Ontario's Slump Blamed On Federal, Provincial Governments

Ontario, Canada (AHN) - A recent survey said Ontario residents are blaming the federal and provincial governments for the expected economic slump of the province.

According to the Canadian Press-Harris/Decima poll, 62 percent of Ontarians said the national government is not providing sufficient assistance to the province to prevent its slowdown. Another 50 percent had the same opinion of the provincial government under the administration of Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Their dissatisfaction could affect the outcome of the June 18 election. Bruce Anderson of Harris/Decime told the Canadian Press, "Presumably one of the things they (Harper administration) hope to be able to run on is on being sound economic managers, so in the most seat-rich province they find themselves in a situation where too many see them as having been part of the decline of the economy."

But McGuinty is also at the risk of facing the fate met in the early 1990s by Ontario Premier Bob Rae who lost his reelection bid as he took the blame for the economic slump the province underwent.

Opposition leader Bob Runciman, quoted by the Toronto Star, warned McGuinty that residents may vote him off for placing Ontario "on the dole" and he may earn the monicker, "the welfare premier of Ontario."