Here in Toronto, when you get a former mayor to talk about the current mayor, you´re guaranteed a full-house.
So when we invited former mayor of Toronto, and current Senator, Art Eggleton, to hold court at our most recent Why Should I Care event, we knew we´d have a big crowd.
What we didn´t expect was a turnout so heavy that we needed space in two extra rooms at the Duke of York, plus a last-minute addition of speakers and other equipment, to ensure we all got a seat, a beer, and could hear Sen. Eggleton, loud and clear.
Bottom line: when it comes to politics in this city, there´s a lot to talk about, and a lot of people wanting to have their say.
Like all WSIC guest speakers, Sen. Eggleton opened with a few prepared remarks, outlining his background, his concerns, and his hopes for the future.
He referenced his February op-ed in the Globe and Mail, “This is No Way to Run a City,” which some found polarizing. Tonight would not be a night for bashing Rob Ford, he promised. There´s too much of that going on, and after a while, it ceases to be constructive.
Still, the Senator had some pointed critiques for Ford. Calling City Council irrelevant was simply wrong, he said. City council, not the mayor, is supreme-it´s a matter of law. When it comes to policy decisions, Rob Ford has one vote, and so do 45 councilors. Negotiating isn´t easy, which is why Sen. Eggleton did his best to operate from the middle ground. Most mayors have done this, forming alliances on an issue-by-issue basis.
On the ongoing subway debate: Sen. Eggleton sees subways as a viable option in some circumstances, but disagrees with Ford´s plan. If Ford really wanted subways, he would have produced a viable plan to make them happen. But he never has.
Ford´s treatment of public servants bothers the Senator as well. He remembers wanting the best and the brightest running things when he was mayor, giving him the best advice they could. Will this caliber of person be attracted to public service under Ford, who makes approval of the mayor´s vision a condition of continued employment?
It´s time for the current mayor to truly embrace the leadership role he´s been given. It´s time for him to stop campaigning for reelection and focus on the job at hand. Toronto has real problems that need addressing now. Of particular concern to Sen. Eggleton (enough that he brought it up several times over the course of the evening) is quality, affordable housing. Inequality is the dark side of Toronto´s diversity.
Following his remarks, Sen. Eggleton took questions from the floor. There were many, and some were lengthy. Here are the highlights:
Question: Why don´t candidates outline their agendas during election campaigns? If these people want to be mayor, shouldn’t they have a plan they can share with would-be voters?
Answer: They conceal their plans at their own peril. If you don’t communicate what you stand for, people may not vote for you. Of all the candidates in the last mayoral election, Rob Ford was probably the clearest about what he hoped to do, even if Sen. Eggleton didn´t agree with those ideas.
Question: Re affordable housing: funding from both the federal and provincial budgets is dismal; can public-private partnerships play a role?
Answer: We need partnerships between all levels of gov´t, plus the co-op sector-and we need a national housing strategy, which is long overdue. Four million people need affordable housing and can´t find it.
In Senator Eggleton´s time as mayor (and before that), there was a strong desire for mixed-income housing, but the Ford administration seems less concerned about it.
And now, A QUESTION FROM THE MAYOR´S OFFICE:
Do you think it´s appropriate to comment this way, given how much the City of Toronto has changed from the days when you were mayor?
(Big `ohhhs´ for that one)
Answer: Sen. Eggleton believes he has experience to offer. He still cares about the city, and is passionate about the city, and wants it to be the best it can be. He´s speaking as a citizen of this city. Lots of applause from the crowd.
Now the questions shifted to politics in general-to the issue of increased partisanship. (The question from the mayor´s office probably had something to do with that). Sen. Eggleton expressed his regrets at the current level of polarization at all levels of government. He recalled constructive work he did with Conservative colleagues. The House of Commons is a much nastier place today than it was when he worked there.
Question: How can we get our voices heard?
Answer: We need to get to the MPs. Social media really helps. An MP should see it in his or her interest to help change the structure in parliament-to help right the balance of power there.
Question: What is your position on casinos? Should Toronto be building one?
Answer: No. Gambling preys on the poor, and citizens are divided on the issue. If policy is to be changed, another vote ought to be required first.
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Last Monday´s discussion covered a lot more ground. What you´ve read here is just a taste of it.
WSIC Director Terri Chu concluded the evening by thanking Sen. Eggleton for his time. Then she called on another major public figure-Mayor Rob Ford himself-to join us as a future WSIC guest speaker. If anyone could draw a bigger crowd than we got tonight, it would be Ford.
Fingers crossed for that one…
Make sure you check out our video of the event. Its been condensed into 12 minutes. The video is courtesy of David Langer.