(Canada) Ontario Tories battle to salvage what once seemed a sure victory

[socialshockwave]

"A dogged Tim Hudak is sticking to his guns as he battles to salvage what once seemed a sure victory, with even senior Progressive Conservatives acknowledging that Dalton McGuinty appears on his way to winning a third straight election.

At the start of the Ontario election, provincial Tories talked as though the only question was whether Mr. Hudak would win a majority or a minority. Now the party leader is spending the campaign’s final hours in the battleground Greater Toronto Area, trying to at least hold Mr. McGuinty’s Liberals to a minority as a series of polls show them surging.

Sources in all parties agree that many ridings in the “905 belt” around Toronto, where Mr. Hudak is clearly pinning his last-minute hopes, remain too close to call. A strong swing there one way or the other on Thursday could still produce anything from a Liberal majority to a Liberal defeat.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hudak offered dire warnings that the Liberals will form a coalition with Andrea Horwath’s NDP – asserting, improbably, that talks were already underway."

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-election/ontario-tories-battle-to-salvage-what-once-seemed-a-sure-victory/article2191361/?from=sec431

It's election season here in Ontario where I live. Back in the Summer the Progressive Conservatives were polling well over 25 points ahead of the Liberals. Now? The Liberals are ahead by 10. Mr Hudak's taken the PC Party - which was generally a centrist to centre-left party - and made it almost Tea-baggish with a lot of his promises. All he rags about are taxes, he's put out homophobic flyers, defends tax evading MPP's(Members of Provincial Parliament) and is so incompetent it's not even funny.


I'm not a fan of Dalton McGuinty either, much(he's raised taxes something like 4 times here already while cutting corporate taxes) but given the choices between him, Mr Hudak and Ms. Horwath(who's ideas are good but aren't very economically sound when we're running a 30 billion dollar deficit), it's a hard sell.

Take a look, America. Hudak's policy platform:

www.changebook.ca

Reads like a Teabagger's wet dream.

[Dawson Leery]

1. The far right is not popular anywhere these days.

Will the Liberals take an outright majority? How many seats will the NDP and Greens take?

[socialshockwave]

3. From the polls

The NDP will take about 17-19(they're at 10 now). The Greens are still too low in support to pick up any seats.

[socialshockwave]

2. Oh, and here's the major websites of the parties if you Americans

are interested :

Liberal(current government:

www.ontarioliberal.ca

Progressive Conservatives:

www.ontariopc.ca

New Democratic Party of Ontario:

www.ontariondp.com