Same but different: the 2013 Liberal intra-party transition in Ontario.

AuthorBays, Connor
PositionReport

Kathleen Wynne's ascension to the head of the Ontario Liberal party in January, 2013 automatically made her the province's newest premier. Although the Liberals' status as governing party remained unchanged, her victory necessitated the planning and execution of a transfer of power from old party leadership to new. Scholarly studies of transition in Canada and Ontario have generally focused on instances where one party takes power from another. This paper examines the Wynne transition and traces how its intra-party characteristics shaped its features and evolution. It is based on research conducted between February and May 2013 and primarily reflects 15 not-for-attribution interviews with public servants and political figures.

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David Lindsay, one of the architects of Premier Mike Harris' widely praised transition to government in 1995, suggests that all modern transition leaders' efforts centre on four key elements: people; processes; policies; and public relations. The individuals conducting Kathleen Wynne's transition saw their priorities and actions in these areas significantly shaped by the transition's intra-party nature.

First, a turnover in senior personnel--the most significant element in the practical mechanics of the transition--occurred almost exclusively within the Premier's Office, leaving the rest of government offices relatively unchanged. Second, the basic processes and structures of government were kept largely the same, but one major aspect of the transition was a shift towards a more collaborative approach in existing operations. In terms of policy, Wynne's transition priorities were narrow and focussed on stabilizing the province's relationship with its teachers (this particular policy area will not be dealt with in this article). Finally, the overarching public relations goal in transition was to differentiate Wynne's government from her predecessor's. Communicating the government's new collaborative style and approach early in the transition was important for reinforcing this differentiation.

Political Preparations

Dalton McGuinty's surprise resignation from the premiership on October 15, 2012 significantly compressed the time period in which contenders for the Liberal leadership could conduct transition planning. However, the ultimately victorious Wynne campaign did conduct advance preparations, spearheaded by "transition lead" and former cabinet minister Monique Smith. One expert was first contacted about a transition role "well, well before the convention" for his advice on policy and relationships with the public service, furnishing Wynne's campaign with materials he had written on the general subject. According to this expert, this first point of contact came from "a group of people who were thinking about (Wynne's) policy framework and what her priorities should be," and who were trying to establish what positions the potential new premier would take on certain issues she would be inheriting should she win the leadership.

The team that spearheaded the transition period in the weeks after Wynne's victory on January 25 included both core campaign supporters and less partisan advisors recruited for their particular skillsets. Transition lead Monique Smith was involved in the Wynne campaign from its earliest days, while other key transition figures--for example, Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Allison, Chief of Staff Andrew Bevan and Human Resources Chief Shelley Potter--were similarly instrumental in Wynne's campaign for leadership. In the words of a senior staffer involved in the transition, these individuals "came off the campaign bus" and set to work during the transition period. In addition to this core group of political supporters, the transition team included individuals who had a minimal role in the leadership campaign, but whose expertise made them valuable in establishing the Wynne government in its early days. This category included former Queen's Park journalist John McGrath and, in a more advisory role in the early planning stages, ex-civil servant Tony Dean.

In the weeks leading up to the Liberal convention, Wynne supporters consulted advisors on the basics of sound transition planning. The advice solicited from such advisors provides a glimpse of a list of priorities and considerations that would be familiar to most inter-party transition planners, centering on public administration as opposed to political issues. Wynne transition planners asked questions about the appropriate time to approach the Cabinet Secretary regarding Cabinet Office transition plans, whether any immediate changes should be made in the current Deputy Minister roster, and about whether to change the existing ministry structure. An individual involved summarized these conversations as "advice on immediate changes to architecture and people," compiling a checklist of goals the transition team needed to accomplish in the first 24...

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