A Missed Chance in Sudbury

By: Laura Steiner

The bribery trial related to the Sudbury by-election is over.  It ended with a judge throwing out the case on the grounds a jury would be unable to convict Patricia Sorbara and Gerry Lougheed.

There is a natural inclination to cling to power no matter what. It leads down a twisted path, no matter what party you belong to.  The Ontario Liberals have been in office for 14 year years, find themselves involved in no less than five police investigations related to different scandals.  Two of them including the bribery allegations are at trial. Meanwhile questions are swirling regarding if the government knew anything regarding money laundering accusations levelled at a company licensed to provide casino services in the GTA.

That brings us to Brown.  Persistent stories about fraud, and ballot box stuffing allegations in the nomination process surround the party.  Three riding associations have resigned, others have had executive members turfed.  Some party members are tearing up their memberships, while others are forming splinter groups in order to take on Brown.  Some nominees have taken the party to court.  And less than a year away from an election, it is a storm that shouldn’t be ignored.

The outcome was the correct one in the legal sense.  However, there was a missed chance to speak out on these antics.  Provide a wake-up call that if what happened in Sudbury wasn’t corruption, it came darn close.  Remind both parties that they are trusted by the people of Ontario.