office showed no interest in holding the event.  That left the oppor-tunity for the two woman to revive what looks as if it is going to become a regular annual event.  Good on them.

The civic celebration of a New Year is an oppor-tunity to look at how well the federal government and the provincial government have done in serving the public interest.

Provincially the province struggles with hydro rates – the increases are hurting. The story behind those increases is complex and not all the fault of the current Premier Katherine Wynne. However she is the one wearing this issue.

In the year we are now into the opposition and the third party will beaver away at what they will call the failures of the current provincial government. They failures are easy to point to – but there were some significant positive moves.

A Premier that was once close to being addicted to the cash for access practice managed to shut down the practice and hardly a word has been heard about hat issue in a number of months.

Levee - McMahon at loom - I did that

During the 2016 New Year levy held at the Art Gallery of Burlington, MPP Eleanor McMahon took a turn at a weaving loom – that led to her becoming a member of the provincial cabinet.

The province has some serious infrastructure deficits and getting us out of our cars without providing an acceptable and convenient alternative is proving very difficult.

What comes across however, is a Premier who is going to do whatever it takes to bring about the changes needed to accept the fact that our climate has changed and we need to change if we are going to continue to exist on this planet.

Much ado was made about the Premier’s attempt to create a provincial pension program – which was shut down once the federal government decided to make changes in the pension program at that level. The federal changes would not have come about had Wynne not had the courage of her convictions to force the federal government to change. Don’t thank Justin Trudeau for the improvements in the federal pension program – than Wynne for pushing him into it.

When the next provincial election rolls around the provincial Liberals will have been in office for 15 years – they are being called a tired, worn out government.

Trite comment from the political pundits. How many years were John Robarts and Bill Davis in office – and were they tired and worn out? The Conservatives in this province let Mike Harris in the hen house – he turned out to be a wolf not a fox.

Wynne has her hands full – when one looks at what is out there to replace her – one feels confident with her hands on the wheel. Perfect she isn’t but better than the alternative she certainly is.

Levee Gould welcoming a new Canadian

Burlington member of parliament Karina Gould celebrating with a couple expecting a child during the 2017 levy.

Federally – the bloom has managed to stay on the rose that Justin’s father used to wear in his lapel. We love the guy, the world loves the guy. But there are serious issues that are not getting the kind of attention they need.

We are fortunate in Burlington to have a woman who is not yet 30 serving as our Member of Parliament. She has a lot of growing to do but there appears to be little doubt that she will go through those growth curves in fine fashion.

Now if we had a finance minister who would stop growing the deficit and spending like a drunken sailor there would be reason for an optimistic financial future.

We have young people for whom the opportunities in the work of work required the creation of a new word: precarious employment. They deserve better than that.

We talk in terms of those under 30 never being able to buy a home. Who then is going to buy those outrageously expensive bungalows north of the QEW when the current owners want to move on?

We have newspaper headlines that report on federal “deficits that will run into 2050”.

If there is a phrase that described financial irresponsibility that just about covers it.

As popular as he is – the Prime Minister sets the tones and those he is currently using are tone deaf but they are not falling on deaf ears.

We are going to spend $1 billion on sesquicentennial celebrations this year. What’s to celebrate? Fiscal imprudence?

We just may need the time between this anniversary and the second centennial – assuming we dodge the climate change bullet heading our way, to get out of the deficits that are being accumulated. The money we borrow does have to be paid back

What Burlington has going for it is a remarkable young woman doing a fine job at the federal level and a well-seasoned woman serving at the provincial level who happens to be one of the best campaigners this reporter has seen in some time. Her campaign ability and her genuine empathy for her constituents serve both her and the community well.

There were solid reasons for making her a Minister and a member of the Treasury Board.

Now if she can spend a little less time in the “golly, gee-whiz local booster” mode she frequently falls into she will be with us after the next provincial election.

Salt with Pepper is an opinion piece.  The Gazette invites others with opinions they feel will advance the level of civility in the city to be in touch with the publisher. getting new - yellow

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