And Here We Go ... Again!

There is an old adage that it is “frequently better to be lucky than good”. And it is arguably a concept to which Meed Ward would subscribe except that she would probably never concede to being merely “good” and not “the best”.

Her second term in office has been plagued by controversy and criticism – her adoption of the provincial carrot of Strong Mayor powers (really, the devil made me do it), two Strong Mayor budgets with their unprecedented tax increases, her apparent commitment to very discretionary (i.e. vanity) projects, her lack of personal accountability (have you ever heard her admit that she has erred?), her shocking treatment of colleagues (the whole Stolte affair) and her observed lack of transparency around governance decisions have all served to tarnish “the brand”. All, I believe, have combined to reduce her popularity and raise serious questions concerning her leadership.

But into this sorry tableau, we project the threat of American tariffs and imperialism; an existential threat to the Canadian economy and identity. To quote Charles Dickens “It [is] the best of times, it [is] the worst of times …” For Meed Ward, it has provided another set of grave issues around which she can construct her populist window dressings and crusading persona. Born an American citizen and holding dual citizenship, she will now become the classic Janey Canuck leading her Tiny Tariff Task Force (borrowing from Dickens again) in defence of the Burlington taxpayer and the Canadian way. It is perhaps the best example yet of what I term the “Meed Ward Dickensian Deflection” – ‘the worst of times for most of us but, perhaps, the best of times for her and her look-at-me, see me roar, all eyes to my social media role play.

This exceeds even my Great Expectations