Smitherman swipes at Wynne’s grassroots effort
Former Liberal deputy premier George Smitherman is taking the governing party to task for losing its way when it comes to local democracy.
In a Facebook post, he blasts the Liberals for their actions in his old electoral district of Toronto Centre.
Smitherman, who retired from Queen’s Park in 2009 for an unsuccessful Toronto mayoral run the following year against Rob Ford, had toyed with coming back to provincial politics next spring.
“I have to admit it sure was appealing to consider the prospect of a return to the Ontario Legislature representing Toronto Centre,” wrote the one-time health and energy and infrastructure minister for former premier Dalton McGuinty.
But Smitherman, who is at work on a memoir titled Unconventional Candour, quickly discovered that nostalgia is not what it used to be.
“These last couple of months I uncovered a terrible truth about today’s Ontario Liberal Party. The grassroots have all but died off,” the former MPP wrote.
“In my old Toronto Centre stronghold, the Liberals won big, yet their local association is barely there,” he continued, before taking a swipe at Premier Kathleen Wynne.
“The leader’s first and only instinct was to suffocate the only real opportunity to give birth again to the grassroots nomination process that is open to all and was once the standard for our democracy.”
That was a reference to a report by TVOntario’s Steve Paikin that the Liberals hope to woo Toronto Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27 Toronto Centre—Rosedale) to run for them in the election June 7.
Liberal insiders have refused to confirm that, but the party has been keeping vacant a seat that opened up when former environment minister Glen Murray resigned in September.
At Queen’s Park, Deputy Premier Deb Matthews said Smitherman “couldn’t be more wrong” about the provincial party.
“The grassroots are strong and excited about the campaign coming up,” said Matthews, the Liberal reelection campaign co-chair.
But she admitted the Grits weren’t looking for Smitherman to make a comeback for them at Queen’s Park.
“It’s, of course, not easy to say ‘thanks but no thanks’ to an old colleague, but we’re moving forward. He said he’s ‘nostalgic’ — well, that’s not exactly what we’re looking for.”