No clones in this government. (The Way It Is).

Here we go again! If the rumours are correct, a provincial election is in the offing some time before summer. Should northerners be excited by this prospect? Yes, we should.

A lot has happened since Mike Harris cruised to his second win. In fact, we already have experienced one change in government when Ernie Eves was elected as leader of the PC Party and became premier. Anyone who imagines that the Eves-led government is a clone of the Harris-led government has to be consuming a prohibited substance.

If Ernie Eves is anyone's clone, then his best comparator is another predecessor, the Hon. William (Bill) Davis. And that should excite any northerner.

First, Ernie Eves is not driven by dogma, striving for and driving an ideal world view regardless of opposition. Like Bill Davis, Eves is a practical man, striving to achieve the attainable within the bounds of the political mainstream.

Second, like Bill Davis, Ernie Eves seems to recognize that Ontario's future, particularly its economic future, is inextricably intertwined with the long-term economic health and development of Northern Ontario and that it is in the government's interest to support northern development.

Hence, we see the Eves government committing hundreds of millions of dollars to the construction of new hospitals, the modernization of existing hospitals and the purchase of new medical technology and tele-health capability across the North. We see genuine attempts to support new initiatives towards economic self-sufficiency for First Nations. We see genuine interest in innovative approaches to local and regional economic development, including tax incentive zones and grow bonds. We see a continued investment in highway construction. In short, we see a government willing to invest in the opportunities inherent in Northern Ontario rather than simply writing off the region as a long-term problem dependent.

Is this enough to satisfy northerners and to convince us to all vote PC? No. But, it is a good start. It certainly challenges the Liberals and the NDP to do more than simply "oppose" and to put programs, policy and new ideas on the table that will attract our support. All parties need to appeal to our aspirations for the future, not just pander to our discontent.

Elections engender political competition. Each party strives to come up with a more appealing formula to attract voter support. Sometimes, these attempts actually generate original thought, new ideas, genuine innovation, new approaches that might actually work. God only knows how badly this is needed in Northern Ontario.

Bill Davis' major contribution to Northern Ontario occurred when he created the Ministry of Northern Development. Small, nimble, with flexible funding and few program commitments, that ministry was able to seek ways to make a difference in the North in ways that worked. More important, it truly was a voice for the North, not an apologist or a promoter for the government. As northerners, we felt that we counted in Queen's Park and we could see progress emerging from the relationship.

An election will serve to re-focus all parties on the needs and aspirations of the North. What will count will not be the promises of money. Just getting back on the political 'radar screen', attracting new policy initiatives, and reconfirming the region as a "frontier of opportunity" will be our primary gain from the election process.

So, I wish all the parties well as they seek to earn our support in the forthcoming election. While northerners take great pride in our wilderness spaces, we surely do not like being "out in the wilderness."

Bob Michels is an author and consultant living in Atikokan.