Randall Denley: Public pursuit of Green Party leader is a new low for Ontario Liberals

Ontario provincial politics provides relatively few good laughs. For that reason, senior Ontario Liberals’ effort to recruit Green Party leader Mike Schreiner to head their failed party deserves a hearty round of applause.

One would have thought that after winning only eight seats in the last election and seven in 2018, the Liberals would have reached a state of maximum political humiliation. That was before a group of 40 Liberals, including former senior cabinet ministers, made their public plea to Schreiner.

It says a great deal about how Liberals see their prospects when they think that their salvation lies in recruiting a man who heads a one-seat party. True, if Schreiner joins them the Liberal caucus would immediately swell by 12.5 per cent, but the guy’s not exactly a political superstar. He has led his party since 2009 and finally won his seat in 2018, but has been unable to add to his one-man caucus.

When the idea of attracting Schreiner was first floated in December, he rejected the Liberals’ plea. Now with senior Liberals begging him to lead them, the Green leader is taking time to think about their ego-stroking offer.

Maybe that’s understandable. Being the leader of a one-seat party that’s going nowhere must be lonely and discouraging work. As leader of what would be a nine-seat party that’s going nowhere, at least Schreiner would have someone to commiserate with.

The timing of the Liberal plea is odd. It’s not as if they are absolutely stuck for leadership. That was the NDP, where only new leader Marit Stiles raised her hand and said she was willing to take on the job.

Two current MPPs and two MPs have been exploring a leadership run. Interestingly, they are all Liberals. They offer a blend of political experience, diversity and education not often seen among would-be leaders.

Yasir Naqvi is an Ottawa MP and former provincial cabinet minister. An immigrant for Pakistan, he is a lawyer and former party president. Mitzie Hunter came to Canada from Jamaica as a child, has an MBA and served as education minister. Critically, she holds a seat in the legislature. Ted Hsu is a former MP who was elected as an MPP last year. He has a PhD in physics from Princeton University. Nathan Erskine-Smith is the youngest of the four at 38, but he has eight years of experience as an MP. He is a lawyer trained at Oxford University and has worked on Bay Street and for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Given that the job will probably require seven years of hard work before the new leader gets a real crack at becoming premier, that’s an impressive potential field.

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And yet senior Liberals would prefer a middle-aged white guy. It’s difficult to see why and the letter produced by the fab 40 does little to answer the question. It does break some ground. Liberals now complain that “Our politics are stuck in an endless loop of gimmicks and cynical games.” That wasn’t a problem when the cynical games won them elections.

The letter also says, “Our party needs to rediscover a politics of purpose and principle.” That’s true, but it’s interesting that so many senior Liberals think purpose and principle is something that can’t be found within their own party.

While some Liberals are giving up on themselves, the public has not abandoned the brand to the extent that the low seat count would suggest. Ontario is still potentially fertile ground for Liberals. Their federal party holds 77 seats in Ontario and the provincial Liberals came second in the popular vote last year.

Without question, the Liberals require better leadership, but Schreiner will not be their solution. By taking his time to ponder the Liberal offer, Schreiner is showing indecision and a lack of principle. Would he really abandon the party he has served for so long and leave it both leaderless and seatless?

If Schreiner takes the bait, he will be making a serious mistake. While those courting him include big names like former cabinet ministers Greg Sorbara and Deb Matthews, and former Liberal leader Lyn McLeod, there is no guarantee that Schreiner would win a leadership race. Plenty of other Liberals have questioned the wisdom of reaching outside the party.

Jumping to the Liberals, then losing the leadership race would leave Schreiner as a second-string player on a third place party. It hardly seems worth the risk.

The Liberals have already damaged themselves by seeking Green salvation. If they don’t believe in their own potential leaders, why should anyone else? It’s time for those who signed the ill-advised letter to declare intellectual bankruptcy and leave their party to a new generation of leadership.

Randall Denley is an Ottawa journalist, author and former Ontario PC candidate. Contact him at randalldenley1@gmail.com