The Mike Harris Tories were a nightmare aberration in Ontario, the deadly enemies of the common good. Sadly many like Jim Flaherty, John Baird and Tony Clement have resurfaced in Ottawa plying their noxious trade of freeing capital from any regulation.
One remembers with horror the Walkerton disaster where the failure to protect the common good in this case the water supply killed a number of people and left many with debilitating illnesses. All in the name of allowing public safety to be compromised in the name of cutting red tape and allowing corners to be cut. Another horrific example was highway safety where a particularly oafish cabinet minister allowed trucking firms to “police” themselves. Again a number of innocents killed by flying wheels. Then came a blizzard of inspections on major highways with the predictable results that over 80% of transports had serious deficiencies.
The listeriosis outbreak is simply the latest example.
The deadly bacteria was not caught in the workplace but in the dying.
And the Harrisite minister Tony Clement spent a week in Denver at the Democratic convention as Canadians continue to die
Inspectors pointed out that businesses were increasingly allowed to “police” themselves.
Original sin lives. Humans are weak. People will cut corners when they can. Government vigilance in the name and cause of all is a constant necessity