Dalton McGuinty at the cutting edge

If the Premier has resigned, why is he still here?

from Inside Queen's Park

IQP has written many highly complimentary things about Premier Dalton McGuinty (along with some bluntly critical things, as well), so we do not want the title of this item to be construed as a call for him to be frog-marched straight into the witness protection program. 

But McGuinty, having chosen to depart by shuttering the Legislature, has put his government indefinitely beyond the usual parliamentary constraints on the executive.  And that ploy has very conveniently blocked the committee hearing and contempt motion on gas plant costs and access to correspondence.

(The NDP, which has relentlessly attacked prorogation, yesterday cleverly titled its latest release Gas leak forces Queen’s Park evacuation.) 

Moreover, the day after announcing his resignation and asking the Ontario Liberal Party to select his replacement ASAP, the current premier unilaterally imposed one of the key leadership rules, telling his cabinet that ministers must resign their portfolios in order to run.  If several do that, the small cadre of able and experienced portfolio-ready LIB backbenchers (Cansfield, Colle, Flynn, Kwinter, Jaczek, Zimmer) won’t last long. 

McGuinty obviously has to stay as MPP for Ottawa South, given how strongly the Kitchener-Waterloo outcome argues against holding another by-election.  But while he will increasingly be a lame duck, as happens to all departing government leaders, McGuinty appears keen to carry on exercising power during what remains of “my term of duty” (as he rather grandly described his continuing responsibility for calling the shots).

Perhaps the most authoritative slam at suspending Leg, operations comes from Professor Peter Russell’s video-essay, Ontario’s Irresponsible Government in the October 17 OntarioNews Watch.  Canada’s pre-eminent student of parliamentary government considers the departing premier to have “shown contempt” for the fundamental principles of our democratic system.  McGuinty’s move to shutter Queen’s Park until his party has chosen his successor puts the interest of party above parliament. 

We didn’t fight two world wars, Russell says, “for a democracy in which the governing party can shut down the elected legislature to escape the heat of political debate”.  And that self-serving claim to close down the pink palace is open to two further objections: the LIBs do not have a majority and prorogation therefore protects them from motions of non-confidence.  And most offensive to our democratic principles, Starship McGuinty is cloaked against legislative check on an indefinite footing

McGuinty did yesterday flatly repudiate the foolish notion that he’ll run for his party’s federal leadership.  

The Standing Orders of the Leg. give scant attention to prorogation (98 words by our count).  Section 7 does say that before a Session is prorogued, the Government House Leader “shall announce the approximate date upon which the Assembly will be reconvened”.  As conditions go, that’s pretty easy to meet.  PC Leader Tim Hudak wrote politely to the Premier on Oct. 16, pointing out the failure to declare a date.  It’s standard practice for party leaders to disdain open letters, but what strikes IQP is not that Hudak got no answer but that this ploy got zero attention from the mainstream media.  This is further proof that there is nothing which the Queen’s Park Press Gallery disdains more than parliamentary procedure.

 
Long leadership listing

Let’s start with a complete alpha list and thumb-nail sketches of all the contenders whose names have been mentioned.  We had 11 in our Oct. 16 Special Edition; since then that list has grown to include the 16 names bolded below; the first two to withdraw are italicized in the tip-sheet which follows and there will be several others scratching before the nomination deadline — and likely some others will not reach the January 25-27 leadership convention.

Chris Bentley

The Energy minister has endured a brutal experience fronting for the gas-plant seat-saver scandal.  Can he carry that can through the race?

Laurel Broten

The Education minister has been at the centre of the legislative wrangle with the teachers’ federations; will LIB delegates see that as a credential?

Michael Bryant

Of the major second-term defectors, Bryant’s candidacy seems most widely discounted.

David Caplan

Still steamed over his firing as Health minister, we’re hearing a lot about him running.

Brad Duguid

Like other middle-rank ministers, the Economic Development & Innovation minister has to decide if entering the race gets him to the front-bench.

Dwight Duncan

The Finance minister yesterday said that he won’t run but will instead back his 1996 supporter and fellow Windsorite Sandra Pupatello.

Dr Eric Hoskins

This bright man has a big activist following but with so many 416 contenders he’ll find it hard to match his 2009 by-election showing.

Gerard Kennedy

The former Education minister came to grief federally and now would have to face a very tough NDP incumbent on what once was his own turf.

Deb Matthews

The Health minister cut her teeth provincially as OLP president and has fought very strong stakeholders while dragging costly baggage.

Glen R Murray

The very talented former Winnipeg mayor rubs some colleagues the wrong way.  He’ll be hard pressed to build on his 2010- by-election win.

Yasir Naqvi

The just acclaimed OLP prez was well placed for a future-considerations run but recusing himself and scratching right away made some cross.

Sandra Pupatello

The lively and energetic Pupatello was often the key to McGuinty’s ministerial shuffles but carried no baggage when she left for Bay Street.

George Smitherman

The heavyweight former Health minister and deputy premier, losing to Ford, has many admirers and many detractors in cabinet and caucus.

Charles Sousa

Able and amiable, Sousa is the classic junior minister seeking to bolster his leadership prospects in the next leadership race.

John Wilkinson

Wilkinson did a superlative job of selling the HST, but why would the LIBs remind voters of that unpopular tax?  The lack of a seat is a problem.

Kathleen O Wynne

The Municipal Affairs minister brings skill and toughness to the race — in which she has evidently decided to be critical of Team McGuinty.

The crowding-out factor

Our ‘starting 16’ list above is a major chunk (30 percent) of the LIB caucus; and even if you eliminate Duncan and Naqvi, the 14 names left comprise more than a quarter of the government MPPs.  This throng of leadership contenders is now engaged in a battle to recruit campaign managers and bag people, as well as the other specialists needed to structure and staff-up an effective leadership run.  The next to scratch will be candidates who got turned down by key functionaries.  Then look for some who drop out to start putting down bets on the remaining horses.

News from the coronation

As IQP’s October 16 Special Edition on the McGuinty resignation said quite plainly:  Ontario’s LIB premier is not going to run for the federal leadership of his party.  Another thing said quite plainly — by Gerald Butts to IQP in what he called “a pastoral visit” to Allen’s on the Danforth:  Butts is with Justin Trudeau and that’s where he would be even if his former boss were to run for the federal leadership.

© Copyright 2012 Inside Queen's Park, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca