Former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty concedes there were places where he “fell short” as premier.
McGuinty sat down with CP24’s Stephen LeDrew Thursday for a live interview to promote his new book, “Making a Difference.”
Asked if there were places where he could have been more diligent when it came to public spending, McGuinty said “absolutely.”
“I devote an entire chapter to places where I came up short as premier and as leader of my government. And I talk about the gas plants, and I talk about Ornge and eHealth,” McGuinty said.
After running the province for a decade, McGuinty stepped down from the premiership and the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 2013 under a cloud of scandal connected to the politically motivated cancellation of two gas plants during an election – a move that cost taxpayers around a billion dollars.
Other major spending scandals McGuinty mentioned – the eHealth scandal around electronic health records and the Ornge air ambulance debacle – also cost taxpayers hundreds of millions in wasted funds.
Drawing common connection between flubs, McGuinty said the problem was the arm’s length agencies he created to handle those affairs
“The common thread running through those three issues – I set up separate brand new agencies and I gave them, at arm’s length, responsibility to do certain kinds of things, including for example where to locate gas plants,” McGuinty said. “And I stayed away from those. And then suddenly there were problems and it’s not the head of the agency that’s got to be accountable – nobody knows who the heck they are.”
McGuinty also suggested part of the problem is that government has become somewhat unwieldy as it has grown.
“In the old days you had caucus and a cabinet and ministries. And now you’ve got beyond ministries, hundreds of agencies for which the government is accountable. So we’ve got to find ways to address that that doesn’t compromise accountability,” he said.
When it comes to his own legacy, McGuinty said he hopes his book helps people better understand why he made his decisions and how he felt about them. He also said educated guesses and speculation can’t give people an accurate picture.
“We’ve got to distinguish between character and reputation,” McGuinty said. “Reputation is who people think you are and character is who you truly are.”
He said as premier he “took a poll every night,” standing in the mirror and asking himself if what he was doing was right or expedient.
“You can’t escape political accountability,” McGuinty said. “People need to know where the buck stops. “It’s got to stop at those people for whom we cast a ballot – there’s no way around that.”
The former premier also mused on the current state of politics and lamented that “we’ve been in a bit of a steady decline.”
“That’s not just something that is characteristic of Canadian or Ontario politics. I spent a year in the U.S. You should see what it’s like in D.C. The U.K.’s got some challenges as well. All these things make it a little more difficult for individuals at the top,” McGuinty said.
While he acknowledged that politics is a “contact sport,” with increasing levels of partisanship, McGuinty said it’s important for leaders at the top to “set the tone” for others and to respect their opponents.
He also said a strong sense of idealism is necessary as premier “when you are going through what can sometimes be a corrosive environment.”
Striking a hopeful note, he also encouraged young people to get involved in politics as a way to serve the public.
“It’s a wonderful, noble, honourable pursuit and I invite young people in particular to give some thought to making a difference through politics,” McGuinty said.
