I had to laugh when I read this editorial from yesterday's Star. It seems that because Prime Minister Stephen Harper has only delivered on four of his five campaign promises, he is a failure. Yup, 80% is the new failing rate if you are a Conservative.

Pretty funny coming from the left, who prefer that there be no teams, winners or losers, children shouldn't play sports because it encourages competition, and honor rolls are fascist and skewed toward smarter kids. Heh.

The Tories have made it clear that they intend to use Ottawa's $7 billion surplus chiefly to cut taxes, reduce debt and shrink government rather than reinvest it to boost the three things Canadians care most about, namely health care, the economy and jobs, and the environment, or to seriously address poverty and crumbling urban infrastructure.

Granted, the Tories have "delivered," more or less, on four of their five big campaign promises. The new Accountability Act sensibly restrains political donations, offers whistle-blowers some protection and requires more disclosure on spending. The goods and services tax is now 6 per cent, not 7. Families get $100 a month in child-care help for each child. And on crime, the Conservatives propose stiffer sentences and less bail for violent offenders. However, they have yet to deliver on their fifth promise: a "wait-times guarantee" for medical patients.

I love the scare quotes around delivered. They're so spiteful, and rife with sour grapes. Oh yes, they've given us 80% of what they promised, and done it in less than 10 months, but what about health care??? True, what does it matter that we have honest government and lower taxes if we still have to wait for treatment under the Canada Health Act? The Canada Health Act that the left does not want us under any circumstances to change or do away with.

Personally, I have a heck of a lot of faith that a minority government that has accomplished this much in less than a year has a damn good fighting chance of actually tackling the healthcare problem successfully, so I'm in no rush to go back to the polls.

Labels: Canadiana