Janet Ecker

Minister of Finance. Minister of Education. Minister of Community and Social Services. Janet Ecker has undoubtedly left her mark on Ontario politics. We had an opportunity to sit down with the former Minister and chat about her past and present role as President of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA). The TFSA is no ordinary ‘stakeholder’. It was started by the city of Toronto in 2001 and under Ms. Ecker’s leadership, really began to talk to all levels of government effectively about the importance of the financial services sector from an economic development perspective. We discussed Toronto’s remarkable assent to being ranked 12^th out of 50 global financial centres. Indeed, Toronto’s and Canada’s banking system has become the envy of the world as our slightly risk-averse approach prevented the fast-and-loose regulations that shook others. Ms. Ecker credits Canada’s functioning political culture as being responsible for keeping us out of trouble.

Of course we couldn’t leave the table without discussing politics. Ms. Ecker often referred to her role as Minister of Community and Social Services as a particularly trying time. It was also the source of some good lessons learned. For example to the would-be bureaucrats in the room, she advised to always take a step back when crafting public policy as it is often the little problems that add up and create bigger ones.  She also noted that the best skill set in public life is undoubtedly the ability foresee and prevent crises.

We thank Ms. Ecker for being so generous with her time. It was a truly fascinating discussion.

Meeting the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ontario

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario invited us for a
tour of their historic headquarters at 69 Bloor St. East – a fantastic building, a hidden gem in downtown Toronto. Not only were we treated to a tour and lunch, we enjoyed presentations by various members of the Institute. We learned about the ICAO’s recruitment strategy, which left more than one intern wishing they could go back in time and become a CA! We also spent some time discussing the disciplinary measures that are available in order to protect the integrity of the profession – both for clients and members. The ‘hottest’ topic however had to be the ongoing merger discussions between the Certified General Accountants of Ontario and Certified Management Accountants of Ontario. Unifying the accounting profession in Canada will certainly help pose a more united front to all levels of government on various public affairs issues. The OLIP interns will follow these developments with interest. Thank you to the ICAO and Director of Government Relations, Christopher May, for remaining such strong supporters of the OLIP program!

Meeting Jeff Ryan – Labatt

When I told my colleagues in my MPP’s office that we, the interns,
were going to Labatt’s for a meeting, I was met sceptical looks, to
say the least. But yes, it is true that Labatt’s is a proud sponsor
and supporter of OLIP. We were invited to their beautifully situated
offices on Toronto’s Harbourfront. I for one had no idea that Labatt
is part of a larger family of beers (Anheuser-Busch InBev) which
includes other famous brands like Stella, Budweiser, Leffe, and
Keith’s. Jeff Ryan, Director of Corporate Affairs, hosted us with
great generosity. Over lunch, he told us a bit about his career
trajectory and we also ‘talked shop’. Who knew us political interns
had such a ‘thirst’ for knowledge – supply management, production
costs, demographics, and advertising were all issues we discussed. We
also covered some of the more traditional ‘GR’ territory – using local
products, government incentives for small brewers, regulation of the
beer store, and proposals to privatize the LCBO. Informative and fun –
my kind of meeting!

Ottawa: Comparative Study Visit Part 2

On Friday morning, we met with the Conservative MP for Simcoe-Grey, Ms. Kellie Leitch. We chatted with her about the transition from her career as an orthopaedic surgeon to operation on Parliament Hill. Although a new MP, Ms. Leitch has been active with the party for many years, notably authoring the current government’s Children`s Fitness Tax Credit which was introduced in 2006 and chairing numerous campaigns, including at the provincial level. Her position as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour has already thrust her in the public eye, as she was the main point of contact for the government’s handling of the asbestos-exports file. It isn’t hard to see why Ms. Leitch has been called “a rising star” within the party.
We also met with another ‘star’ that day – Supreme Court Justice Maurice Fish. A last-minute addition to our schedule, Justice Fish was gracious enough to host us within the court itself for a short meeting. He gave us an overview of the technical workings of the Supreme Court and answered a few questions from the budding lawyers among us.
At the American Embassy, we were greeted by a panel of representatives from the public affairs, trade, consular, and political and military affairs sections. We discussed the importance and uniqueness of the Canada-U.S. relationship as well some specific issues such as softwood lumber, banking regulations, counter-terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. The visit was a welcome balance to our otherwise Canadian agenda.
Back on Parliament Hill, we were honoured to be invited into the opposition parties’ lobby by a member of the staff of the Liberal Whip’s office. We talked about some of the sticks and carrots at the whips disposal and how this role changes depending on the number of the party’s seats in the house.
One of the most interesting meetings we had, in my opinion, was with Stephen Lecce, Deputy Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister. Stephen gave us a presentation on how to communicate effectively in the political sense. His advice was based in real life examples in recent communication triumphs as well as challenges. That fact that Stephen is our peer was all the more impressive!
Our last official day of visits in Ottawa was rounded out with a meeting with The Hill Times journalist Tim Naumetz, with whom we discussed some of the top political issues of the day. Thus ended our action-packed stay in Ottawa. Saturday, we had the day off to enjoy the offerings of the capital a little bit and recuperate before the long drive to Quebec City the following day!

Meeting Monika Turner

Meeting OLIP alumnus Monika Turner was a real pleasure. Her extensive public sector experience and close familiarity with Queen’s Park provided many interesting insights. In her relatively new position of Director of Policy for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Monika develops policy positions that encompass the organizations’ 444 member municipalities – surely no easy task. It’s no surprise that this self-described “policy wonk” thrives on the multitude of issues addressed by the AMO. Their most recent provincial “Top 12 Asks” included everything from the uploading of social services, clear energy policies, to tools for the collection unpaid Provincial Offences Act fines. The AMO has a special relationship with the province, enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding which ensures a consultative process. In a pre-election speech to the organization, the Premier took note and carefully addressed each and every one of these issues.

A student of anthropology, Monika was part of the 1985-86 OLIP cohort – a tumulus year that saw the end of 42 consecutive years of Progressive Conservative Party rule in Ontario.  Her first move post-OLIP was to be a Special Assistant to the PA Education, Doug Reycraft, MPP Middlesex.  Her career in public service has continued to grow ever since. Monika’s professional path is one that is sure to inspire many of this year’s interns!

 

Persons Day Breakfast

On Thursday, October 18th, I got up an extraordinarily early hour – 5:45am, in order to attend a celebration of an extraordinarily
important event: Persons Day. Persons Day, as I learned, commemorates the hard-fought victory of ‘the Famous Five’ (Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Emily Murphy and Irene Parlby), appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada, and then the British Privy Council, who ruled that women were to be considered persons under the law. To realize that woman only gained this right in 1929 in Canada is eye-opening. The 2011 Persons Day Breakfast gala was held at the Fairmont Royal York and hosted by the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). Along with five of my colleagues, I took advantage of the invitation extended to us by the Law Society of Upper Canada to join their table. It was a great opportunity to learn more about some the history of women’s rights in Canada and become more informed about the challenges still lying ahead. The host, Canadian folk singer-songwriter and activist Heather Bishop underlined the importance of knowing one’s collective history – especially among young career women today who may think that the feminist cause is ‘old news’ and not a part of their reality. I agree with the adage that ‘if you don’t know your history, you are doomed to repeat it’. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Avis Glaze, herself an international leader in the field of education, also installed upon the young would-be lawyers in the room, the importance of higher education. LEAF is currently involved in a number of active cases – for example defending the rights of sexual assault victims to wear religious head coverings in court, and ensuring common law spouses are treated equally to those who are married in the province in Quebec. It was a fascinating morning and ignited in me a desire to research these issues further.

Election Night at Ipsos

The week leading up to the provincial election has been a busy and exciting one at Ipsos. In a way I feel as though I experienced three elections in three days. On Tuesday, Ipsos released their findings from a poll leading up to the election. They indicated that the Liberals were assured a minority and could possibly achieve a third majority government. So the question now became whether Ontario would find itself in a minority or majority situation. With this in mind, we awaited Thursday’s results with great anticipation and excitement.

On Wednesday, Monika and I joined the Ipsos team at the Global TV studio. We thought we would mostly be observing the rehearsal, but shortly after our arrival we found ourselves as guest panelists on set! The real guest panelists were unable to make the rehearsal so we stepped in. For the purpose of the rehearsal, Global announced a minority government. By the end of our day as pretend panelists, Leslie and Anne had asked us so many questions about how we felt about the minority situation that I went home that night feeling as though those were the actual election results.

Finally, Thursday had arrived. After a busy morning in the office, we headed to the studio at around 2pm. There was a last minute rehearsal, we set up our laptops and we had the opportunity to meet the Laurier team that was working behind the scenes with Global in preparing for the election results. Throughout the day we saw various people being interviewed in the area we were working (I think the back of our heads made it into one of the shots at some point). Finally 9 o’clock rolled around and the results started pouring in. Monika, Lauren, Amanda and myself were responsible for imputing the results of the actual election into a chart. Each of us was responsible for imputing results for a particular region and checking another. I think the best way to describe that experience was as a very exciting and intense game of Bingo. As it grew later into the night, there were certain riding results we were still waiting for. The question remained whether Ontario would get a three-peat majority or a minority government. The Liberals were on the verge of a majority as Ipsos had predicted, and finally Global announced that the province had elected a minority government. It is hard to explain the excitement of that night as we watched the results unfold, definitely a night I will always remember. 15.5 hours after we started our workday, we all headed home, tired yet excited.

I think it’s safe to say that over the course of the last two short weeks we have learned a tremendous amount about polling, the media and the whole campaign process more broadly. It has been a pleasure to work with our colleagues at Ipsos, especially Sean Simpson, Keren Gottfried, and John Wright.

Monika’s Mini-Placement with Sponsor: Ipsos

I am extremely glad to have the opportunity looking at politics from the ‘objective outside’. Ipsos’ Public Affairs division has a strong reputation in providing solid numbers on their election polls and in fact, have recently gone public with criticism of less scientific pollsters. This has added to the excitement of election time as the stakes are high! Sylvia and I have have been getting some hands-on experience in checking those numbers and preparing polls to go live on-line. We already saw the fruits of our work live on Global television after the leaders’ debate; now we are anxiously awaiting the biggest test – the election itself.

Meeting the Auditor General

Jim McCarter is the watchdog of the public purse in his role as Auditor General of Ontario. Last week, he gave us an overview of the office’s responsibilities. Contrary to popular belief, the Provincial Auditor does more than check the books of the Ontario government, its ministries, ministries, Crown agencies, and public-sector grant-recipient organizations (although that in itself is quite the undertaking). Since 1978, the Provincial Auditor has the mandate to conduct value-for-money audits. These entail assessing the efficiency of expenditures and comparing them to best practices around the world.

These types of audits also have a broader mandate to measure the effectiveness of programs.

The auditor’s main power stems from publishing reports and recommendations. Ontario’s 2007 Pre-Election Report on Ontario’s Finances was the first of its kind in Canada and among the first in the world. It is designed to inform voters, Ontarians and political parties about the Province’s fiscal plan prior to the upcoming general election. The Auditor General of Ontario is responsible for reviewing the report from a neutral, professional, stand-point – contributing to the quality of the public debate about government expenditures.

The Auditor General of Ontario is appointed by an all-party selection committee to a 10 year, non-renewable term, and is the only officer who has a committee to report to – the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. A little known fact is that the Provincial Auditor also pre-approves all government advertising, as mandated by the Government Advertising Act.

Meeting Emma Stanley

Our meeting with former OLIP intern, Emma Stanley-Cochrane was particular insightful. Emma gave us tips on how to network, write resumes, and set up and prepare for informational interviews. Emma advised us to leave our pre-conceived notions about government at the door and instead to learn on the job. Currently employed at the Cabinet Office, Emma elaborated on her role as Information and Research Coordinator. It definitely left us with the impression that the Cabinet Office is a dynamic and exciting Ministry to work for. I find meetings with alumni very motivational and practical for us newbie interns as we set out to find a career path to call our own.