The thing about this new theme in Ontario politics is that it is never been said before. I am sure we can all say that the timing is part smokescreen and an opportunistic leap...but if the numbers are right - why not say it? If it is true, is it still unspeakable, is there a Canadian decorum that is offended?

Ontario ranks "10th out of 10 provinces when it comes to per-capita government investment in our colleges and universities," McGuinty said. "The problem is the $23 billion gap - the gap between what Ontarians give the federal government and what they get back." McGuinty has demanded that the federal government give Ontario an additional $5 billion to address the gap. The premier implored the well-heeled business crowd - which paid $800 a head to attend the National Trade Centre event, bringing $1 million into party coffers - to "join us in this campaign for fairness. In 1995, the amount Ontarians gave the federal government for distribution in the rest of Canada was $2 billion. Two billion. Ten years later, it's $23 billion. That's more than a stunning 1,000 per cent increase," the premier said. "We just aren't allowed to keep enough of that wealth here at home. That's why we're standing up for Ontario," said McGuinty, whose argument was bolstered by a recent TD economic report.