Issue 49 Vol III, October 15, 2007

T H I S  O U R  N O R T H  A M E R I C A

2007 Ontario Elections: Red again Prevails over the Blue, Yellow and the Green
Khushwant Toor

THE Liberals under the energetic leadership of premier Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government in Ontario last fortnight. It is rare for the Ontarians to vote the same party twice in succession. Earlier predictions of the Liberals falling to a minority status were also belied. In fact, the Liberals managed to increase their seat count form 67 to 71 out of the total province's 107 seats.

It is after 70 years that the Liberals in Ontario have won a back to back majority after the Liberal leader Mitch Hepburn won his second majority in October 1937.

Progressive Conservatives were elected in only 26 ridings. Their much hyped election agenda to fund religious faith based schools is being blamed for the loss.  PC Leader John Tory who was loved by the upcoming young South Asian community leaders, and who betted upon swaying the ethnic vote, suffered defeat in his own riding, putting his leadership in doubt.

National Democratic Party managed to get 10 seats thanks to the party’s campaign agenda to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour, its opposition to a controversial 25% pay raise for MPPs and its renewed focus on matters of economic justice. The NDP's leader Howard Hampton was re-elected in his riding of Kenora-Rainy River, which he holds since 1987, however, the party's seat count has not changed. It polled more percentage of votes.

Aside from the Liberals, the only party to make significant gains was the Greens, which didn't win any seat including the party leader Frank de Jong, but more than doubled its share of the popular vote. Commentators view the Green Party vote as the protest vote against environment degradation and it sends a strong message to the main parties. Environment is the issue for the 21st century.

"Thank you, Ontario," a grinning McGuinty said to cheering supporters after winning the second term as the party leader. On day one after being back on job as the premier, as promised in this elections, McGuinty declared every 3rd Monday in February to be a statutory holiday in Ontario, calling it to be a “Family Day”.

This Ontario election has also set a new record for the least percentage of eligible people voting. Only 53% people voted, breaking the previous record of 55% in 1929. The low percentage of voting is attributed to the fact that majority of the PC party supporters did not vote, as they were in opposition to the party agenda for funding religious based schools and neither wanted to vote for the Liberals.

All through the election campaign and during the televised leadership debates, both the PC party leader, John Tory and the NDP leader, Howard Hampton jointly attacked Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty, for not keeping up with his previous election promises, and in particular for raising taxes against as promised then. However, Dalton McGuinty’s thought full responses, and talks about the progress which the province is making ultimately emerged him as a better leader. In opposing PC party’s agenda, Dalton McGunity’s view; "We do not want to see our children divided," "We want publicly funded schools, not public funds for private schools" also helped in swaying undecided voters towards liberals.

During the same elections voters were also required to vote for a provincial referendum on whether to change from first-past-the-post to mixed member proportional representation, as recommended by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. The referendum failed, with 37% of the participating electorate and 6 out of 107 ridings voting for the new system; a 60% supermajority was required province-wide, with at least half the ridings also supporting it by a simple majority. Lack of knowledge and understanding about the referendum is being blamed for such low vote cast.

Federal parties will be scouring these results to find out how would they fair during the coming federal elections. Liberals could draw some solace and should send warning signals to Conservatives led by Stephan Harper. It may hard to draw direct comparisons between federal and provincial elections because often the issues are very different, yet this election is a good barometer to judge the mood of the voters.

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton has a personal stake in the fortunes of his provincial wing. He has worked forcefully in recent years to secure a common look to the party in terms of signs and messaging, creating stronger federal-provincial links than exist with other parties.

Postscript: The Liberals won a second majority while losing 58 per cent of the votes. And the Green party, representing almost 10 per cent of voters, still has no representation in the Legislature. Democracy is worse than ever. This province urgently needs a real electoral reform. This time at least three million voters  did not know about the reforms suggested in the referendum.

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Canada bans Indian made toothpaste, Neem

Canadian health authorities have issued a second warning on the use of toothpaste made in India. Health Canada's on August 24 issued an advisory along with the original July 26 warning about an ingredient also found in antifreeze:

It said, “Further testing on Neem Active Toothpaste with Calcium, manufactured by Calcutta Chemical Co. Ltd in India, and has revealed that in addition to unacceptable levels of diethylene glycol (DEG), the product also contains high levels of harmful bacteria. This poses additional significant health risks, especially to children and individuals with compromised immune systems.

Health Canada has advised Canadians to discontinue use of this product. Potential adverse effects of ingesting products that contain unacceptable levels of harmful bacteria include fever, urinary tract infection, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Infants, children and vulnerable populations such as patients hospitalized for severe underlying diseases or with compromised immune systems are more sensitive to these effects. Severe vomiting and diarrhea could lead to potentially life-threatening dehydration. While toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed, it is often swallowed by young children.

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Who owns the Arctic?

Countering Russian moves, the Canadian government has announced a series of scientific projects designed to assert Canada's claim of sovereignty over the Arctic.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper feels, “Scientific inquiry and development are absolutely essential to Canada's defense of its North, as they enhance our knowledge of, and presence in, the region. He believes that use it or lose it is the first principle of sovereignty." Hence before Russians begin using it, let Canada do it. It looks strange in the 21st century when the world has a strong United Nations to sort out several knotty issues.

Canada is at odds with Russia, Denmark, Norway and the United States over 1.2 million square kilometers (460,000 square miles) of Arctic seabed. Each nation is claiming overlapping sections of the sea floor, believed to hold 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves. All of them, including its allies, deny Ottawa's hold on the Northwest Passage. In July this year, Harper had unfolded plans to build six to eight Navy ice-breakers, a deep sea port in Nanisivik on Baffin Island and a military winter fighting school in Resolute Bay to firm its claim to the lonely region.

Harper unveiled 26 more projects in line with his government's promise to earmark 150 million dollars for scientific research as part of International Polar Year. Thousands of researchers from about 60 countries take part in studies undertaken as part of the year, which have evolved into the largest international scientific research program dedicated to polar regions.

Canada is funding 43 of these projects. The subjects of study include how polar bears, seals and whales are adapting to climate change, the level and origin of toxic chemicals in the Arctic air, and the Arctic ice cap.

Canada to export AIDS drugs to Rwanda

Canada has become the first country to notify the World Trade Organization that it has agreed to allow a Canadian company to make generic medicines for export, the world body said Friday.

"The WTO received from Canada, on 4 October 2007, the first notification from any government that it has authorized a company to make a generic version of a patented medicine for export under special WTO provisions agreed in 2003," the WTO said in a statement.

The triple combination AIDS therapy drug TriAvir will now be made in Canada by the Canadian company Apotex and exported to Rwanda.

Earlier this year, Rwanda informed the WTO that it intended to import some 260,000 boxes of the drug from Canada over the next two years.

"Canada's notification completes the circle. Both notifications were required for the medicine to be exported to Rwanda under an important agreement among WTO members reached on 30 August 2003," the WTO said.

Under the terms of the WTO accord, a country can issue a "compulsory license" to a national company allowing it to reproduce a patented medicines for export to meet emergency needs such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

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