I saw an interesting op-ed by Carol Goar of the Toronto Star this morning, detailing in effect how Harper is trying to project that he’s giving out gifts to the world like Santa, but behind the scenes, acting like he is Scrooge, or the Grinch that stole Christmas.

For example, that so-called big initiative of ‘Saving a Million Lives’ that Harper mentioned last week while in Africa at the Commonwealth Conference isn’t a Canadian initiative at all, but one started by UNICEF. Furthermore, the amount of money Harper pledged is not an increase in funds to UNICEF, or even something new - Ottawa gives this same amount to UNICEF every year. Moreover, Harper had already announced Canada’s participation in this program a year and a half ago. This “announcement” appears to now have been designed as a public relations/propaganda exercise designed to soften the criticism Harper and his Cons knew he was going to get over scuttling real measures to stop climate change at the Commonwealth Summit.

A similar thing happened with AIDS funding. Harper announces to great fanfare and with Bill Gates in attendance a spending initiative to research a vaccine for HIV, yet we find out months later the funding for that has been supplied by cutting funding to local community groups who help local AIDS patients.

Goar points out the pattern this government has engaged in, and why she was right to wait to applaud the PM and the Cons. over this supposed “new initative”:

They portray shifts in spending as bold new ventures. They silence aid agencies that depend on government funds. And they make it next to impossible to follow their paper trail…So what is holding the Prime Minister back? Perhaps it is a surfeit of fiscal prudence. Perhaps it is a desire to keep every spare dollar for tax cuts.Or perhaps it is a hunch that Canadians wouldn’t give him credit for an act of genuine altruism. They’d wonder about his motives, doubt his sincerity, ask where the money was coming from.

As Goar points out, this attitude - call it Scrooge-like, or Grinch-like, both apply - is not necessary. It’s coming from a government with a 10 billion $ surplus. It can easily fund these new initiatives without resorting to trickery or “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, but this government has chosen not to. As far as I’m concerned, it’s another example of Deceivin’ Stephen and the Cons he leads trying to put on a face of generosity to Canadians in an attempt to make them feel more at ease about them and to convince them to give him his Holy Grail - the majority government.

As a liberal with a social progressive bent, I get very happy when I see governments fight very important social issues that often have been overlooked - and Ontario appears about set to do that by announcing a new dental plan for the poor in our society:

McGuinty is giving his anti-poverty initiative teeth with a $45 million dental care plan for the working poor… The new dental program…will help about 500,000 low-income workers unable to afford private insurance coverage for their teeth. It will cover preventive care, including fluoride treatments and cleanings by dental hygienists, and fillings and extractions by dentists.

That’s not all there is though: the Liberal plan to help fight poverty extends into other areas as well:

The government is expected to tout “creative financial options” to build non-profit and co-operative housing and launch special programs with banks to make it easier for low-income Ontarians to save for a house.

These initiatives are based on what Tony Blair and the Labour Government did in England, with the premier personally going over there to study the programs Blair put in place. I don’t like what Tony Blair did in Iraq, but I’m willing to give him credit for attacking the poverty problem and making a difference, even if it hasn’t so far met the lofty targets he set. If Premier Mcguinty can duplicate their results, then it’s a good start, and I think all people of all political persuasions should be wishing the Ontario government well on attacking this problem.