"Yeah, we need to invent a crisis. And that's just not act of courage --
there's some skill involved. Creating a useful crisis is what part of this will be
about."
-- Education Minister John Snobelen outlining his strategy for education reform (July
1995).
"You buy things on sale. I mean, when tuna fish is 65 cents, maybe buy ten tins
that day."
-- Minister of Community and Social Services David Tsubouchi explaining how welfare
recipients can cope with a 22% cut in their payments. Yes, David, the poor must
rein in their extravagant spending habits (September 1995).
"Maybe you have to look back at what we used to do 20 or 30 years ago when your
mother had to go out."
-- David Tsubouchi, always eager to give advice, talking about parents affected by his
government's cuts to child care. Mr. Tsubouchi recommends families get friends and
relatives to pick up the slack, like they did in the good old days (September 1995).
"Homelessness [is] generally people who have made a decision -- and for
whatever reason we regret they make it."
-- Premier Mike Harris washing his hands of the crisis in homelessness (April 1996).
"I know about as much about housing as you can put on the head of a pin and
still have room left over for the Lord's Prayer."
-- Housing Minister Al Leach, one of many Tory ministers who know screw all about their
designated policy areas (August 1996).
"30 or 40 years ago . . . it seemed to be that mom was in the kitchen with the
hot breakfast cooking as everybody woke up in the morning."
-- Mike Harris talking about why we need school breakfast programs. Child hunger is the
fault of lazy mothers, apparently (November 1996).
"Just as hula hoops went out, and those workers had to have a factory and a
company that would manufacture something else that's in, it's the same in
government."
-- Premier Mike Harris offering solace to laid-off hospital workers (March 1997).
"We have to make sure those dollars don't go to beer."
-- Premier Mike Harris explaining why pregnant women on welfare no longer get $37 per
month to buy extra food. Officials in the Ministry of Social Services said they had no
evidence of women misusing their allowance (April 1998).
"Parents such as [deleted] say the programs give their children the chance for
a new future. In the words of [deleted], 'Thank you for giving us back our son.' "
-- Lieutenant-Governer Hilary Weston praising the government's crime control policies in
April's Throne Speech, and breaking the law in the process. The speech writers forgot that
it is illegal to publish information that identifies young offenders. Solicitor General
Bob Runciman temporarily resigned over this violation of the Young Offenders Act (April
1998).
"This is sick -- the fact that mom and the kids go watch the parade and dad can
go and fool around. Obviously something's wrong. We're not getting the message
through."
-- Crime Control Commissioner, Tory MPP and family values crusader Jim Brown revealing
this shocking "fact": Toronto dads use the Santa Claus parade to distract the
family while they go and pick up hookers. Mr. Brown found this statement impossible to
prove and resigned from the commission in disgrace (November 1998).
"[They] had the opportunity to to take advantage of the best scientific
information in Ontario."
-- Minister of Natural Resources John Snobelen questioning the expertise of more than 1200
scientists who signed a petition protesting the Lands for Life initiative (December 1998).
"We've spent over $120-million, both nationally and abroad, to promote Ontario
as a major travel destination. And this situation, to me, is detrimental to what we're
trying to do."
-- Tourism Minister Al Palladini complaining that ugly homeless people and panhandlers are
making Toronto a less desirable place to visit. Maybe the Tories should have thought of
that before they slashed housing and welfare budgets (January 1999).
"He's there for the full school day, in uniform, fully equipped with a weapon
and carrying out a whole range of duties while he's there or she's there. If a problem
crops up, I think it certainly raises the comfort levels of the teachers as well, there's
no question about that."
-- Solicitor General Bob Runciman explaining the role of armed cops in the school system
(April 1999).
"My Solicitor-General didn't say that."
-- Mike Harris in denial (April 1999).
"Ontario isn't just open for business. In Canada, Ontario is business."
-- Premier Harris setting his priorities.
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