When the people of Cambridge gave me the honour of serving them as their MPP at Queen’s Park, I felt an enormous responsibility to be a powerful voice for my constituents and to strive for better, more accountable government.  After the 2011 election, I found myself as a rookie MPP within Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, and I took that role and responsibility with a sense of duty.

Today, almost 4 years after we started asking tough questions on the gas plant relocations in Oakville and Mississauga, the OPP have laid criminal charges against two former staffers in Premier Dalton McGuinty’s office.  This is not a happy day, but a sad one for Ontario.  It is but another powerful reminder that our government may not be fulfilling its fiduciary duty to the people of Ontario.  Submerging the truth doesn’t get us to better government, and while these charges have not been tested in court, Ontarians may feel a sense of unease about the whole gas plant relocation mess that has and will continue to cost the provincial treasury over $1 billion.

Premier McGuinty recently released his memoir in which he stated that his one big regret was not lowering the partisan tone of the legislature.  That’s an interesting take, since my recollection of Ontario politics was his party’s attempt to hold on to power at all costs.  If anything heightens partisanship, it’s that blind pursuit of power over the public interest.  That, ultimately, is what the gas plant scandal is about.

For me, the lesson in all of this is that each actor in our system of democracy has a role to play – to govern and to oppose the government. They are important roles.  They are not roles that you can perform without getting knocked down a few times.  It can definitely be bruising.  However, this call for reducing the partisan tone of the legislature is sheer and utter nonsense.  It ultimately amounts to a desire to see fewer pointed questions from the opposition to the government.  I say this process of governing and opposing government is a hallmark of our democratic system.  We should celebrate it more, not see it go away!

There is no consensus in our politics. Ontario is bereft of problems, and our challenges are significant.  With mounting fiscal challenges, a stagnant economy that hasn’t been bolstered by a lower Canadian dollar, and with significant challenges in virtually all government programs and services, this is the time to collectively raise our voices.  Ontarians need to be heard, and our political leaders need not be afraid to take a stand.

In closing, I want to publicly thank Tim Hudak for giving me such a prominent role in our caucus and in uncovering this debacle.  I remember everybody telling him to both talk more about the gas plant scandal and to forget about it entirely.  For better or worse, he stuck with this file, and I’m sure he’ll take some solace in the fact that the truth may indeed prove to be vindication.  It’s a reminder of the challenges that our political leaders face.  Nobody will ever appreciate the deliberation that goes into allocating time and resources (both of which are scarce in politics, especially in the opposition benches) to pursue any one strand of information that we could pursue on a given day.  Leadership is about making tough calls, and this was a tough call for Hudak and the entire opposition bench.  I know that all of my former colleagues acknowledge the tireless efforts of our staff who combed through hundreds of thousands of documents to arrive at everything we did.  Our caucus could not have done it with out these loyal and passionate individuals.

Now you’ll have to wait for the book…