Ontario Hit With Reality Stick II

The second story that stuck out for me last evening was how the eastern socialists are expressing complete disbelief at the idea that the Conservative government is keeping their word and axing the idea of a national socialised daycare program. Complete and utter disbelief.

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal Conservatives are sending a blunt message to the provinces that they'd better get used to living without the billions in child-care money they were promised by the previous Liberal government.

The Tories prefer their own plan, which features direct federal payments to families, coupled with tax breaks and grants for day-care operators.

"We campaigned on that," Social Development Minister Diane Finley declared Monday. "Canadians chose us with that full knowledge. And now we're going to make that happen."

The comment came as Finley emerged from a day-long meeting with her provincial counterparts, some of whom had hoped to persuade her to change course.

"I'm disappointed - very disappointed," said Mary Anne Chambers, the Ontario minister for children and youth.

"It seems pretty clear that Minister Finley, even though she speaks of provincial and territorial jurisdictions, is quite prepared to bypass the provinces and the territories."

Carole Theberge, Quebec's family minister, said she had expressed her opinions to Finley.

"Because we already offer these services, I put forward Quebec's position, which is to obtain the right to withdraw from the program with full compensation," she said. "Mrs. Finley said she would get back to us."

At issue are $5 billion in transfer payments the Liberal government of Paul Martin promised to the provinces over five years to create new day-care spaces.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken the first legal steps to back out of those deals and replace them with $100-a-month cheques that will go straight from Ottawa to parents of children aged under six...

Guess what? As a taxpayer in Alberta, I will no longer be paying for socialised daycare in Ontario or Quebec. I like them apples!

The lib-left MSM up here in Canada doesn't however.

Here's a video clip of CTV's Mike Duffy chatting with Mary Anne Chambers, the Ontario minister for children and youth. In the clip, note how Duffy ties the Conservative government to organised religion (For you US readers, that's a bad thing up here in the secular progressive socialist utopia of Cannuckistan) and laughs outright when the idea of having a self-sustaining system is brought up. Keep up that objective reporting mike. It's serving you well... As a side note to that clip, I found it particularly refreshing to watch a MoonBat have a melt-down on live TV.