Glen Murray

Tuesday August 1, 2017

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday August 1, 2017

Murray quitting as environment minister signalling a climate change at Queen’s Park

Premier Kathleen Wynne is suffering the loss of a key member of her cabinet with the surprise departure of Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray, the Star has learned.

March 2, 2017

Murray, 59, who has been out of the country and was unavailable for comment, will announce Monday at Queen’s Park that he is set to resign from provincial politics.

The Toronto Centre MPP, also a former mayor of Winnipeg and one-time Star columnist, has been Wynne’s point person on climate change.

He will step down immediately from cabinet, forcing the premier to do a minor shuffle of her executive council on Monday morning, but will remain as an MPP for a few more weeks to wind down some local constituency business.

Internationally respected on environmental issues, he was first elected in a February 2010 byelection after then-deputy premier George Smitherman left to run for mayor of Toronto and lost to Rob Ford.

Former premier Dalton McGuinty elevated Murray to cabinet just six months later where he served as minister of research and innovation. After the 2011 election, he was promoted to minister of training, colleges, and universities.

After McGuinty stepped down in October 2012, he launched a Liberal leadership bid, but dropped out to support Wynne shortly before the party’s convention in January 2013.

The new premier rewarded him for his timely endorsement, which gave her campaign momentum, by making him transportation and infrastructure minister in February 2013.

Following her majority victory in June 2014, Wynne moved him to the Ministry of the Environment and added “Climate Change” to his title to underscore its importance as Ontario was joining Quebec and California in a cap-and-trade system.

In a move some Liberals felt demonstrated petulance, Murray responded to being shuffled by taking to Twitter that June 25 and saying: “Today it sunk in the last election was my last.”

“Promised that if I couldn’t make a difference in 8 or 10 years I couldn’t make a difference,” the minister tweeted more than three years ago.

“First openly gay person elected in Canada. I have to thank Winnipeggers for electing me councillor and mayor and TO for electing me MPP and minister,” he continued.

“Minister of Environment in Ontario is the best political position I have ever had the privilege to hold. I was not demoted. Kathleen Wynne put me in a position where I can fight to ensure we can survive climate change.”

While his prophecy turned out to be true, Murray had indicated to allies more recently that he planned to run again next year, so his exit is blindsiding the governing Liberals.

A strong performer in the legislature, where he usually deflects opposition questions skilfully, he has emerged as one of Wynne’s better known ministers. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

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Monday, April 21, 2014

Monday, April 21, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday, April 21, 2014

City wants transportation minister to clarify LRT remarks

City officials are denying the contention of Transportation Minister Glen Murray that they aren’t acting on his invitations to negotiate a deal to fund light rail transit.

Both the city manager and the mayor say they have not heard from the minister, though Murray expressed impatience with the pace of movement on LRT during an interview on CHML’s Bill Kelly show this week.

Murray says it’s up to the city to “lock in a funding partnership” or “we aren’t going to get this done. Other municipalities have not only signed deals with us, but (their) LRT is under construction.”

Murray said the province needs “something a little more clear from Hamilton city council than pay for it all,” referring to council’s stance supporting LRT only if it doesn’t require digging into local tax revenue.

His role as minister is to “provoke other people to do things you hope will happen,” he said, during the 19-minute segment.

The LRT waiting game gallery

The LRT waiting game gallery

“But as a mayor (he was once mayor of Winnipeg),” you “lead parades and you have to go sometimes with a battering ram down to the provincial government to try to get the attention of ministers so you can get the partnerships.”

Both city manager Chris Murray and Mayor Bob Bratina said Wednesday they have not been invited to any meetings by the ministry.

“Council has done everything the province has asked us to do regarding transit,” said Bratina.

“We have submitted our plan, Rapid Ready, which we invested a lot of time and resources in. As well, we responded with a motion regarding funding. The province has not yet asked us for anything else.”

The minister’s words fired up some councillors, who voted Wednesday to invite him to an upcoming meeting.

Murray “stated very clearly that the reason LRT has not moved forward is that Hamilton doesn’t have its act together and put the blame on us,” said Councillor Brad Clark.

“I can’t explain his comments.”

Though he admitted he hadn’t heard the interview, Councillor Sam Merulla called Murray’s comments a “fabrication” and “irresponsible.”

But Councillor Bob Morrow urged his colleagues to be “positive” and “welcome the minister’s invitation.”

The minister said there are tools beyond raising property taxes that could fund a local contribution to LRT.

“I don’t think this is going to be a hugely costly thing for the city of Hamilton,” he said, likening it to a needle that doesn’t hurt as much as expected.

He added that Hamilton’s ability to pay will be taken into consideration by the province.

The minister wasn’t available for an interview Wednesday but said by email: “I always welcome any invitation to return to Hamilton and look forward to discussing with the city’s leadership the future of one of Canada’s most vibrant communities.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

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Friday November 16, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Friday November 16, 2012

15 Candidates and Growing

The battle lines are now clearer in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, and women are included in the top tier of candidates.

Sandra Pupatello and Kathleen Wynne could end up fighting this one out at Ryerson University’s new athletic centre in the old Maple Leaf Gardens in downtown Toronto during the leadership convention in late January.

They’ll be facing off against the likes of erstwhile cabinet ministers Charles Sousa, Eric Hoskins, Gerard Kennedy and Glen Murray — and perhaps Minister of Government Services Harinder Takhar — all who may well end up using the race to set themselves up for an improved cabinet spot in a Pupatello or Wynne administration.

The fact that two women are in the running for that corner office on the second floor at Queen’s Park currently occupied by departing Premier Dalton McGuinty should not be an issue in 2012 or 2013. Source

Meanwhile, lots of people have declared their intentions, many with stellar credentials. Few have the political experience that would make them an obvious choice to lead a federal political party.

The list of those who have stated their intention to run, as of Wednesday, included Ottawa lawyer David Bertschi, Vancouver lawyer Alex Burton, Toronto lawyer Deborah Coyne, Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay, Victoria lawyer David Merner, Toronto economist Jonathan Mousley, and Quebec MP Justin Trudeau. (Source: Globe & Mail)