Who is this Little Guy?

During the last Ontario provincial election, Doug Ford often said, “I’m for the Little Guy.” Who is this Little Guy?

Are poor people Little Guys? The Ford government cancelled the Guaranteed Income Program.

Schoolchildren? The Ford government has cancelled school repair funds, cut education programs, repealed the updated sex education program, and is considering raising the caps on class sizes in the early grades. Larger classes, less information about human sexuality and broken-down buildings? No Little Guys there.

The program for autistic children was changed to address the backlog of children needing help, with a program based on the age of the child, not the need for help, outraging families with autistic children. Still no Little Guys.

The government reduced post-secondary tuition by 10 per cent, but with no increase in funding for post-secondary institutions, so a devalued education. Grants for low-income students are out, and interest on OSAP loans will be due upon graduation. Students are not Little Guys.

Rumoured cuts and changes to health care could change the entire system for all Ontarians, who are clearly not Little Guys.

The cap-and-trade program was cancelled, reducing government income by billions of dollars. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will help alleviate some of the predicted climate change calamities. Ontarians and the rest of the world are not Little Guys.

In the now-dropped section 10 of Bill 66, the Ford government pandered to developers, by significantly reducing environmental standards on development projects. Ford attempted to appoint a personal friend as OPP commissioner. Developers and Ford friends must be Little Guys. Elisabeth Daub

St. Agatha