The Battlefield of Ontario Politics by Greg Sorbara

Author:Greg Sorbara
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2014-10-07T00:00:00+00:00

From day one, the real challenge was managing my emotions. The humiliation of such a public “hanging” is not inconsequential. I was gripped by anger, embarrassment, and helplessness in equal measure. I could almost hear the whispers about yet another politician — this time an Italian Canadian, to boot — falling from grace.

I quickly learned not to let those emotions and fears overcome me. I knew that I had done nothing wrong, that the RCMP had made a terrible mistake in its determination to bring down Vic De Zen, and even if the rest of the world never learned the truth I was satisfied that I knew the truth and that was all that mattered. Soon I realized that I could live a very fulfilling life, even if I was never again a very important person in a very important government. Even more important was that my wife, Kate, and I suddenly had far more personal time together. While I continued to be a backbencher, I suddenly had time to spare for things that I had been denied for a number of years.

Still, I continued to urge my team of advisers to do everything necessary to clear my name. Rod McLeod continued to work on making the authorities come to grips with the fact that they’d targeted the wrong guy. And Glenn Hainey was trying to get the court to remove my name from the search warrant.

One of the truly amazing things about all this was how seamlessly the McGuinty government continued to do its work. Dwight Duncan, who was the energy minister and government House leader, gave up those portfolios and immediately assumed my old role as minister of finance. I had been working on a Fall Economic Statement when I resigned, and Dwight didn’t miss a beat delivering the statement on the very day that we had prepared for. He also said something very classy to me after his appointment: “Greg, I’m just keeping the seat warm. You’ll be back.” It was particularly touching, since Dwight had always wanted to be Ontario’s first ever finance minister who represented a Windsor riding.

One of the things I missed the most during this period of quarantine was my relationship with the boss. Dalton and I were certainly never pals. We were not drinking buddies. But what we had was as good and close a working relationship as any I could ever have imagined. I cherished that, and for the time being it was gone. At times I wondered whether he would ever want me back as his lieutenant or whether I would ever qualify again.

Then six months into the ordeal, an event took place that touched me to the core, an embrace the likes of which I had never experienced in politics. On April 4, 2006, some of my closest friends organized an event, “Dinner in the Piazza,” which they styled as a friend-raiser — in contrast to the hundreds of political fundraisers that were so much a part of our political lives.

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