By Pepper Parr
November 6, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
In his day he was one of the heavy hitters at Queen’s Park. He ran the elections that got Dalton McGuinty elected and re-elected. He had his own problems with an inquiry and was totally cleared. He experienced a little too much zealousness on the part of the police.
A new session of Engaging Ideas, proudly hosted by A Different Drummer Books and Burlington Public Library, features a guest renowned for his achievement and experience and for his insight into our political process:
Greg Sorbara in the Legislature – always on his feet with the facts at his finger tips.
A senior figure in Ontario’s governance, as long-serving MPP, as Liberal Party president and as Minister of Finance, Greg Sorbara will take his audience through the many colourful challenges of his long and extraordinary career, and share the startling facts and opinions newly revealed in his candid and provocative memoir.
“This is a lovely, insightful book from one of modern Ontario’s most influential figures. It provides deep insight and personal reflections on both the policy process and the real-world of politics from a man who has shaped the evolution of Ontario as much as anyone in the past three decades.”: that’s how Matthew Mendelsohn, a former senior federal and provincial civil servant describes the book.
The Battlefield of Ontario Politics on November 17 at 7pm at Centennial Hall, Burlington Central Library, 2331 New Street. Tickets are $10, available at A Different Drummer Books and at the Third Floor Information Desk at the Library.
Sorbara has been a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 until 1995, and then from 2001 until 2012, most recently representing the riding of Vaughan. Sorbara served as the Minister of Finance in the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty from 2003 to 2007.
He differed with Premier David Petersen on the calling of the 200xx election – won his seat but the Liberals lost that election. He ran for the leadership of the party; lost to Lynn McLeod.
He was a supporter of Dalton McGuinty and did all the backroom thinking for each of the McGuinty elections.
He resigned on October 11, 2005, following a police investigation involving his family’s real estate development firm and was reinstated on May 23, 2006 after a judge ruled that there was no cause for including Sorbara’s name on a search warrant.
Greg Sorbara during the public investigation days. He was totally cleared of any wrong doing.
Sorbara chaired the party’s successful 2007 election campaign but announced on October 26, 2007 that he was leaving the cabinet to spend more time with his family but would continue as a backbench MPP.
On August 1, 2012, Sorbara announced that he was retiring from the legislature but would stay on as chair of the Liberal’s election campaign.
He will be at the Central Library on November 19th – should be a fine evening. The man has a great story to tell.
