Ontario government vows to improve appointments process after cronyism scandal
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

Queen’s Park is looking to beef up the public appointments process in the wake of the Progressive Conservatives’ “French connections� cronyism scandal.Government House Leader Paul Calandra told the legislature “there is more to come� as the Tories move to curb patronage abuses.“We are continuing to work on improving that process for public appointments, making them more open and transparent,� said Calandra.“These are people that do very good work on behalf of the people of Ontario … but we want to make sure that they are in it for the right reasons and that the work that they do is in the best interest of the people of Ontario,� he said.Doug Ford’s government was rocked last summer by allegations of insiders benefiting from their connection to Dean French, the premier’s then chief of staff.French resigned June 21, one day after it emerged his wife’s cousin and a 26-year-old lacrosse pal of his son were awarded six-figure patronage appointments to be Ontario representatives in London, England and New York City.Ford personally revoked those two plum postings and parted ways with his chief, who has since been replaced by Jamie Wallace, a well-regarded former Toronto Sun executive and one-time Queen’s Park press gallery president.In all seven “French connections� appointees have stepped down or been forced out so far.Calandra insisted the government would welcome “suggestions� from opposition critics to further improve the system. “When it comes to the (public appointments legislative) committee process, we are following the process that was actually put in place by the previous NDP government,� he said.But NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) said he wants to see specific recommendations to bolster oversight of appointments.“The sad reality is that nobody trusts Doug Ford and his government to investigate … the premier’s governme ...