April 8, 2005
TORONTO (CP) -- Allegations of backroom dealings dogged the Ontario government Thursday after it was revealed a longtime Liberal strategist who is now a chemical industry lobbyist attended a cabinet meeting.
The revelation comes just days after environmental legislation that's tough on industry polluters was sent to public hearings.
"They're admitting, if not publicly, they've made some serious errors in this legislation, or someone has convinced them that they've made some serious errors," said Conservative house leader Bob Runciman. "We need to know why that happened."
Warren Kinsella, who has served the Liberals in numerous advisory roles over the years, attended cabinet on March 23, raising eyebrows among the opposition parties.
"After no movement for six months on the environmental spills bill, suddenly it was referred to committee this week without having any debate in this house," Runciman told the legislature.
"Premier, this is the same bill for which your top political fixer Warren Kinsella is receiving big cheques as the lobbyist for those opposed to the bill. ... Do you not see a massive conflict of interest here?"
Globe and Mail version, April 7, 2005:
The Ontario government came under attack yesterday for allowing an influential Liberal Party strategist to attend a cabinet meeting just days after he was hired to lobby against proposed environmental legislation that would impose stiff penalties on polluters.
Progressive Conservative Bob Runciman asked Premier Dalton McGuinty why Warren Kinsella was allowed to attend the meeting on March 23, nine days after he signed on to help the chemical industry fight legislation that Mr. Runciman says is now at risk of being watered down.
"Do you not see a massive conflict of interest here?" the Tory MPP asked during Question Period.
"I can assure you that Mr. Kinsella did not in any way, shape or form broach that particular topic," Mr. McGuinty replied.
Mr. Kinsella, who played a key role in Mr. McGuinty's election campaign, also said there was nothing nefarious about his presence at the meeting. He said he met with the Premier's cabinet to share his insights with them into provincial Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory. Mr. Kinsella worked on Mr. Tory's mayoral campaign in Toronto last year.
"I did not, and would not, speak to cabinet about Bill 133," Mr. Kinsella said in an e-mail response to a request for an interview. "That would be improper, clearly. That's so obvious it barely merits saying."
Instead, he explained in the e-mail, he talked to cabinet members about his views of Mr. Tory: "I told cabinet that I did not feel John Tory handled pressure very well, at all, and that -- when facing a superior opponent -- John Tory tends to let members of his team make completely baseless and stupid allegations. And that's what happened today [in Question Period]," he said in the e-mail. "I also told them John is quite thin-skinned."
Brendan Howe, Mr. Tory's spokesman, retorted that the only one who appears to have thin skin is Mr. Kinsella. "He should really know better than to go into cabinet meetings as a high-paid lobbyist and the associated smell that creates," Mr. Howe said.
Mr. Kinsella appeared on the provincial lobbyist registry on March 14 as representing the Coalition for a Sustainable Environment, which speaks for more than a dozen industry groups.
Dwight Duncan, Energy Minister and cabinet chairman, told reporters that Mr. Kinsella would not have heard any cabinet debate.
National Post, same day (the Post now employs poluter lobbyist Kinsella as its "media columnist", which, I suppose, makes sense):
Tough new environmental legislation that would impose stiff penalties on polluters responsible for spills is in danger of being watered down now that industry has hired lobbyist and Liberal insider Warren Kinsella to fight the proposed bill, the opposition charged yesterday at Queen's Park.
"You bring forward Bill 133 about six months ago, with lots of rhetoric, and then for six months it languishes on the order paper. Nothing happens," NDP Leader Howard Hampton said in the legislature. "On March 14, Warren Kinsella signs up as the lobbyist for the chemical industry that wants this bill watered down. Now, just days later, the bill doesn't come forward for debate; it goes out the side door to committee."
Mr. Kinsella, a senior advisor and strategist for Premier Dalton McGuinty during the Liberals' 2003 election campaign, appeared on the provincial lobbyist registry last month representing the Coalition for a Sustainable Environment. It represents more than a dozen industry groups including The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association, The Canadian Foundry Association, The Canadian Petroleum Products Institute and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Full Text (597 words)
(Copyright National Post 2005)
Anti-pollution legislation: Former McGuinty advisor now working for industry coalition
Tough new environmental legislation that would impose stiff penalties on polluters responsible for spills is in danger of being watered down now that industry has hired lobbyist and Liberal insider Warren Kinsella to fight the proposed bill, the opposition charged yesterday at Queen's Park.
"You bring forward Bill 133 about six months ago, with lots of rhetoric, and then for six months it languishes on the order paper. Nothing happens," NDP Leader Howard Hampton said in the legislature. "On March 14, Warren Kinsella signs up as the lobbyist for the chemical industry that wants this bill watered down. Now, just days later, the bill doesn't come forward for debate; it goes out the side door to committee."
Both Conservatives and New Democrats said it is unusual for a bill to be sent to committee after first reading. Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky, however, said the Liberals have handled at least three other pieces of legislation the same way since coming to power.
"This is a legitimate manoeuvre that provides the people of Ontario, the members of the public, with an opportunity to comment on this proposed legislation," she said.
Mr. Kinsella, a senior advisor and strategist for Premier Dalton McGuinty during the Liberals' 2003 election campaign, appeared on the provincial lobbyist registry last month representing the Coalition for a Sustainable Environment. It represents more than a dozen industry groups including The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association, The Canadian Foundry Association, The Canadian Petroleum Products Institute and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Art Chamberlain, a spokesman for Ms. Dombrowsky, said nobody in the minister's office has met with Mr. Kinsella, though officials have had telephone conversations with him about the legislation.
"We have met with literally dozens of other industry and environmental groups on this bill, and certainly some of those industry people would have been members of the coalition that he is now working for," he said.
The proposed legislation would allow environment officials to assign immediate penalties against a company or individual responsible for any illegal spills or emissions into the environment. Fines would range as high as $20,000 a day for individuals or $100,000 a day for corporations, with the money dedicated to fixing any damage caused by a spill. Corporations could also still face prosecution.
In addition, the new law would introduce a reverse onus provision requiring corporate directors and officers of a company that spilled illegally to prove the company took all reasonable efforts to prevent the spill. In certain cases, jail time could also be imposed by the courts for offences committed by corporate officers and directors.
Mr. Kinsella referred interview requests to Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and spokesman for the coalition.
"We agree with the principle of polluter pay, and with the idea of the creation of a community fund that would help to correct problems created as a result of a spill," said Mr. Beatty, a former federal Conservative Cabinet minister.
Mr. Beatty said coalition members are questioning, however, why the proposed legislation would apply only to private sector companies and not to the public sector, including municipalities. He said companies are also concerned that the potential penalties for company directors will deter high-quality people from accepting directorships.
"We need good people on boards to supervise management," he said. The coalition is worried that companies' voluntary efforts to clean up spills will go unacknowledged when cleanup bills are assessed, and also wants to ensure that only high-level bureaucrats have the authority to assess penalties on the spot.
