Here’s Hoping Ontario’s New Premier Stops Hugging McGuinty

By Doug Draper

In recent years, I’ve done a little consulting and marketing work for various individuals and organizations for which I have gotten paid.

Ontario’s new premier, gives the controversial former premier, Dalton McGuinty, a big hug during this July’s Throne Speech ceremonies.

I have almost always refused to do this for free since communications is how I make a living. But here is one time I am breaking the rule to give one piece of advice to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, should she or one of her representatives happen to read this message.

Kathleen, you have just won a majority government many did not expect you and your Liberals to win, and you have a good opportunity to break with the past and get off to a new start that defines what you – not past Liberal, Tory and NDP government have done for or to Ontario, for better or worse.

I urge you to please stay as far away as you can from former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty. And please – for God’s Sake – stop hugging him!

It was one thing to see you up on a stage with him when you won the Liberal leadership at a party convention a year ago this past winter after he resigned. A year ago this past winter when you won the leadership. Some of us, at least, understand why an incoming leader of the party would have to invite the outgoing leader on stage for some final partisan hurrah, as much as many of out here do not like this guy. 

But to have him back in the provincial legislature this first week of July for your very first Throne Speech as an elected premier, and to be hugging him to boot, made it pretty damn hard for this observer, at least, to keep my lunch down.

Kathleen, I think there are many of us out here who want to see you succeed as a premier for the sake of Ontario’s future and all who hope to live a health and prosperous life here for ourselves and our children.

 And one thing I am confident many of us do not to see any more images of you hugging McGuinty. In fact, I am pretty certain that many of us, if we ever see McGuinty on a screen or read about him again, would prefer it be under circumstances where he is in a witness box, answering hard-ball questions over the alleged mismanagement of many hundreds-of-millions of dollars of Ontario taxes during his tenure as premier.

(Niagara At Large invites you to share your views in the comment boxes below. Remember that we need your full name on this site to post your comment. For reasons of accountability and transparency, no false names r pseudonyms pass the mustard on this site.)