Rae Days
I do not often post on political items however a recent Ekos Research Poll has Bob Rae as the number one choice of Canadians to lead the Liberal party.
Bob Rae’s track record in Ontario was simply bizarre. Let’s highlight some of the key achievements.
Ontario accumulated $20 billion in debt in the 40 years prior to Bob Rae’s government. The NDP administration took only four years to add up another $40 billion of debt. I cannot recall even one lasting investment that the NDP made during that time. Sorry. There was one. Their government did approve casino gambling for Ontario.
Bob Rae’s NDP government cut health care costs by reducing the number of doctors graduating from medical schools. The legacy of such a move? A severe shortage of physicians.
Anyone earning more than $67,000 a year was considered rich. And, under his government, those individuals had to endure the highest marginal tax rate in all of North America.
Remember the public auto insurance fiasco?
In looking at the devastation that the NDP had wrought to Ontario, record debt, record deficits and record job losses, Rae’s government hired over 100,000 more public servants and gave out large increases to most of the public sector. And then?
The NDP government ordered a wage freeze and told the public servants to stay home two weeks a year without pay.
Rae Days. Perhaps the most enduring legacy of Bob Rae’s handling of government.
I made a visit to my family doctor today, Yes I have one. He told me that he has been advertising for a doctor/partner for his practice for the last couple of years with no success. He is a GP. According to my doctor, the main reason he has been unable to secure a partner for his office is that most doctors now prefer to work in walk in clinics. In walk in clinics these doctors can deal with the flu’s and the colds but, they make no referals to specialists, they advise that if symptoms persist go to a hospital emergency department. These walk in clinic doctors get paid on a fee for service, but walk in clinics really do not service the patient, they service the doctors pocket book without the doctor taking on the responsibilty the welfare of the patient.
Bob Rae’s legacy to the people of Ontario is a shortage of doctors.
By reducing enrolments to medical schools he has created this medical shortage of doctors this province is experiencing today, not that any following government has done anything about increasing enrolments to medicals schools.
Ironicly it’s all about money, if we have more doctors more tax dollars go to pay their fee for service. I think in that statement there is arguement for private clinics and independant medical services. To hell with the NDP and their carterwailing
Why am I writing a comment here? my doctor and I are about the same age. He is going to retire soon and so am I, Guess what,… what doctor shall I visit. I.m sure it will probably be
Doctor Who.
and if asked
Are you here next week doctor Who?
And he will answer, Doctor Somebody will be here, I think.
Private health clinics can charge whatever they want because when one is sick, they have no choice. That is the genius behind universial medicare, it takes the profiteering out of the healthcare industry because it delievers services based on cost. Oh, and everyon has access.
A long list of reasons to defend Rae’s record:
– Mulroney’s deficits was bigger as a percentage of GDP during Rae’s time
– the Ontario Liberals left him in deficit taking office
– NAFTA restructuring hurt Ontario the most
– the US recession
– the Canadian recession
– the global recession
– the Gulf War oil price shock
– the post-Soviet collapse resource price collapse
– federal government cutbacks and layoffs
– anti-inflationary program by the central bank that caused sky high interest rates
It’s a little rich and partisan to blame him on the recession and the deficits. I have respect for the man, he made tough choices for tough times and sadly, the political establishment, from business lobbiest to organized labour, made him the offical scapegoat and blamed him for all their problems, which is totally unfair to him.
It’s amazing how far he feel from grace too. He was considered one of the most popular politicans in Canada in the early part of his term. Then everything was downhill but time heals wounds, especially if the wounds are partisan and interest group attacks. I am not surprised he is so popular now.
“Bob Rae”™s NDP government cut health care costs by reducing the number of doctors graduating from medical schools. The legacy of such a move? A severe shortage of physicians.”
hmmm Very interesting…
Nice post.
Thanks.
households now owe as much as the entire U.S. economy can produce in a year
You forgot he didn’t request forensic audits of lawyer accounts after the Law Society’s Legal Aid Plan “lost” $100 million. Instead he came up with this MOU.
Years later in 1996, prior to the removal of legal aid from the management of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Justice Beck was commissioned to do this report:
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1717340_cfdur/TheBeckReport.pdf
indicating where the problem was with the money – including cuts from the Martin/Chretien government.
Rae didn’t ensure that Ontarians would get balanced legal coverage according to law and succumbed to a threat by the criminal lawyers who were going to launch a class action.
Legal Aid, now called Legal Aid Ontario, is still missing $100 million from their accounts receivable, with no forensic audit
The NDP MPP in my riding says it’s all Harris’s fault but they failed to acknowledge the MOU above where it was Rae who limited the ability of lawyers to dip into the account willy nilly
The Law Society still seems to be having difficulty helping clients of lawyers who have run off with their money:
http://www.lsuc.on.ca/media/lettertoattorneygeneral.pdf
Notice the letter is signed by the treasurer of the LSUC whose been investigated himself stating to the Attorney General “we don’t know why the police didn’t investigate”
http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=347
Rae’s move was short sited but did no hurt Ontario as badly as people play it out. Medical schools even under Rae’s enrollment cap weren’t at full capacity.
“While Walker admits that expanding enrollment in medical programs can have a negative effect on the quality of the program, he emphasizes that Queen”™s School of Medicine will not be adversely affected by this recent enrollment openings.
It”™s always a worry”¦ but none of Ontario”™s medical schools are at full capacity so its not an issue at the moment,”? he explained.
http://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2000-09-08/news/province-gives-med-schools-boost-more-spaces-and-f/