Brian
By Eric Dowd
Toronto – Why is the former number two man in Ontario’s New
Democratic Party shilling for former Progressive Conservative prime
minister Brian Mulroney and trying to put a better face on his odd
behavior in accepting wads of cash from a lobbyist and failing to declare
it for income tax until years later?
Robin Sears, described variously as chief spokesperson, handler and mouthpiece for Mulroney during his appearances before the commission enquiring into his actions, was principal secretary to Bob Rae for much of his time as NDP leader in the 1980s and 1990s and had more power than any of its elected politicians.
The
most lingering memory of him was he was not admired by its MPPs or staff,
who nicknamed him “Boy Stalin” and “Vlad The Impaler,” and his
overbearing attitude led some in the NDP to call it the “No Dissent
Party.”
Rae
recognized Sears was not fostering harmony and as premier shipped him off
to the plum job of agent general in Tokyo, with a huge salary, expenses to
keep anyone dining endlessly off the finest sushi and as far away as an
Ontario government could send anyone, despite opposition protests he was
not equipped to handle its main responsibility of increasing trade.
When
Sears’s time in this sinecure was up, Rae found him work with Ontario
educational TV and eventually he wound up lobbying for a Toronto public
affairs company.
Sears
was helped become a familiar name to politicians by appearing regularly on
TV panels discussing politics on which he appeared to have lost some of
his zeal for the NDP, as has his former boss, Rae, who has switched to
become a prominent federal Liberal.
While
Mulroney was testifying at the enquiry, Sears spoke to news media almost
daily trying to put a more constructive appearance on his actions than the
former prime minister was able to convey.
Sears
jumped to Mulroney’s defense at one point by charging indignantly his
chief accuser, Karlheinz Schreiber, had made “an outrageous assault on
the reputation of a former prime minister.”
When
Mulroney almost broke down mentioning allegations made against him hurt
his family, Sears explained the former prime minister had seen two
reporters covering the enquiry laughing at him and, when the reporters
denied this, claimed “I’ve got pictures, but I didn’t get them
precisely at the moment of giggle.” Sears said he was furious.
Sears’s
advocacy on behalf of the former Conservative prime minister may have
surprised many, because of their earlier political differences, but also
because he is a lobbyist and New Democrats often have deplored those who
have worked in and around government selling their knowledge to help rich
people and particularly companies make their voices heard.
This
gives them a huge, unfair advantage over the vast majority who cannot
afford their high fees.
Almost
all retired Ontario premiers in recent decades have helped lobby by at
least selling their names to law firms and financial institutions that
lobby and aides and top civil servants leave constantly to lobby.
While
New Democrats deride such lobbying, there also is a well-worn path of New
Democrats lobbying after they leave government.
They
include Rae, although as a lawyer arguing on the softwood lumber issue he
has appeared to lobby only openly in various forums.
Gerry
Caplan, the closest adviser to Stephen Lewis when NDP leader, later
advised companies on how to lobby and another former NDP leader, Michael
Cassidy, started his own lobbying firm, on the ground `if you can’t beat
them, join them.’
The
most ubiquitous lobbyist currently around the legislature, Graham Murray,
was a union leader and aide to Cassidy and Rae and inserts himself
uninvited into so many events organized by reporters, lobbying their guest
politicians, they have asked him more than once to stay away.
Sears
as a lobbyist for those with money is merely following an NDP tradition
and he and Mulroney are an odd couple only to those who forget New
Democrats also like to get paid.
-30-
