What a crazy week!

It was back to work for Ontario's 107 MPP's last week with the election of a Speaker and the Throne Speech, and then the NDP introduced a private members bill which would remove the HST on our home heating bills. As we are dealing with a minority government the bill got both first and second reading, and the last vote was 54 in favour and 50 against. 2 Liberal MPP's were not in the house for the vote and the Speaker only votes if there's a tie. So are we going to get the relief on our gas bills? The answer is no as the bill won't reach 3rd and final reading as it's the government who controls the agenda, and as this is a private members bill they very rarely make it to a 3rd reading even in a Majority government.

Premier McGuinty seems to still think he's running the Province as a Majority government, but he's slowly waking up to the fact that he's not. Both the PC's and NDP are holding him to the fire, but I suspect they won't force an election anytime soon as it would take both the NDP and PC's to force an election, and NDP leader Andrea Horwath has indicated that she's not prepared to bring down the government in the near future.

Also this past week the Liberals held their convention and the word on the street is that McGuinty might seek the leadership of the Federal Liberals. While McGunity was quick to say no way, I still suspect that he will. The Leadership race is scheduled for 2013 and I feel we will have another Provincial election before that date. McGuinty has already made history by winning 3 elections in a row, and he won't win a 4th unless either Hudak or Horwath screw up big time.

Now some say that Dalton would be the final nail in the coffin for the Federal Liberals if he was to become leader and take the party into the 2015 Federal election. Just think for a second, he's won 2 Majority governments for the Liberals and one minority government. He and his team know how to campaign and win elections, and this past election in Ontario everyone counted him out, yet he won again.

So let's see what week 2 brings to Queens Park.