Toronto — The Liberals shot back Wednesday from controversy over their education platform in the Ontario election with accusations that the government of Premier Ernie Eves was trying to “control and contain testimony” in the province's independent SARS review.
Sandra Pupatello, the Liberals' deputy leader, released a memo early Wednesday written by Nancy Liston, the director of the performance management branch of the Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services.
The memo, dated Sept. 4 and sent to corporate and regional directors in the ministry's performance management division, shows the Tory government “is trying to control and contain testimony” during the review and “intimidate potential witnesses,” the Windsor member of the legislature charged.
The memo alerts directors to tell staff that if they are contacted by the review office, which is currently getting in touch with parties “both inside and outside of government, with an interest in this matter,” they should notify their managers immediately.
Archie Campbell, an Ontario Superior Court judge, was appointed last June by Premier Ernie Eves to head the review into how the province handled SARS.
“It is important that the ministry's legal services branch be advised if staff are contacted as soon as possible prior to any discussion by ministry staff with the (Campbell) commission for the purpose of ensuring that legal advice is consistent and accurate,” says the memo.
Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty, campaigning in Brighton during an eastern Ontario campaign swing by all three major party leaders, said he has not had a chance to see the memo, but it speaks to general concerns about public health and safety.
“My outstanding concern remains that this is a government that for eight years failed to put in place the necessary capacity to accommodate these unusual diseases, and our concern is the system (to protect public health and safety) has been cut to the bone,” he said after speaking to rural Ontario parents in the Ottawa-area community.
In an interview, Ms. Pupatello said the memo suggests that the ministry wants all staff called forward to testify at the review to give consistent information.
“In my view, it speaks to the government trying to make sure that their (the employees') message is the same and that they in fact are protected,” Ms. Pupatello said.
She said the memo demonstrates the government is trying to control access to information available to Mr. Campbell.
“The workers who gave this memo to me feel very intimidated. This is a gag order. The SARS inquiry needs access to all information, and this government is standing in its way.”
Mr. Eves, who was in Ottawa on Wednesday morning, rejected Ms. Pupatello's charges, saying public service workers only stand to benefit from getting legal advice.
“Members of the OPS (Ontario Public Service) are being provided the same ability and right to legal counsel as any private citizen would if they were called to appear before a commission,” Mr. Eves told reporters after appearing on a morning radio show, when he again was forced to defend his campaign's “evil, reptilian kitten-eater” assault on Mr. McGuinty.
During the show, Mr. Eves said the comment had been blown out of proportion, even though it has been consistently held up as an example of negative campaigning by the Tories.
The Tory Leader also said the campaign offices of the three main party leaders routinely banter back and forth, and that the Liberal campaign had sent the Tories a similar release saying he was in favour of nuclear disaster.
NDP Leader Howard Hampton was in the Ottawa area and not immediately available to comment on Ms. Pupatello's memo allegations.
Her accusation came a day after a Liberal controversy erupted on the campaign trail when a Toronto school board chairman said he was told to rip up his Liberal membership card for speaking out against the party's promise to cap class sizes.
In an open letter to the media, Joseph Carnevale, chairman of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said he'd been chastised for his comments by Warren Kinsella, senior adviser to Mr. McGuinty.
“I was told to rip up my Liberal membership card, and accused of making the cost of this plan an issue in the ongoing provincial campaign,” Mr. Carnevale said in the letter.
Earlier this week, Mr. Carnevale expressed concern that the Liberal promise to cap class sizes at 20 in junior kindergarten through Grade 3 would put a strain on schools.
In an interview, Mr. Kinsella said that he had not asked Mr. Carnevale to rip up his membership card and that he had “retained counsel to seek a retraction.”
