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Ontario finance minister criticizes “right-wing” media

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan lashed out against –what he called — the "right-wing media" yesterday, accusing them of duping people into believing Ontario is a have-not province. Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan lashed out against –what he called — the "right-wing media" yesterday, accusing them of duping people into believing Ontario is a have-not…

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan lashed out against –what he called — the "right-wing media" yesterday, accusing them of duping people into believing Ontario is a have-not province.

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan lashed out against –what he called — the "right-wing media" yesterday, accusing them of duping people into believing Ontario is a have-not province.

The Liberal minister was incensed by reports that, he said, lumped Ontario into the have-nots, a term often used to describe provinces that receive big equalization payments. While Ontario will receive the second-highest payment this year, $2-billion, it also contributes much more, $6-billion, than other jurisdictions.

"It is completely dishonest to use that term have-not," Duncan told a group of reporters, according to a CP story, "It's intellectually dishonest and factually dishonest."

He continued:

"The intellectual dishonestly, particularly of the right wing in this country and the right-wing media, is that they don't tell the truth. It's kind of like Rupert Murdoch."

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When asked by journalists what media outlets he considered right wing, reports CP, Duncan first gave a general answer: all the small dailies across Ontario and television networks.

Then he gave a longer one:

"Let me go down the (Highway) 401: the Windsor Star, the Chatham Daily News, the London Free Press, the Toronto Sun, the National Post, Global (Television)," he said. "I could keep going down highways in Ontario. All of them take editorial positions in my view that are conservative, very conservative."

The Ontario election is less than three months away.