“‘No regrets’ about days that bear his name, Rae says” –Star Nov.6th

Deep down, there must be some feeling of righteous glee in Bob Rae’s hearth. When as NDP Premier he faced a 12-billion deficit from the previous Liberal government in 1992, he tried to save public-sectors jobs by having them “share the work”; taking 12unpaid days off a year. The unions showed their appreciation by stabbing him in the back for the effort.

I remember being hospitalized for a few days during that time, and spent a night in a room just outside the nurse’s station. The nurses, in unison, were busy complaining about “Rae days”, and how terrible it was for the Premier to expect them to share the burden. If they would only have known, that after getting rid of the terrible Rae, they would face a new Premier, Conservative Mike Harris, who had no sympathy for their “plight”, and rather than sharing work, many of them would be sharing unemployment. Egoistic behaviour often leads to perdition.

Now they are facing “Dalton days” –same bird, different name. And a bigger deficit. Perhaps the sheltered public servants have learned their lesson and will discover the virtue of sharing this time –but don’t hold your breath.