"People are generally ill-informed" ...or so says Conservative leader John Tory

    TORONTO, Sept. 28 /CNW/ - In a campaign that has been characterized by
gaffes and missteps - and no shortage of poor judgment - it's difficult to get
surprised, anymore, when Conservative leader John Tory says something
ill-considered. It's been happening so often, after all.Since the campaign began, officially and otherwise, John Tory and his
maladroit Conservatives have made plenty of mistakes:

    -   Said it was okay for creationism to be taught in schools
    -   Took 82 days to cost his platform - and still won't say where he'll
        make $1.5 billion in cuts
    -   Demanded "one law for all" - except for his own star recruit
        Randy Hiller, that is, who has illegally blockaded highways
    -   Started to oppose a proposed holiday in February, until he saw how
        popular it was
    -   Said they wouldn't make a lot of promises - then made at least 244
    -   Called a respected Canadian university "U of Zero"
    -   Said that Ontario teachers "rig" test results
    -   Called for fees to visit hospital emergency wards
    -   Called one of his own MPPs a "jack-in-the-box"
    -   ...and watched as more than a dozen Conservative MPPs and candidates
        publicly opposed the funding of private religious schoolsBut in this morning's Globe and Mail, John Tory surprised many of us. He
admitted that many of his policies - in particular his wildly-unpopular scheme
to fund private religious schools - are not "vote winners." True enough, say
Ontarians, in increasing numbers.
    So where does the blame for all of this lie? In a meeting with the Globe
and Mail's editorial board, the Conservative leader said the blame lies with,
well, you.

    You, Ontario.

    Instead of admitting that his education plan is unpopular because
Ontarians have considered it and rejected it - instead of listening to his own
MPPs and candidates, even - John Tory chooses to blame voters. Because the
rest of us are, and we quote, "generally ill-informed."
    If that sounds a lot like Kim Campbell's admonition that an election
isn't a time to discuss policy, it does to us, too - and, after all, John Tory
chaired that disastrous campaign. And if you think it's an inappropriate thing
for a leader to say, how about this gem, also taken from Tory's visit to the
Globe: the Conservative leader arguably likens the future of our children's
education to a breakfast cereal. After all, Tory said, "French on cornflakes
boxes was a huge issue at one time."
    More bad judgment from John Tory. (And, remember, he says you are to
blame. Not him.)

For further information: Ben Chin, [phone] ext. 412,
[e-mail]