Will John Tory’s ‘prudent’ leadership be tough enough to tackle Toronto’s big issues if he’s re-elected?
John Tory has been at the forefront of the campaign to elect a new leader of Metro Toronto for the past two years – a campaign that has not only produced a Tory led by the nose, but one which has led to the worst crisis in Toronto’s political history.
In 2016 the party was in disarray before the leader had even taken the podium. Not even the Tories’ campaign to elect a new leader could pull themselves together.
After the election the Tories were split down the middle as to whether to elect a new leader until John Tory stepped forward and took the wheel. He proved a much better leader, and this crisis will certainly not be in the front page of the Toronto Sun next week.
It is not just the Tories’ leadership election that caused the biggest political scandal in Toronto’s history.
It is also the Tory’s plan to move the city into a right-wing policy framework – one that is also the cause of many of the city’s problems.
The idea was to replace a city council which had the power to decide where the city’s money should go with a council dominated by small business owners and anti-development activists who would put forward ideas for spending, but not for spending in the right city.
The plan was for a council which could do the bidding of the powerful, a council who would rubber stamp John Tory’s pro-growth policies – and who would force the city to follow in his policies.
That is exactly the approach he is advocating at city hall – a government that would put the city’s interests ahead of the people’s interests.
If the Tory plan to implement a right-wing government is successful in the next three years, John Tory is likely to be re-elected mayor and will then be re-elected mayor.
