The McGuinty Code

The McGuinty Code

I just spent three days at a municipal conference in Toronto. While there were numerous  beneficial presentations and discussions, there were many provincial cabinet ministers there responding to questions, giving speeches, and holding fifteen minute audiences for delegations  from all over Ontario.

Each time I attend meetings like this, I find it interesting to watch for themes that emerge from members of the government. This year the common theme, expressed in various ways is this:

"THERE IS NO RURAL-URBAN DIVIDE. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE JUST NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OK."

This annual conference is jointly sponsored by the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and the Ontario Good Roads Association, both of these are organizations that are very well aware of the increasing number and advancing seriousness of issues facing the rural and small town communities throughout this province. Many of the emerging problems we face are caused by or aggravated by the current Ontario Liberal government.

Even the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs espoused this myopic viewpoint, despite the fact that he is in the position most likely to make the rural-urban divide most obvious.

That minister, Ted McMeekin, does not strike one as the most insightful politician in the pack, can hardly ignore the cries for help coming from all over the rural areas of Ontario.

Another common element is showing up amongst the government officials. I have been encountering this right here in Huron County. It is not a theme, but a code. It’s a code made up of a very ordinary string of words. Those who are not aware of the fact that this word string is actually a code for something else, will end up with a very wrong interpretation.

Here is the code:  “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE .......” .   Now this code can be completed with any number of nouns and adjectives. To fully and accurately understand what the speaker is saying about those things, you must convert the code part to its literal meaning.

What does “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE .......” stand for? I’ll provide you with some very frequently used examples by members of the McGuinty government, and Ontario school board officials.

“It’s all about the children.”  Spoken by the Avon Maitland School Board officials over the past two or three years, in reference to the closing of certain schools and the building of huge new schools, actually means:  “It has absolutely nothing to do with the children.”

“It’s all about the safety of the children.” Spoken by Laurel Broten, Ontario Minister of Education at the ROMA/AGRO Conference in Toronto, February 27, 2012 in reference to the ministry giving out huge contracts to U.S. firms to provide school bus services for some Ontario Counties, and thereby putting many Ontario transportation companies out of business.  What she actually was saying is “It has absolutely nothing to do with safety of the children”. Local companies have been providing safe transportation for hundreds of thousands of Ontario children for many decades. Ms.  Broten is struggling to get the hang of using The McGuinty Code in a convincing manner. She has a way to go still.

“It’s all about the declining enrolment in our schools and the need to save money.” This has been said by senior administrators for Avon Maitland many times trying to justify the closing of Blyth Public School and other schools. We have to apply the key to The McGuinty Code to find out the real meaning of the statement. Translation: “It has absolutely nothing to do with declining enrolment or saving money”. What the board is actually doing is using up some available economic stimulus funding to match the new school opened in Perth County last year. Spending $10 million dollars, give or take a few million, on an unnecessary school is an unusual way to save money.

Look out for The McGuinty Code.