When is the time for a Cabinet Minister to resign?

As public outrage crests over the recent ‘lotto-gate’ scandal, many of us are left wondering who should be held accountable.  During the scandal, upwards of $100 million was stolen from legitimate lottery winners by a few dishonest retailers.

Through lotteries and charity casinos, Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) generates a huge amount of money for the Ontario Trillium Foundation – $100 million annually for charities and non-profits.  As well, over three decades, OLG has contributed $23 billion for health care, physical fitness, sport, recreation, and cultural activities. 

Dealing with such vast sums of money requires strict oversight and accountability – a view echoed by Dave Bryans of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA).  The OCSA believes “that all retailers should be subject to a rigorous review when presenting a winning ticket, and any retailer found of wrongdoing should be held accountable and denied the privilege of selling lottery products.” 

This leads us to ask, who should be held accountable for the lottery scandal?

One of the unique characteristics of Ontario’s government is our way of linking elected representatives with crown corporations and the non-partisan bureaucracy.  Cabinet Ministers serve as elected MPPs, but also as the top manager of their respective Ministries. 

Each day in the Legislature, an hour is set aside for elected MPPs to ask Ministers about their departments – and Ministers are obligated to respond with factual information.

Prior to the McGuinty government, it was customary for Ministers to resign if their leadership is called into serious question, or if a major scandal occurs under their watch.  But over the past two years, the McGuinty government has turned its back on ministerial responsibility.

Some will recall spring of 2006, when the former Minister of Transportation violated the Integrity Act – which ensures politicians don’t make decisions for the purpose of personal gain. 

Despite being chided by the Integrity Commissioner for ‘egregiously reckless’ behaviour, Premier McGuinty kept Minister Takhar in Cabinet – a first in Ontario’s political history.

Last week in the Legislature I drew a link between last year’s incident with Minister Takhar, and this year’s ‘lotto-gate’ scandal which occurred under Public Infrastructure Renewal Minister, David Caplan.  While many have heard of the scandal, few are aware of the cover-up attempted on Minister Caplan’s watch.
 
The lottery scandal was first reported by the CBC in October 2006.  During a press conference last week, Minister Caplan claimed he only knew of the lottery scandal 10 days before the CBC report.  But last week in the Ontario Legislature, we learned that Minister Caplan received a ‘Freedom of Information’ request up to six months earlier.  No action was taken, other than having the Premier’s top spin-doctors attempt to cast doubt on the report.

Recalling the precedent of ministerial responsibility, and the requirement for ministers to resign if scandals occur on their watch, Ontarians are asking how the current Minister can stay in Cabinet in the wake of a $100 million scandal and cover-up attempt.

Regrettably, the victims of this scandal may never know they are victims, which only fans the flames of mistrust in Ontario’s lottery.  In light of the attempted cover-up, many believe that Minister Caplan’s political interests will prevent him from getting to the bottom of this.

That’s why both Opposition Parties believe the time has come for Minister Caplan to step aside.