No One Will Threaten Me Into Silence. Not Even Dean Rivando, a Liberal Staffer at Queen's Park.

by John Laforet
posted on June 6th, 2009 at 14:17:56 pm

This is my response to a totally inappropriate comment made in what is a clear attempt to scare me into silence by a member of Dalton McGuinty’s staff. You see, a hyper partisan who works at Liberal Caucus Services Bureau – the nerve centre for hyper-partisanship at Queen’s Park – has tried to insinuate that my standing up for my community against the complete and utter abuse it has seen at the hands of the Provincial Government will have political consequences for me. It was my coverage of the Progressive Conservative leadership race that led to his thinly veiled threat. Dean Rivando, Political Staff at Liberal Caucus Services Bureau (read Premier’s Office) made it clear, through his thinly veiled threat, that I could expect LCSB’s bag of dirty tricks to make an appearance, should I seek public office at the municipal level in response to my coverage of the PC leadership campaign and standing up for my community against his party’s corrupt practices.

‘Good luck with your next municipal campaign’  

No one could expect the Provincial Liberals to want to see a candidate that disagrees with them elected to anything, but if you knew that Provincial Liberals literally emptied out political staff from MPP, Ministry and the Premier’s Offices to fight their campaigns with the unfair advantage of salaried managers and workers whose pay cheques not only do not count towards campaign expenses, but are covered by the taxpayer – you’d know this threat was even more disgusting. The opposition parties have no where near as many staff to complete in this completely ethic-less cesspool the Ontario Liberal Party has been able to exploit in all bi-elections since 2003 and the general election of 2007.

In fairness the Ontario Liberal Party has company. During the 2006 municipal election I ran in, Paul Ainslie’s current Executive Assistant and Constituency Assistant were each campaigning, and neither took a leave of absence. I’d bet he wasn’t the only Councillor who did so either. 

I am not a candidate for public office. But, I certainly would not allow that decision to be impacted by the threats of a man whose profession limits him to hiding in campaign offices and deep inside Queen’s Park, and whose function has virtually no involvement with any of the aspects of politics that actually matters. People and policy. I will not be bullied, I will not be threatened and those who seek to try and use tactics like this against me should consider themselves warned. 

If I were to seek public office again and you intend on using taxpayer dollars illegally, whether collecting or directing someone else to collect a salary while not doing the job, for a day, for a week or for a month, whether using a publicly funded print shop to print flyer’s or create other materials – I promise I would document it, and where possible record you in the act, and I would seek legal action against the candidate and campaign who benefited in addition to posting the names and faces of the staff involved.

This has nothing to do with me, it has to do with a simple principle. Elections should be free and fair. Fair means that one side doesn’t use paid staff illegally while the other relies on volunteers. Fair means the Government of Ontario doesn’t hijack your right to vote for the candidate of your choice, by silencing or trying to silence an outspoken member of your community.

When I stand on principle, I stand strong and I stand tall. I am unwavering in my determination to defend those who are mistreated, ignored or marginalized by government and one thing I’ve learned since seeking public office and losing – you don’t need to be a candidate or a politician to have an impact. Since losing, I’ve learned to appreciate the office of Citizen. It’s one I am working harder and harder with each day to live up to the responsibility I have as a holder of this office. It sees me stand up against injustice where I see it, it sees me stand up and fight back against bullies and the moneyed interests that back them. It’s seen me step back from partisan politics, and recognize that when a government is doing something that harms you community, it doesn’t matter what party it is, it’s wrong and needs to be vigourisly fought.  

To be frank, Guildwood has taken enough crap from Liberal Caucus Services Bureau. Liberal members in Scarborough Guildwood have been denied two democratic nomination meetings in a row, in favour of the party picked candidate. In the case of Margarett Best, an individual who has not, and does not live in the riding, or even the City of Toronto for that matter. (Her campaign was run by paid staff from Queen’s Park.) We’ve watched as Liberal Caucus Services Bureau has expanded their attack on democratic rights, from members of their party to our community’s right to stand up and defend the environment or participate in a fair and accountable process. 

Many know when Dalton McGuinty and George Smitherman took swipes at members of my community over our opposition to a wind farm project that has seen a process tainted with lying, incompetent developers, bussed in organizers and a lobby that has literally bought the ear of the Ontario Liberal Party with hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, I was the closest thing to a politician that stood up. Our MPP (Margarett Best) said nothing, or City Councillor (Paul Ainslie) was off attempting a hostile take over of the Toronto Zoo board, and it was my voice that stood up and said ‘residents will not lay down’ in response to the Premier legislating our rights away. I promised we’d get stronger and louder. Promise made, promise soon to be delivered.  

I did interviews across Ontario speaking out against an anti-democratic, anti-environment so called ‘Green Energy Act’ on behalf of all Ontarians who will be negatively affected by the bought and paid for Liberal government’s bill. I talked about the lobbyists that wrote it, and donated enough until the price was right for it’s introduction. 

I also – very openly ended my association with the Ontario Liberal Party and pledged not to vote for a candidate who took part in the removal of my democratic rights. 

Noticing a lack of coverage of the Ontario NDP leadership race and believing this was bad for democracy, I decided to lend my blog to ensuring Ontarians and New Democrats knew who each of the candidates who sought the leadership were. When the Progressive Conservative leadership race came along, I decided to do the same. When the Green Party of Ontario leadership race starts later this year, I will once again do the same. Why? Because I believe people should be able to get a real sense of who it is who wants to lead their province and has a right to know what those people stand for. I’m doing my part to help, while educating myself on my options as a voter who is seeking someone who will stand up for him.

For that and my refusal to support a political party that has attacked my community Dean Rivando seems to believe I should be prevented from speaking out and being heard. His veiled threat makes it clear he believes those who stand up and in opposition to the Ontario Liberal Party should be attacked with an army of taxpayer funded political soliders. I wonder what it must be like in the mind of someone who is so used to watching tax dollars being used for improper political purposes, that they don’t think twice before throwing a thinly veiled threat of such action out publicly. The only good news is real people in Ontario don’t drink nearly as much ‘Dalton Kool Aid’ as the boys and girls at Liberal Caucus Services Bureau, and I am can’t even to begin to understand how this is anything but clear abuse of taxpayers money. 

Threats do not scare me. Words will never intimate me. I will never run in fear from doing what I know is right. Even if I were to seek public office, and even if you used all the resources at your disposal as creatively and illegally as you could think of and you defeated me, you still would not silence me. I lost the last election remember? I’m a stronger voice for my community than I was before I ran. 

The Premier needs to decide if he wants to surround himself with the kind of folks who think this kind of behaviour is appropriate. Taxpayers, especially those in Scarborough Guildwood need to decide how they feel knowing that someone who is standing up for them is now receiving public intimidation from a member of the Premier’s staff to not dare seek to stand up and be their voice, certainly not if that person wants to be a public office holder some day. 

My message is simple to those who find common cause and purpose in what I stand for – I’m not going anywhere, I won’t let a weasel hiding behind a computer, afraid to meet or speak to a real voter dictate whether or not I will stand up or in what capacity I have a right to do so. 

I will always speak out, I will always stand up and I will do so without fear – because regardless of what my opponents decide to do in response, it is the right thing to do, and that sure as hell makes it easier to sleep at night, and look in the mirror in the morning and be proud of what you see. 

I call on the Premier to stand up, and speak out against the kind of crap that sees these tactics used by his government and his party and ensure all Ontarians that no one, that no community will ever again be flooded with taxpayer paid staff working illegally on campaigns. There is a bi-election soon to be called in St. Paul’s – wouldn’t that be a good place to change the strategy and end this corrupt and anti democratic use of resources to impact an outcome? How can the Premier oppose the level playing field needed for a free and fair election?

I hope to have a response from Liberal Caucus Services Bureau or the Premier’s Office disassociating Dean Rivando‘s comments and pledging not to use taxpayer funded staff to interfere in any elections anywhere in Ontario. My email address is john.laforet@laforet.ca