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Jumping on and off the bandwagon TheStar.com - Opinion - Jumping on and off the bandwagon

July 14, 2008

Jim Coyle

It's obvious that Dalton McGuinty keeps a set of mental file cards in his head. Sometimes, when he's asked a question, or at a podium, you can almost hear them riffling. You don't have to be around him long to become familiar with some of his favourites from this collection.

For instance, you'll often hear McGuinty say his job as premier, as with any leader, is "to represent the future to the present."

You'll also hear him boast that his government – in a world seeking solutions in everything from climate change to cancer care – "is all over the innovation agenda."

You might hear the story of how he met a local mayor on his travels in China, how he asked the chap what the chief concern was of his citizens, and how the response, unequivocally, was "pollution."

Together, these bits and pieces sketch a little picture of the premier for anyone trying to understand his recent second thoughts about Ontario's plan to increase the required amount of ethanol in gasoline by 2010.

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