John Tory to finally get a seat?

h/t to Joanne for this news... but it's NOT good news, in my opinion. John Tory will finally be able to contest a seat, as PC MPP Laurie Scott looks ready to step down so Tory can run in her seat.

I commented with the following on Joanne's blog, Blue Like You:

My bet? The Ontario Liberals are so desperate to keep Tory around, that they’ll do one of the following:

1) Run a no-name, no-chance candidate
2) Rerun the runner-up from last time, and then sabotage their own campaign so Tory wins
3) Call the by-election immediately, then not contest the seat

Make no mistake, the Ontario Liberals WANT Tory back in Queen’s Park… he’s the key to Dalton’s 12 year DYNASTY.

The Toronto Star article that Joanne links to lends credence to my theory...

"If things fall into place as Tory hopes, he could be in the Legislature as early as this spring.

Last year, Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty indicated he would expedite a by-election when Tory found a riding. By law, McGuinty has six months to call a by-election, but he has repeatedly said he thought the Opposition leader should be in the House sooner rather than later for the good of democracy in Ontario.

Ontario Liberals in recent years have fielded candidates against rival leaders seeking seats. In other jurisdictions, governing parties have tended to give seatless leaders a free pass. It is not yet known whether the Liberals would contest the by-election."

I'm still somewhat undecided on where I stand on all this. My biggest problem is that I'm convinced the Ontario Liberals WANT John Tory around, because he's the best chance they have at keeping Dalton in the Premier's office. However, I'm inclined to give Tory at least half a chance, to see if he's REALLY been listening, and has changed his tune after 33.1% of us gave him a clear vote of non-confidence. (Of course, I still firmly believe that percentage would have been higher had Toronto delegates not swamped the convention, and if ALL the legitimate delegates had been permitted to register and vote...) Thus far, I'm still not convinced that John Tory can do what we need him to do... defeat Dalton McGuinty at the polls in 2011.

But you know what the even bigger problem is? The biggest problem is that I don't know if I really care anymore... I mean, I don't know if I really care if Mr. McGuinty remains the Premier in 2011. Part of it, I guess, is the sense of apathy that John Tory gives me... I don't know if replacing Mr. Liberal with Mr. Liberal-lite will really make any difference. The other part is, and here's the real shocker, that I'm starting to actually think that Mr. McGuinty is actually doing a passable, though not particularly good, job.

Of course, he's made a mess of the economy, mainly because he's been so beholden to the unions, and has given them anything and everything they've wanted to keep them onside. But the Ontario Liberals I think are starting to realize what the rest of us have known all along... that the unions are an insatiable beast, and they're never going to be happy no matter how far backwards you bend for them. We'll see how things go with the Elementary Teachers union, they're supposed to make some big announcement today that they've reached an impasse on their contract negotiations. He's also helped wreak the economy, and harmed the auto-sector, but until the CAW makes concessions, I'm inclined to think that McGuinty's errors on that file may actually prove helpful in the long run, if it helps to reduce the power and influence of the unions in the auto-sector... and plant closure or two may be a good thing on that front, in the long run.

The Health Tax is of course, my biggest issue, as it was a massive tax hit on my family, plain and simple. But the Ontario Liberals implemented a program that meant that we didn't have to pay the Land Transfer Tax when we purchased our first home, which resulted in a significant savings... not equal to what they've taken from us via the Health Tax, but did help us out a bit when we needed it, so my anger has subsided somewhat.

Bottom line is, I don't know if replacing Dalton McGuinty with John Tory is going to do any significant good. Therefore, unless Mr. Tory can win me back by making a SIGNIFICANT shift to the BASE, which resides on the RIGHT of the spectrum, with something along the lines of a "Common Sense Revolution II", I'm someone who will be on the sidelines next time. Of course, I was mostly on the sidelines last time... I showed up at the debates, asked a probing question of the Liberal candidate, blogged on behalf of the "cause", put up lawn signs, repaired arterials, showed up to a rally, helped out on E-Day, etc. But perhaps the most telling sign of my apathy, if you'll notice, was that I never proudly posted a photo of myself with "The Leader" during the election campaign. I had several chances to meet him, but was never inclined to take that "souvenir" shot I so often take. Heck, I have one of myself with Ontario Green Party leader Frank de Jong, but not with John Tory.

But, wait, my secret gets even worse... I must admit, I was so apathetic to Mr. Tory's leadership, that at each opportunity I had to meet him at various events, I purposely positioned myself out of his reach, so that I never had to shake his hand.

Here's the bottom line, Mr. Tory... if that's the way you make hard-core partisans feel during the heat of an election campaign, that's a signal that you have some significant work to do.

The window to win me back is narrowing... and you've spent over a year, in my opinion, not doing anything about it. Get moving.