Ontario Premier Doug Ford Is Deficient In Common Sense

By Matthew Clark

Doug Ford holds the highest political position within the provincial government in Ontario. Ontario is the nation of Canada's most populous, and wealthiest, province. It is the first among Canada's ten provinces and three territories. Ontario's southern boundary is lined with the famous great lakes, while the northern border is determined by the saltwater James and Hudson Bay. To the west of Ontario is the Prairie Province of Manitoba while the french speaking province of Quebec lies to Ontario's east.

Ontario is rich in natural resources, resources which range from lumber, oil (Sarnia), gold, nickel, copper, cobalt, lithium, etc. Ontario's capital city, Toronto, is a major financial centre. Yet what makes Ontario special within Canada is it's manufacturing sector. Canada has an anemiac manufacuring industry. It is smaller than Irelands, a nation of 5 million people, Canada has approxiametely 40 million. Ireland also does not have the comparative advantage of a large energy sector, which Canada does, although that advantage, in typical Canadian incompetence, has been squandered. Nevertheless Ontario is the Canadian exception to this rule. According to the organization "Canadian Manufacturers Exporters" manufacturing in the province currently employs 776,200 Ontarians. These labourers have an average salary exceeding $60,000.00 (Canadian) annually. There are 36,000 manufacturing companies in Ontario which are responsible for close to 80% of the province's exports. The United States is the top customer for Ontario exports.

Obviously these facts indicate that Ontario's politicians must approach the provinces relations, especially economic relations, with the United States in the most thoughtful of fashions. That being the case how did Ontario Premier Doug Ford ever think events would go well if he placed repeated ads on American national television during the World Series (Baseball), which had the stated aim of dividing the political governing United States Republican Party. If anyone had any doubt on the advertisements aim the Ontario Premier articulated it to the media in great detail. He hoped to turn ( Ronald) Reagan Republicans against MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans.

When the ad(s) became public, with Republican icon Ronald Reagans voice narrating the commercial(s), the Ronald Reagan Centre in the United States, guardian of the deceased Presidents legacy, came out with heavy criticism of the pitch. This gave current President Donald Trump the excuse he needed to cancel trade talks between the United states and Canada. Arguably Donald Trump does not want a trade deal with Canada. President Trump wants to bring manufacturing employment back to the United States. Canada is a logical target to convince companies in the Northern Kingdom to relocate to the United States. Trade negotiations with Canada occur simply to placate. northern (U.S.) state governments. This being the case any action which gives the President an obvious reason to cancel, or suspend, trade talks is highly problematic.

As well the idea that Americans would opt in favour of a foreign political leader against their own President is nonsensical. Canadians would be upset if an American political leader tried to divide the ruling Liberal party so that the Canadian government would follow an economic policy U.S. citizens and lawmakers wanted. How Doug Ford could seriously believe his tactic would succeed is baffling.

Combine this circumstance with the Premier's temper tantrums against Whiskey producers and auto manufacturers, as well as electoral support for the federal Liberal Party against the federal Conservatives (Mr. Ford is, or claims to be, a conservative) and one can rationally argue the Ontario Premier is deficient in common sense. In some cases the Premier's lapses have only effected his fellow Ontarians. In other instances all Canadians have suffered from Doug Fords counter productive behaviour. At this rate it is only a matter of time before Premier Doug Ford commits an error so egregious that it ends up impoverishing not just Ontarians, yet Canadians from sea to sea to sea!