OPINION – DOUG FORD:  MAN OF THE PEOPLE OR PAST HIS PRIME?

Another week, and another litany of verbal ramblings and bumptious bleatings from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. The latest crisis involved a $75 million ad campaign the Ontario government launched in support of removing tariffs from Canadian imports to the United States. U.S.  President Donald Trump was so enraged by this commercial, which featured former President Ronald Reagan extolling the virtues of free trade, that he threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports.

Most of Ford’s prior interventions have involved meddling in municipal affairs. He has advocated at length for the removal of bike lanes on certain city streets. He has waded into the ongoing war between four local school boards and the Ministry of Education, and has even threatened to disband them entirely. The Strong Mayor Powers, which his government promulgated earlier, give extraordinary powers to mayors to overrule the will of local councillors. And how can we forget the Greenbelt scandal, where his government tried to release thousands of acres of protected recreational properties and farmland so developers could build homes.

He’s sure no Bill Davis

I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time, Ontario was governed by a succession of Progressive Conservative governments. Even those who aren’t PC supporters will likely attest to the respectability, competence and restraint these governments provided. Whether it was Leslie Frost, George Drew, John Robarts or Bill Davis, the Tory government personified responsibility, fiscal responsibility and discretion. Yes, there were scandals and mistakes. No administration is perfect.  However, one had a general sense that the ship of state was being steered by competent leadership. Even the election of Liberal Leader David Peterson in 1985 provided a regime of generally solid and reasoned administration.

The election of the NDP in 1990 ushered in a decade of turbulence. First, we had the Rae government, which managed to turn a $750 million surplus into a $17 billion deficit in just three short years. The NDP debacle was followed by Mike Harris’ PC administration, which went about hacking government services while ushering in a period of endless unrest and discontent. The election of Dalton McGuinty returned us to an era of generally astute and sound government.  Even Kathleen Wynne’s administration, while not particularly fiscally responsible, at least left us with the impression that adults were still in charge of running Queen’s Park.

And then we got Doug Ford. In truth, we weren’t supposed to get Doug Ford. We should have had Patrick Brown, and indeed, given the maturity, reasonableness and common-sense approach he has displayed as mayor of Brampton, it makes me wish he had stayed.  Alas, such is not the case.

No Saviours on the Horizon

Confession time: I used to be a PC Party member and supporter, and served for a time on the Burlington PC Board of Directors.  The operative word in the previous sentence is “former”.  I surrendered my membership in 2013 after being entirely underwhelmed by our local PC candidate.

Over the last twelve years, I’ve kept searching for some semblance of a Bill Davis-like character with statesmanlike qualities in the PC caucus. I keep hoping that someone will emerge as a saviour who will rescue us all from this policy morass characterized by incessant policy reversals, missteps and utter confusion. I keep looking for someone who combines fiscal pragmatism with a social conscience, a respect for the environment, and a recognition of the value and importance of local government. For a time, I thought my saviour might be Monte McNaughton, the MPP for Chatham-Kent, but he resigned. Then I thought it might be Todd Smith, the former Energy Minister and MPP for Quinte. Then, surprisingly, he resigned. Now, I look at the PC caucus, and frankly, it makes me sigh in despair.  No statesmen.  Just party hacks.

The Grounding Provided by Serving on a Local Council

I keep harping on about the Bill Davis era for a reason. One of the things that distinguished the Progressive Conservative government back in the ’60s and ’70s was its commitment to local government. That wasn’t accidental. Look at many of the members of the Davis Cabinet, and many of them got their start in local government. Robert Welch sat on the St. Catharines Board of Education. Bert Lawrence served on the Gloucester Council for two terms. Frank Miller was a Councillor in Bracebridge, and Tom Wells from Scarborough earlier served as Chair of the Metropolitan Toronto School Board.

One advantage of local government is that it is grass-roots. Politicians serving at the local level deal with a myriad of issues ranging from land use planning to public works, recreation, budgeting, and everything in between. Not only does it provide a general framework in the important areas of public policy, but, by its very nature, it almost guarantees direct exposure to residents and their concerns. Unlike provincial and federal politicians who are surrounded by a bevy of executive assistants and constituency office staff, municipal politicians learn quickly the important art of how to deal effectively with constituents, defuse conflict with competing interests, create consensus amongst divergent stakeholders, and “work across the aisle” with opponents.

Which brings me full circle to Mr. Ford. Not only did the Premier serve on Metro Toronto Council for several terms, but his late brother, Rob, was mayor. Much is made of the Premier’s penchant for remembering names, returning calls, and reaching out to connect with constituents. That’s great! So, given his political acumen and given his pedigree in local government, why don’t we see more respect for local government, and why do we see a provincial government that increasingly looks amateurish, disorganized, and incapable of even running a hot dog stand at the CNE?

Local Government is Important

Local government is unique. It is the one level of government that most of us will interact with the most during our lifetime.  Ask the average citizen how many times they have met their MP or MPP, and most will probably say “once”.  Ask them how many times they have met or exchanged communication with their local councillor or board of education trustee, and chances are it is much more.

Part of the reason I think Doug Ford chooses to ignore or diminish municipal politicians, or intrude on municipal issues, lies partially in the fact that local government has no defined status under our Constitution. However, I also suspect that a lot of his personal animosity stems from the fact that municipal government is considered expendable despite its direct impact on residents’ lives.  Ford and others view the low turnout in municipal elections, the frustration with what he perceives as opposition to provincial government initiatives in housing and planning, and the emergence of what he describes as “NIMBYISM”, as somehow perpetuated by what he considers an expendable entity. Left to his devices, the Premier would likely eliminate local governments altogether and run their operations from Queen’s Park.

Given the size of his majority, who can mount an effective challenge to the Premier? The answer is probably no one right now. However, that may be about to change.

One Year and Counting

More and more residents are talking about local issues. Partly, that’s due to the higher-than-expected tax rates in Burlington and other communities over the last four years.  As well, residents are growing increasingly weary of politicians who say one thing and deliver another. And, thanks to the Premier, many citizens are now growing irritable with a provincial government seeking to control everything from speed cameras to bike lanes, decisions that rightfully belong at the local level.

Not only do we need more politicians at Queen’s Park with a solid grounding in local government, but we also need more local candidates who will step up and offer their services. We are less than a year away from the next municipal election. It provides an opportunity to reset the public narrative and to elect new voices with fresh ideas and different perspectives. As well, it gives us an excellent chance to elect people who will be an important counter-weight to provincial authorities, and who aren’t afraid to question or challenge the decisions of an erratic Premier who looks and sounds increasingly like his best-before date has finally arrived.