Will the Ontario Tories choose 
Common Sense?
by Romeo St. Martin

[PoliticsWatch updated 5:30 p.m. September 17, 2004]

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris and his Common Sense Revolution looms large in the Ontario PC Leadership race.

OTTAWA — A lot could be on the line in the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership vote set for Saturday, September 18.

Party members will not be just picking an opposition leader and successor to Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Ernie Eves, but a potential premier come October 2007.

And, perhaps even more importantly, they will be deciding whether the party will continue with the Common Sense Revolution of former Ontario premier Mike Harris, which brought the party success in two elections.

Already, the Tories are eyeing the next election. The latest Ipsos-Reid poll puts the leaderless Conservatives three points ahead of the McGuinty Liberals. 

McGuinty's unpopular spring budget, in which he imposed a health-care premium on Ontarians, is continuing to have an impact on his personal popularity as well, with 61 per cent of respondents disapproving of his performance, compared to 41 per cent in April.

Three men are vying for the leadership of the party. Former Ontario finance minister Jim Flaherty, who finished second to Eves at the last leadership convention, Frank Klees, a former transport minister, and John Tory, a long-time party backroomer who entered the political ring last year when he ran for mayor of Toronto. 

Both Klees and Flaherty were figures in the Harris government and both came to Queen's Park when Harris swept into power in 1995. 

Flaherty has gone as far to say during the leadership campaign as saying that Ontario needs another Common Sense Revolution to restore financial order to the provincial coffers. 

And Klees has suggested putting all options on the table in repairing the province's health-care system, including creating two-tier health care, allowing people to purchase health-care services outside the normal system. 

"I believe that will enable us to create a dynamic health care system here in the province of Ontario and ensure its sustainability," Klees said during a recent candidates meeting in London, Ont. 

Tory, on the other hand, is viewed as a more moderate choice out of the mould of former Ontario premier Bill Davis. Although he is still in agreement with the other candidates on basic conservative tenants - less taxes, less government - some view him as being the candidate most likely to change the direction of the party.

He has even gained the support of the editorial board of the Liberal-leaning Toronto Star. 

"But for us, the best person to lead the party is John Tory," the paper stated in a recent editorial. 

"We base our decision on this newspaper's long-standing desire to see government play a progressive role in society. We believe Tory is best suited to reach out to those who felt excluded under previous Conservative governments."

And going into the weekend convention, a new poll shows Tory would be the candidate that would make Ontarians more likely to vote Conservative . 

SES Research asked a random sample of 500 Ontarians, "Which candidate, if any, would make you more likely to vote PC?"

Tory was the choice of 21 per cent of respondents, compared to 12 per cent for Flaherty and six per cent for Klees. However, 24 per cent of respondents said they were not sure.

"Polling indicates that John Tory has the broadest appeal compared to the
other leadership contenders," said SES's Nik Nanos. "The fact that one out of every four Ontarians are unsure on this measure indicates that perceptions of the leadership candidates are not fully formed in the public mind."

All members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party as of August 7, 2004 are eligible to vote in the leadership election. Members can vote in their ridings between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 18.

If you are a party member you can find out where to vote by visiting the Ontario PC site where they have a full list of polling stations.

The party is using a preferential ballot system, where voters select their first, second and third choice for leader. 

The PC Leadership Convention will be held September 17 and 18 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. On the first night, all three candidates will speak to those in attendance starting at 7:30 p.m. 

The following day at 3:00 p.m. a tribute will be given to Eves followed by a keynote address by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. 

The event will end shortly after that when voting results are announced. 

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