TORONTO – A government that is keen on privatization seems to have taken the odd step of privatizing even cabinet responsibility, said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
“We elected a government that promised social justice and a better pension plan for retired Ontarians, but what we got was a government outsourcing everything that moves – and a number of things that are nailed down as well,” he said.
“The latest venture is privatizing the province’s economy.
“We used to get our economic forecast from a provincial budget, but this year it is coming from ex-banker Ed Clark, and maybe, when he has done his thing, the government will settle down and put his numbers into the balance sheets,” he said.
“I remember last year’s election. My short-term memory is still pretty good. And I don’t recall the TD Bank party running, and I don’t remember any campaign literature from Ed Clark,” said Thomas.
“Yet, here he is setting the province’s economic agenda for the coming year.
“While I may not agree with the results of the Ontario election, I am a firm believer in democracy, and that means that the people elected by the citizens to run this province should stand up and take on the job themselves – not contract it out to the banks.
“Quite frankly, the banks have plenty of power in this country and plenty of clout in the economy, without having the government outsource its responsibility to them. This is a profoundly undemocratic development.”