SCOOP: Tory kingmaker joins Team Baber. Can they do it again?
And sources poke holes in Ford's no endorsement zone
ABOVE THE FOLD
First in Queen’s Park Observer — Could ROMAN BABER be the kingmaker in the race for federal Conservative leader?
Considered one of the so-called underdogs in the contest to replace ERIN O’TOOLE, the Independent MPP has enlisted JOSEPH BEN-AMI to run his campaign — the Conservative strategist behind BRAD TROST’s 2017 bid for leader. Despite flying under the radar, Trost placed fourth in that round thanks to support from social conservatives, which helped propel ex-captain ANDREW SCHEER to victory.
Can Ben-Ami do it again with Baber?
“He’s got a good, proven history and he’s an experienced campaign manager,” Baber said over the phone.
The political rookie — first elected to represent York Centre at Queen’s Park in 2018, then booted from the PC benches over his anti-lockdown stance — has to meet a high bar for the Conservative candidacy. He’s battling it out with high-profile contenders like PIERRE POILIEVRE, JEAN CHAREST, PATRICK BROWN and LESLYN LEWIS, needs to score hundreds of signatures from card-carrying Tories across seven provinces, and must cough up a $300,000-entry fee.
There’s also speculation in Conservative circles about the fact that Baber has been barred from running under the provincial banner — and that that may hurt his chances in the federal arena.
But the long-shot candidate is angling to be the uniter-in-chief: “I’m looking to appeal to all wings of the party, and I think that it’s very important that we restore the party — and that means welcoming everyone into our tent.”
As for his provincial seat and possible re-election bid in June, Baber hints he’ll “have more to say in the near future.” Timing is tight: Wannabe Conservative captains have until June 3 to sell federal memberships — one day after Ontarians go to the polls.
NO ENDORSEMENT ZONE — Speaking of, Premier DOUG FORD says he’s got his hands full running the province (and running for re-election) — so neither he nor his caucus will be publicly backing any of the contenders for federal leader.
But several Tory sources tell me that behind the scenes, PC MPPs are already picking favourites.
Baber isn’t the only former caucus-mate in the running. Ex-leader, now-Brampton Mayor PATRICK BROWN is also in the race — but he’s butt heads with some of the sitting MPPs. Many didn’t stand by him when he was ousted in 2018, and only a small number endorsed him for the top job provincially, while the majority supported CHRISTINE ELLIOTT.
SCHOOLING DOCS, PAYING PSWs — Ford made the comment in Brampton, where he announced an extra 160 medical school positions and 295 post-graduate residency spots over the next five years — which he called the largest expansion in in a decade.
Meanwhile — after many repeat extensions — the pandemic pay bump for personal support workers will be made permanent. “For years, they were ignored, they were underpaid, overworked — and we acknowledged that by giving them the $3 an hour increase. We are going to make it permanent,” Ford told reporters. Legislation is expected to hit the clerk’s table as early as next week.
FORD’S WEDNESDAY — The Premier is headed to Alliston for a 10:45 a.m. announcement alongside the feds. The Canadian Press got the jump: “A division of Honda Canada is set to announce that it will spend $1.38-billion over six years to upgrade an Ontario manufacturing plant to make electric hybrid vehicles, an investment that includes millions in funding from the federal and provincial governments.”
HAPPENING TODAY
— 9:30 a.m.: Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON will make an announcement in London.
— 12 p.m.: Agriculture Minister LISA THOMPSON will make an announcement in North Gower.
— 1:30 p.m.: Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER is in Sudbury to pump up his party’s “support for sustainable mining and innovation and meet with local mining executives.”
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 5:30 p.m.: A $500-a-head PC fundraiser in Toronto. Invite. — 7 p.m.: For $400-a-pop, Liberals ring in Willowdale candidate PAUL SAGUIL’s birthday alongside MP YA’ARA SAKS. RSVP.
MAKING HEADLINES
— POLL WATCH: “Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet received their worst polling results of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Omicron wave of infections hit Ontario.” More juicy tidbits from the CBC: “A key question these polls have asked throughout Ford’s term: ‘Overall, do you feel that the Ontario provincial government is on the right track or the wrong track, in terms of how it is governing the province?’ In January, the percentage of people answering ‘wrong track’ hit levels not seen at any time in the pandemic.”
— COMING OUT: PC MPP JEREMY ROBERTS on his journey: “I was gay and in the closet. And no matter how hard I tried to hide who I was, I feared that, one day, it would become public and stop me from being able to pursue my dreams. Instead, I've found peace and support.” Op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen.
— BROWN FALLOUT: Much ink has been spilled about how PATRICK BROWN shouldn’t be discounted in the race for the top Conservative job. But some journalists want the “male political punditry to be better” in their coverage.
— STRIKE OUT: “The union representing more than 16,000 Ontario college faculty members is threatening to walk off the job at the end of this week if their demands are not met,” CBC reports.
— MASK ON, MASK OFF: Some organizations say they’ll stick with masking and vaccination rules beyond the provincial end date. That includes post-secondary institutions and long-term care homes, respectively.
— TIME CHANGE: “There’s some hopeful news from across the border for Canadians tired of switching their clocks back and forth twice a year. In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, that could make daylight time permanent next year and bring an end to the long-running bi-annual flip.” Why that matters, per Global News: “In 2020, Ontario tabled and unanimously passed a private members bill called the ‘The Time Amendment Act.’ That bill amended the Time Act to make daylight saving time permanent year-round. However, The Time Amendment Act is conditional upon both New York state and Quebec coming on board.”
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
2022 — A couple of Grits have joined the ticket in the hopes of unseating their PC and NDP rivals (respectively). Outgoing Barrie Mayor JEFF LEHMAN was officially nominated to run in Barrie—Springwater—Oro—Medonte, while local business owner RAMI SAID will carry the banner in Waterloo.
— The Green contender for NDP-held Kitchener Centre: WAYNE MAK, a computer science grad from the University of Waterloo.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Francesca Grosso, Grosso McCarthy: VON, SE Health Care
— Shadia Balram, Grosso McCarthy: Bayshore Health Care
— Chris Benedetti, Sussex Strategy Group: Red Jar Capital
— John Perenack, StrategyCorp: 7-Eleven
— Aidan Grove-White, StrategyCorp: Therme Group RHTG GmbH
— Emily McCullough, StrategyCorp : Township of South Stormont
— Brian Teefy, John Matheson, John Penner and Emily McCullough, StrategyCorp: Air Products & Chemicals Inc.
In-house organizations: Unifor — Brock University — Toronto Region Board of Trade — The National Payroll Institute.
⏳COUNTDOWN: T-minus 78 days until the Election…49 days until the official start of the campaign…45 days until the budget is (now legally) due out.