By Gerry Nicholls, Senior Fellow, Democracy Institute
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
This has previously run in the Hamilton Spectator
These are dark days for Premier Dalton McGuinty.
The provincial Auditor General recently came out with a bombshell of a report that revealed his government has some pretty sloppy -- some might even say scandalous -- spending habits.
According to this report the Liberal government, through the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, dished out $32.5 million in "year-end grants" to assorted Ontario cultural groups, in a process that was "not open, transparent, or accountable."
For instance, an Iranian-Canadian community centre received $200,000 despite the fact there was no written request for the funding, and even though as a brand-new organization it wouldn't normally have been eligible for a grant.
And $250,000 went to the Chinese Professional Association of Canada, just a few months after board members of this group attended a fundraiser for a Liberal cabinet minister.
Then there was the $1 million, the McGuinty Liberals doled out to the Ontario Cricket Association -- which was $850,000 more than the Association had actually requested.
Sounds like Premier McGuinty got caught operating a Liberal slush fund.
Or as Naresh Raghubeer of the Canadian Coalition for Democracies put it, "What the Auditor-General documents is nothing less than a taxpayer-funded political black market based on 'ethnic' and religious vote-buying."
In other words, the Premier has a mini-adscam on his hands. And with a provincial election just a few months away, the timing couldn't be worse.
What a shame!
And as if that's not bad enough, Warren Kinsella, the spin doctor the Liberals hired to get them out of messes like this, can't help because he is too busy spinning to get himself out of a mess.
It seems, brilliant media strategist that he is, Kinsella offended feminists when he suggested on his blog that a female MLA, would rather be at home baking cookies than out on the campaign trail.
Oops.
Luckily for the Premier, Kinsella isn't the only person who knows how to spin a story.
For instance, all modesty aside, I have come up with a brilliant PR plan to save the government's skin. And out of the goodness of my heart, I will share this scheme with the Premier in the following memo:
Dear Premier McGuinty:
With an election due in October, you really need to deal with this Auditor General fiasco. It just doesn't look good.
Fortunately for you, I know a way to not only stop the bleeding but to turn this whole situation into a real vote getter.
How?
Simple. I note the Auditor General says you gave $1 million to the Ontario Cricket Association. OK on the surface that looks bad and it will undoubtedly rile up taxpayers.
It's just that a few months ago you were telling Ontarians you couldn't afford to give them a tax cut. You said the government was just too fiscally strapped. Yet here you are spending a million dollars to subsidize an obscure sport.
Bad optics.
But what if you declared that the Ontario Cricket Association wasn't about the sport but was really about the actual insect – the cricket?
OK that may sound strange, but hear me out.
Tell voters that crickets are an endangered species and that the Cricket Association needs the million bucks to set up a wild life preserve to protect these cute little creatures.
Imagine the photo op: You handing over a check to the president of the Association, with thousands of grateful crickets chirping in the background. You could even launch a government advertising blitz, with TV spots, billboards and radio ads, urging people to "Save the Cricket!"
This is political gold.
You would certainly win over the votes of animal lovers and secure a strangle-hold on a long over looked voting bloc -- entomologists.
And to cinch the deal just get some "scientific" evidence to show how cricket breath actually fights global warming.
That will get you the endorsement of David Suzuki and guarantee you the all-important green vote.
You see, my plan is fool proof.
Oh but it does have one tiny, little drawback: it will require you to stretch the truth a bit.
But that should not be too hard. After all, you have done it before.
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement