Ford needs to stay focused and deliver tangible change, but he starts 2020 in a far, far better position than his political opponents
Will Ontarians see New Doug Ford or Old Doug Ford this year? The answer to that question will go a long way to determining if the 2020s will become the Doug Ford era or whether the PC premier will become a one-term political footnote.
Then, New Doug Ford began to appear. The premier confounded his detractors by displaying an unexpected political discipline and flexibility. He shuffled his cabinet, replaced a chief of staff who had overstepped his bounds and lowered his own profile by taking a controversial time-out during the federal election.
There is room for optimism on all three fronts this year, particularly health care. The big initiative there is the creation of Ontario Health Teams, which are groups of providers that voluntarily unite to integrate local health services. The old model was directed from above by government bureaucrats. This one comes from the providers themselves, and there has been a gratifying level of enthusiasm for the approach. So far, 24 such teams have been approved, about half of the ultimate goal.
Some argue that balanced budgets are passé, and point to Justin Trudeau’s re-election on a promise to borrow and spend as much as he possibly can. So, the public doesn’t care about deficits, right?
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Conservative party looking to ‘reconfigure its identity’ in 2020The Conservatives have three places to figure that out: in the House of Commons as the official Opposition, in a leadership race, and at a policy convention scheduled for November
Read more »
Here's what Canadians can expect if U.S. President Trump wins again in 2020CTVNews.ca spoke with several political scientists, economists and Canada-U.S. relations experts to get a sense of what our country could look like if Donald Trump wins re-election.
Read more »
Lower taxes, new RRSP rules and new annuities among 2020 personal finance changes for CanadiansCanadians could save up to $116 on federal tax changes that went into effect Jan. 1
Read more »
Opposition Conservatives head into 2020 with fights ahead on three frontsFederal Conservatives sought to draw in voters with the slogan: 'It's time for you to get ahead.' But they didn't get enough of those voters to form government, and so 2020 finds the Conservatives needing to figure out how to get ahead themselves.
Read more »
Oil starts 2020 higher on trade optimism, Mideast tensionsBrent crude futures rose 25 cents to $66.25 a barrel by 0958 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 13 cents at $61.19 per barrel
Read more »