You can be excused for not knowing that Howard Stevenson is president of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario). It is unlikely that he would be among the hundreds of loyal readers of Babel-on-the-Bay. When we reported the other day that we had not heard from Charles Sousa, the Mississauga MPP running for the Ontario Liberal leadership, it was probably a coincidence that an e-mail arrived extolling the good news of Charles’ candidacy. The e-mail was ostensibly signed by Howard Stevenson.
As president of the Ontario wing of the federal Liberal Party, it seems an improper use of his position for Mr. Stevenson to use his position to support a provincial leadership candidate. First of all, if this was on behalf of a federal leadership candidate, he would be expected to step down from his position on the National Executive for the duration of the campaign. To use his federal position to try to influence votes for a provincial candidate is likely to be considered more in the category of ill mannered.
But worse news is that the letter is supposed to be about Charles Sousa’s detailed plan to renew the Ontario Liberal Party and provide MPPs and their communities a greater voice. Stevenson seems to be giving the federal party’s endorsement to a really bad plan. Charles Sousa’s answer appears to be to give the constituency people money and maybe they will be quiet. He is suggesting nothing about returning democracy to the electoral districts. His really great suggestion is that MPPs should be given the authority they are supposed to always have. It is to be heard.
Sousa appears to be running a policy-oriented campaign and there is nothing wrong with that. We are told that he has released plans to create jobs in the north and he has suggested priorities for the Greater Toronto Area. That leaves him a long way to go to address the mess the McGuinty government is leaving for the next Premier of Ontario.
And while some reporters who claim that Sousa is “Premier-like” are quoted in the letter (with a link to the article), there seems to be no great ground swell for Sousa north of Highway 401.
But we are told that momentum is building, Charles cares, he has the right ideas and is ready to act. We should therefore keep an open mind and wait to see how he develops his campaign in January. Maybe, in the crisp cold air of mid-winter, it will all be clear!
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Copyright 2012 © Peter Lowry
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