Guy Giorno: a political insider.

There was a certain dichotomy to news in the mid-1990s that Guy Giorno, a relatively obscure back room organizer, speech writer and policy advisor, had risen to a position of prominence within Ontario's Progressive Conservative party.

A former altar boy, Catholic Register columnist, and key memberof the now defunct Young Catholic Leaders (YCL) organization, Giorno rose from party back rooms to take on a number of key positions with the Ontario Tories during the heady days of Premier Mike Harris' Common Sense Revolution.

It was a thrilling ride for Giorno, who attended Michael Power High School and St. Michael's College before being called to the Bar in 1991. The young lawyer first took up with the Hicks-Morley law firm, only to be recruited to work for the Ontario Conservatives in 1995. Giorno joined Premier Harris' staff as a policy and strategic planning expert, before being named chief of staff in August, 2000.

Those who remember Giorno from his student days aren't overly surprised by his rise within Conservative Party circles. In his early twenties, he exhibited a well-developed right-of-centre outlook. His Catholic Register columns, written in the mid-1980s, reflect a willingness to champion traditional, if politically incorrect causes. One such column defended the right of Ontario doctors to extra-bill in some cases, while another argued that South Africa--then in the last stages of apartheid--should not be singled out among nations for human rights violations.

Giorno's work with the Young Catholic Leaders also provided a platform for his traditional views. Established to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life, Young Catholic Leaders under Giorno became a counterbalance to the Youth Corps organization, which despite archdiocesan backing, lent its sup port to a number of dubious causes.

Joanne McGarry, managing editor of the Catholic Register between 1980-86, sees Giorno's joining the Harris Conservatives as a natural progression. She said that in addition to his political savvy, Giorno had the makings of a top-flight reporter. While one or two of his columns had to be toned down, there was a clear maturity and logic to his arguments, McGarry added.

"I remember him as a decent, hard-working employee whose writing rarely required significant revision," Ms. McGarry said. "I was equally impressed that despite his relative youth and inexperience, Guy's reporting instincts appeared to be first-rate."

Reactions to Giorno's ascendancy coincided with one's position on the Common Sense Revolution. There was optimism in some circles that a practising Catholic had attained such a seemingly influential platform in the often cynical world of provincial politics. Here was someone who, while not an elected official, would help determine what priorities would come to the legislative agenda.

On the other hand, liberal elements and those who had the most to lose under the Common Sense Revolution were chagrined that a young but precocious right-wing true believer would now have the ear of one of Ontario's most forthright premiers. Others wondered how a practising Catholic could reconcile a faith that advocated a preferential option for the poor with his efforts in support of the politics of confrontation and rapid--almost revolutionary--disruption of the status quo.

Teachers' unions

Ironically perhaps, one of Giorno's biggest detractors turned out to be the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA). Giorno's role in drafting Bill 160, the Tory government's long-awaited reform of the provincial education system, put the Catholic teachers' union fully in the anti-Giorno camp.

The union was one of many special interests to argue it was really Giorno's agenda being unfurled across the province between 1995, with the Tories' first majority victory, and 2002, when Mike Harris resigned as premier. The mainstream media in turn suggested Giorno practically wrote the Common Sense revolution, and became a mean-spirited puppet master behind the government's least popular actions.

A 1997 Toronto Globe and Mail report described Giomo as "the ultimate insider right-winger who sidelines any ministerial move that doesn't jibe with his ideology." Similarly Now Magazine, a Toronto-based "alternative" weekly, wrote in December, 2000, "policy wise, the bash-unions, bash-teachers, bash-welfare recipients agenda of new chief of staff Guy Giorno isn't exactly setting the post-Common Sense Revolution on fire."

Now Magazine in fact appeared to be on the vanguard of the anti-Giorno crusade. A November, 1998 Now profile of Giorno raised the question of a devoted Catholic's responsibility as a political insider to bring a wider sense of social justice to his work. The profile criticized Giorno for taking an "other-worldly" approach to his faith. It also implied a sense of hypocrisy on Giorno's part for lending his talents to a government some believed to be divisive and callous toward welfare recipients and other marginalized elements of society.

In an effort to back up its claim, Now Magazine reported a spontaneous demonstration against Giorno by his fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Peace Church in Etobicoke. The writer claimed that as Giorno arrived at Mass one Sunday to take up duties as a lector, he was surrounded by angry parishioners. One allegedly brandished a "hypocrite" sign, while others suggested in no uncertain terms that Giorno's political views were unwelcome at the parish.

Giorno himself looks back with some amusement on reports of the protest at Our Lady of Peace. "I haven't read the Now piece in a long time, but there was no protest as was reported," he told Catholic Insight. "No one surrounded my car and I certainly didn't see any 'hypo crite' signs."

Father George Galen, pastor of Our Lady of Peace parish for the last eleven years, supports Giorno's recollection of the event. "As far as I am concerned, it (the protest) never happened," Father Galea said. "It would certainly have been brought to my attention, and in any case, I would have remembered such an incident."

Father Galea, who has known Giorno since his days as an altar server in the 1970s, disputes the suggestion Giorno is a source of division at Our Lady of Peace parish, or within the wider community. "He's non-confrontational, and he's highly respected in the parish," the pastor said. "Despite a busy schedule, he finds time to help as a lector and as a member of the parish finance committee. He's a good Catholic who is fervent in the practice of his faith. It's certainly not a put on."

Giorno today is a partner the Toronto law firm Fasken-Martineau, where he heads the firm's new strategic counsel practice. TJntil recently, the 37-year-old wrote an opinion column on politics for the Sunday Star, and he now devotes some free time to current Ontario Premier Ernie Eves' re-election strategy. He also appears regularly on the TVO's Focus Ontario program, which features debate on current social and political issues.

Chief of staff

In an interview with Catholic Insight, Giomo reflected on his time as Mike Harris's right-hand man. He maintains his role remained advisory and that he was only a small player in the creation of the Common Sense Revolution. "I don't really think I had influence, certainly not to the extent that people claim," he said. "I was in a position to give advice, some of which was taken and some of which was not."

Giorno says Mike Harris's determination to repair a "broken system" is what attracted him to work in support of the Ontario Conservatives.

"Mike Harris was elected because government wasn't working anymore, and people recognized that major change was required to fix it," Giorno said. "There were a significant number of special interests doing very well under this broken system, but ordinary people - hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying men and women - saw that government wasn't working to benefit them or their families."

Giorno appears sincere in his admiration for the former premier, especially for acting on his campaign promises. "By the simple act of keeping his promises, of doing what he said he would do," Giorno said, "he (Harris) raised the bar and set a new standard by which all our leaders now are judged."

Giorno rejects claims that as a practising Catholic, he had some sort of obligation to steer the provincial government on the path of sweetness and light. He advised a realistic, practical approach to contemporary social realities - fiscal responsibility, sensitivity to the needs of the ordinary citizen, and a healthy dose of personal responsibility.

The former chief of staff dismisses the view that by emphasizing fiscal conservatism, the Harris government ignored its obligations to social conservatives. "That kind of criticism ignores the improvements the government undertook in welfare, education, the justice system and health care," Giorno said. "The government was committed to making Ontario a better place for families and individuals, and in that sense I believe it was successful."

A touchstone in the early political education of Guy Giorno occurred during his high school years when he heard Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion describe the virtues of a free enterprise system of government. Giorno said Mayor McCallion's message that for all its faults, the free enterprise model has done more to raise the living standard of ordinary people than has any other form of government, continues to inspire him. "I came to realize that too much government, or the abuse of government actually hurts people and makes us worse off," he says.

Education

Although Giorno downplays his overall influence on the Ontario Conservative political agenda, he is eager to take some credit in education reform, particularly with the passage of Bill 160, the Education Improvement Act. Designed to curtail runaway expenses, the legislation put control of education spending within the provincial cabinet and it removed school boards' power to impose school taxes.

For Giorno, changes to education funding presented an opportunity to enhance financial support of separate schools. To that end, Bill 160 ended years of funding weighted in favour of the public school system. For decades, separate school supporters complained that while residential mill taxes could be assigned to either school system, corporate taxes always favoured the public system.

"For the first time, the financing of education in the province was made absolutely equal on a per pupil basis, something the Catholic school community had sought yet been denied for 132 years," said Giorno, "and yet the bill was challenged by the leadership of the Catholic teachers' union. To me, this was a case of putting their unionism ahead of their Catholicism."

Michael Del Grande, a back-to-basics trustee with the Toronto Catholic school board, echoes Giorno's position on education funding. "The key to (Bill) 160 was that the boards could not tax," said Del Grande. "This made the teachers upset because in the past, the boards would automatically raise the mill rate to cover contracts. The process was such that the unions picked the boards where they could get the most concessions and that would be the pattern across the province. Each board dealt with the provincial bargaining unit and boards never got together to have a common front--so of course the teacher unions were upset as the golden goose was removed by this legislation."

Despite the legislation's move to equalize education funding, the Catholic teachers' union mounted a spirited attack on Bill 160 in a number of areas. Undoubtedly the teachers had real grievances against Bill 160, but their stance put them at odds with Ontario's Catholic trustees, who welcomed the equal funding measure.

Del Grande believes Ontario's Catholic community should be grateful to Giorno for using his influence to effect much needed education funding changes. "If we take a close look and remove our self interest, we see (the Harris government) was the first to move towards equal funding," Del Grande said. "We never got that, and people forget that it was this government that helped the Catholic position."

Distinguished alumni award

This was the primary reason that Del Grande in 2001 nominated Giorno to receive the Toronto Catholic school board's first annual Distinguished Alumni Award. "From reading about him I was struck with someone noted for his faith but (who was) also able to participate in decision making that would affect people," Del Grande said. "I had the opportunity to meet him personally and I found someone supportive of Catholic education. I felt he deserved to be recognized as a graduate of our system."

The nomination was immediately attacked by the Catholic teachers' union, which described Giorno as "the architect of so much of this government's anti-societal legislation, including Bill 160, and the main contributor to the ongoing educational crisis. Presenting the alumni award to this person is an insult to every teacher in the board."

Del Grande sees the union position as one in a long list of unfair attacks on Giorno and his motivations. "While we never agree with everyone, it (was) wrong to demonize Guy," Del Grande said. "A government was elected and it was unpopular with certain segments of society, (but) we must remember what would the outcome have been if we did not have a Catholic like Guy in government...No one was a fly on the wall as to what Guy said or did not say to Premier Harris."

In addition to his efforts on behalf of separate school funding, Giorno wins praise in some circles for reminding policy makers of such notions as personal accountability. If the immediate aftermath of Giorno's kind of politics was confrontation and disruption, Giorno would argue that a better result--self reliance and breaking the cycle of dependency on government--was the larger prize. As Del Grande suggests, "At least Giorno has forced people to have motivation to change their lives. It is one thing to give a handout but another to give a hand up."

And now that the smoke has cleared somewhat, Giorno is not likely to apologize for the hue and cry that greeted the Common Sense Revolution. Nor does he feel conflicted in his faith. He continues to defend Catholic education and the Church, while advancing the gospel of limited government, support for families and working people and personal responsibility. And if his words have the ring of campaign literature, we can be assured the thinking is of long standing.

"Government at all levels wasn't working to benefit ordinary people," Giorno says. "Government at all levels was taxing more and more, spending more and more, yet delivering less and less to those who worked hard, obeyed the law, paid taxes and raised their children. Government at all levels needed change. Since 1995, Ontario has seen major changes that benefited working families. Despite this example, many other governments, most notably the federal government, refused to change. Quite simply, reform there is overdue."

Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris told Catholic Insight that "Guy is one of the hardest working people I know. His dedication, his loyalty and his contribution were invaluable to me and to our government." But what does that reveal about Guy Giorno's ambitions? Does Giorno intend to emerge from the back rooms and run for elected office? His priorities today centre on personal and business ends, but politics, it seems, will linger in his plans. "I will always be deeply concerned about the future of our province and country," he says. "I intend to remain active in politics, and would not rule out a higher level of commitment, should timing, family obligations and business permit."

Mike Mastromatteo is a free-lance journalist who lives in Toronto.