I "heart" Joe Fiorito

I was a little stunned when I had heard that the federal finance finance minister, Jim Flaherty, had publicly endorsed a candidate for mayor in the Toronto municipal elections. What the hell is a federal political animal doing meddling in municipal politics?

Thankfully Joe Fiorito got in front of the story and laid it out. He masterfully guts Flaherty and then drives the blade right between the poison little prick's eyes.

If our financial house is not in order, why might that be? Could it be, perhaps, that Jim Flaherty has had a grip on Toronto’s neck for a very long time? 

Is it not — and I do not choose these words lightly — both hypocritical and cynical to criticize us because we have been unable to catch our breath?

More recently, Jim Flaherty is the finance minister in a federal government that every year takes billions more from this city in taxes than it sends us in return.

And most recently of all, Jim Flaherty helped to saddle this city with the costs associated with the G20 fiasco, and yet his government refuses to act quickly to compensate all those small businesses that lost money each and every day Toronto was turned into an armed camp.

And then the blade:

Rob Ford — he is Jim Flaherty’s man — says he doesn’t want any more immigrants in Toronto because we can’t take care of the people we have. 

You might not think that such a remark is code for something pale and nasty, but if I were a recent immigrant, I’d be offended.

Better to remember that Jim Flaherty is the finance minister in a federal government that has power over immigration matters, and yet the federal government is unwilling to provide the support Rob Ford says this city does not have.

Do you get it now?

Tail slap to Montreal Simon