01.21.2013 04:25 PM

Star endorses Pupatello to be Ontario’s next Premier!

Ontario Liberals are fortunate to have two experienced, capable women at the top of the list of candidates vying to become the party’s next leader – and the province’s premier – next weekend.

Sandra Pupatello and Kathleen Wynne are going into the leadership convention set off by Dalton McGuinty’s surprise resignation as the apparent favourites – and for good reason. Both have strong track records in government. Each makes a persuasive case that she is the Liberals’ best choice now.

It’s a close call, but on balance we favour Sandra Pupatello. Of all the candidates, she stands out as the one with the energy, personality and message that will give her party the best chance to hold on to power in what promises to be a closely fought contest with Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats. After a year of lurching from one crisis to another, the Liberals badly need to change the channel with a new leader and a new approach. Going with Pupatello would be the most convincing way to do that.

In a meeting with the Star’s editorial board, Pupatello left no doubt what her priority would be as premier: “Jobs and the economy is the number one issue in every part of Ontario.” As minister responsible for trade and economic development from 2006 to 2011, she made her mark selling the province to the world. At the same time, she has made it clear that for Ontario the road to economic success cannot be “a low wage race to the bottom” like that being pushed by the far right.

Pupatello has also demonstrated her commitment to social justice throughout her life, and as minister of community services and education in the McGuinty government. She promises a “frugal government with a social conscience.” That’s the right message for these times of tightened budgets; it’s what voters need to hear after too many reports of wasted money in areas like the ORNGE scandal.

Pupatello brings two other important cards to the table. Her roots in Windsor (where she plans to seek re-election) allow her to counter the unfortunate, but undeniable, anti-Toronto bias in Ontario politics. And she sat out the 2011 election, and so had the good fortune to watch the government’s recent stumbles from the sidelines while adding a stint on Bay Street to her resume. As a result, it will be easier for her to campaign on a message of change when an election eventually comes.

All signs are that her main rival for the top job is Kathleen Wynne, who over a decade as an MPP and minister built an impressive record of accomplishment in three important ministries. As education minister, in particular, she drove improvements in Ontario’s school system that have made it a leader in the English-speaking world. That will be at the top of the McGuinty government’s most enduring accomplishments, and Wynne can claim much of the credit.

The knock against Wynne is that she is not “electable” – code, as she puts it herself, for being “a lesbian from Toronto.” No one knows how that would play out in 2013. But the bigger problem for her, and for other recent ministers in the leadership race, is that she is so closely identified with a government that is discredited in the eyes of many voters. That would make her an easier target for Hudak and Horwath in the next election campaign.

There’s always a chance, of course, that a convention decided by delegates and horse-trading among candidates could take an unexpected twist. Gerard Kennedy, sitting in third place going in, is trying for a comeback after falling short in previous leadership bids at both the provincial and federal levels. He has talent and experience in spades, but can’t seem to shake the perception that he is yesterday’s man.

Harinder Takhar has made a surprisingly strong showing in the race so far, but is dogged by controversy. Charles Sousa and Eric Hoskins, both strong assets for the Liberals, will have to wait for next time.

Whoever wins on Saturday will face an uphill climb to keep the Liberals in power. Any government accumulates heavy baggage after nearly a decade in office, and this one is certainly no exception. Sandra Pupatello is best placed to give the party a new face and energetic new leadership – while keeping it true to the values that make it distinct.

13 Comments

  1. Michael S says:

    Anti-Toronto bias in Ontario politics? Only from The Star.

  2. Skinny Dipper says:

    As I mentioned in previous comments, I do think that Sandra Pupatello would be the best leader for the Liberal Party. She will need to redefine herself as being very different from Dalton McGuinty. Otherwise, lukewarm Liberal supporters will go elsewhere or stay home on election day whenever that could be.

    It will be up to Sandra to decide if she wishes to re-open contract talks with the teachers. However, she should not expect the teachers to return to doing extra-curriculars until any new contracts are settled. If she can settle amicably with the teachers, then the teachers will not likely campaign actively against the Liberals. It doesn’t mean that they will vote for the Liberals. If she choses not to settle, then there will be angry teachers campaigning against the Liberals.

    Ms. Pupatello will need to decide how much movement in votes could take place between the NDP and Liberals and vice versa. How many votes could transfer between the Liberals and Conservatives and vice versa? I don’t think she will be able to convince die-hard social democrats that she will be a progressive Liberal. However, I do think she can convince red-tory Conservative voters to switch to the Liberals if she has a clear economic plan.

    If she becomes the premier, her government will likely present a very fiscally right-of-centre budget that the Conservatives will not support anyway. The NDP will plea for changes. However, Ms. Pupatello will tell Andrea Horwath to accept the budget as is or vote against it. Then again, Pupatello will likely ask the Lt. Gov. to dissolve the legislature and have an election before there is an actual budget vote.

  3. MKS from durham says:

    “Gerard Kennedy, sitting in third place going in, is trying for a comeback after falling short in previous leadership bids at both the provincial and federal levels. He has talent and experience in spades, but can’t seem to shake the perception that he is yesterday’s man.”

    Sounds alot like the knock on a certain federal Liberal Candidate in the early nineties. I wonder how that worked out… oh yeah, JC not only won the leadership, but 3 straight majorities as ‘yesterday’s man’. I see a lot of similarities between the two.

    • Warren says:

      Get off the crack pipe, friend.

      • MKS from durham says:

        Are you denying that JC was also considered ‘yesterday’s man, in the early nineties? He proved that experience matters!

        • Michael says:

          I think that what Warren is trying to say is that math is not your friend. 😉

          Forgetting for a minute about the ex-officios, where there is little support for GK. In order to win he would have to take 2 out of 3 delegates from the candidates that drop off the ballot, and the independents. He then has to hope that Pupatello and Wynne split the remaining votes evenly.

          Here is the cold hard reality. You guys need to stop clinging to the fantasy that GK can do what Dalton did and win from the middle of the pack. Your boy ain’t no Dalton.

  4. Michael says:

    The editorial endorsement of any newspaper, and $1.50 will buy you a coffee at Tim’s.

    When was the last time anyone said, “gee I don’t know who to vote for, Let me see who the Star endorsed” or “I was going to vote for candidate A, but now that the Star has endorsed B I am switching my vote” Oh yeah, never.

  5. Derek Pearce says:

    Watching her on TVO right now. She’s doing a good job. She can win outside TO I’m now convinced.

  6. MississaugaLibPeter says:

    I thought The Star was going to make amends to Gerard for the crap (smear job) they pulled in 1996 during the Convention weekend. I guessed wrong.

    It never hurts to have the provincial Liberal mouthpiece backing you.

    Wynne beat Tory, and I believe she could have beat Hudak. The question now is, can Sandra beat Howarth?

  7. Constance says:

    Hudak will be battling two women come the next election, and the question is will he be able to come up the middle to snatch victory? Whoopie!

    • Bloody Bounder says:

      Ideally, Sandra Pupatello will lead the OLP, Andrea Horwath will lead the ONDP and Christine Elliot will
      lead the Ontario PC Party. It high time that all three major Ontario political parties were lead by women,
      visible minorities and/or aboriginals. Its beyond disgraceful that WHITE MEN continue to dominant politics
      in Canada to the extent they do.

      Statistics Canada has officially projected that Ontario will go from being 75% White today to under 50%
      White by the early 2030’s owing to mass non-White immigrant and higher non-White fertility rates.
      Women are also more than half of both White and non-White Ontarians, so the fact that WHITE MEN
      wield so much power and influence is sickening.

  8. Brendan says:

    “If she becomes the premier, her government will likely present a very fiscally right-of-centre budget that the Conservatives will not support anyway. The NDP will plea for changes. However, Ms. Pupatello will tell Andrea Horwath to accept the budget as is or vote against it. Then again, Pupatello will likely ask the Lt. Gov. to dissolve the legislature and have an election before there is an actual budget vote.”

    Why would she do that she says she doesn’t want an election.

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