well he claims to be a Tory with a social conscious but only time will tell. as a student in the province i have seen the effects of the cutbacks eves made in his harris budgets in the education system, not to mention labour, healthcare and the environment. on the other hand i have seen a lot of my elders benefit(greatly) from the tax cuts.
harris' term was prosperous and tumultous at the same time. many ontarian's were pleased cause their pockets were increasingly line with cash. those in the healthcare, education and public service fields were disappointed because of the lack of security.
many though was generally upset with the state of health care and education however.
harris' term was prosperous and tumultous at the same time. many ontarian's were pleased cause their pockets were increasingly line with cash. those in the healthcare, education and public service fields were disappointed because of the lack of security.
many though was generally upset with the state of health care and education however.
from the national post
Former finance minister Ernie Eves next premier of Ontario
COLIN PERKEL
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) - Ernie Eves, the man who balanced Ontario's budget twice in a row for the first time in decades, easily won a second-ballot victory on Saturday to become the next premier of Canada's most populous province.
Eves, who cast himself as a fiscal conservative with a large social conscience, edged out his closest and toughest rival, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, after two other candidates threw their support to him.
The cavernous downtown convention centre erupted in raucous cheers as the results were announced, giving Eves 55 per cent support.
Flaherty picked up 38 per cent support.
Minutes before the final results were announced, Flaherty went over to the Eves' camp to shake his rival's hand.
"I said to him that he ran a very good campaign and that we had to make sure that the party was unified," Flaherty said, as his dejected supporters put on a brave face.
"He agreed entirely."
Elizabeth Witmer and Tony Clement were both on the second ballot even though both had already announced their withdrawal after disappointing first-round results.
Both then said they would support Eves.
The marathon race, which Flaherty helped turn into one of the nastiest in Ontario history, began last October when Harris announced he was stepping down for personal reasons.
The moderate Eves, a classic "red Tory," quickly emerged as the favourite.
Eves, who campaigned on his record as the man who eradicated Ontario's $11-billion deficit, said he was "thrilled" when Witmer and Clement offered their support after the first ballot.
Clement, whose right-wing views are more similar to Flaherty's, said he decided to back Eves for the sake of party unity.
"I am going to be fighting for my values and principles within an Ernie Eves government," said Clement, who is health minister.
Witmer, the environment minister, also stressed the need to mend fences after a bitterly fought five-month campaign.
Labour Minister Chris Stockwell, the most dynamic candidate, came in dead last and fell off the first ballot.
"I thought we'd catch fire, we didn't," said a visibly disappointed Stockwell, who refused to say who he planned to support.
"We did our best."
As many as 100,000 Tories were eligible to vote in a one-member, one-vote system for what is arguably the second-most powerful political office in Canada but fewer than half actually did so.
One of the voters was Harris himself.
"I'm having fun," said a relaxed-looking Harris, who conceded it felt a bit strange to be voting for his replacement.
"Yeah, it's different for me (but) it feels good."
Upon returning to politics last fall after an eight-month hiatus in the public sector, Eves drew support from most cabinet and caucus members, immediately becoming the odds-on favourite.
It was under Eves, 55, that Ontario balanced its books twice in a row for the first time in decades, even as Eves slashed taxes of every description - 199 of them by his boast.
He also chopped welfare payments, the bureaucracy, education and social housing, helping fuel the at times violent opposition that marred Harris's tenure.
Amid heavy security at the convention centre, protesters opposed to Conservative policies - social activists and union members - rallied at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and other polling stations.
Some were bloodied during a clash with police as they gathered at a downtown park and prepared to march to the site of the convention.
Those protesters, sporting goggles and bandannas, banged pots and pans as they expressed their disdain for the Tory government.
Police made several arrests.
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pssst: gravity pushes.