Will Gift Cards Save Dalton McGuinty?

In the legislative wasteland that is the McGuinty government's first term, there has been the occasional embarrassing reversal (the "slush fund"), and the occasional substantive triumph (Ontario's Greenbelt legislation). But mostly, there has been a whole lot of Nothing: the province has existed in the relatively pleasant state of being "not in the hands of Mike Harris". And while its too late in the game to expect a burst of real political activity (as opposed to the fake, election inspired stuff), this bit of law-making should be hailed for making life a little bit easier on Ontario consumers:

Expiry dates on cash gift certificates will soon be a thing of the past in Ontario after the government announced a plan to ban time limits on the cards.

"Cash equivalent gift cards sold on or after Oct. 1, 2007 will never expire," Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips said on Tuesday.

Personally, I have to make a real effort these days to make sure I buy at least one physical object for a Xmas gift, just so there is something to put under the tree. Otherwise its nothing beyond these slick little cards. But it would be nice to be able to save them up for one big blow-out--I always ask for stuff from Eddie Bauer, for example--rather than being forced to piddle it all away on socks and underwear because of expiry dates.

So, hardly something that will pave McGuinty's way to a second term, but a good move nevertheless.

Meanwhile, for a minimalist Liberal government, a fairly minimal lead in the latest polls:

TORONTO - Ontario's Oct. 10 election is up for grabs, as a minority government appears a distinct possibility, according to a new poll for CanWest News Service that describes a "fickle" electorate.

The latest Ipsos Reid survey shows the provincial Liberals with 41-per cent-support among respondents, the Conservatives with 37-per-cent support, the NDP with 15 and the Green party with six per cent.

I don't think that Dalton really deserves more than a minority government, given his performance in the past four years. And you can ask what he needs a majority for in the first place if he plans to govern as a caretaker. On the other hand, I think John Tory needs another four years to rid himself of the crazies and ideologues in his party and convince people he's the centrist he claims to be before the Ontario Conservatives can make a real claim to be ready to govern Ontario again.

So, from my perspective, things are unfolding as they ought.