TORONTO - Members of one of the most exclusive clubs in Ontario gathered at the provincial legislature Tuesday to honour one of their own, as former Conservative premier Mike Harris returned for the unveiling of his official portrait.
Former premiers Bill Davis, David Peterson and Ernie Eves joined current Premier Dalton McGuinty at the ceremony to honour Harris - 12 years to the day after he was first sworn in as premier.
It's been five years since Harris resigned after winning back-to-back majorities in 1995 and '99, but his name still evokes strong emotions both inside and outside the legislature.
After the ceremony, Harris showed he hasn't lost any of the fight that helped him defeat the New Democrats in 1995 on a campaign to reduce the size of government, slash social benefits and take on what he called special interest groups, such as teachers' unions.
"I think most vilification comes from those that it serves a purpose,'' Harris said. "I think I helped elect a lot of union leaders. They helped elect me.''
For the most part, it was not a day for partisan politics, but Davis couldn't resist joking about using McGuinty's comments at the event to help the Conservatives' election chances on Oct. 10.
"I'm just waiting to hear the premier say some kind words about Michael and then I'm going to get the tape and we'll use it in commercials,'' Davis joked.
McGuinty praised Harris as a "worthy adversary'' who stayed true to himself and his ideals, regardless of criticism.
"Mike Harris took a third-place party and turned it into a machine designed in his own image: bold, confident and uncompromising,'' McGuinty told the audience.
"The Harris years transformed politics in our province.''
Like Harris, Peterson also had to endure some nasty public criticism after the Liberals' defeat in 1990, but said Tuesday it's something both he and his "good friend'' Harris have learned to live with.
"Everybody in politics has their friends and their enemies,'' Peterson said. "Your supporters accept you no matter what you do, and your enemies hate you no matter what you do. It's a partisan business.''
Eves, Harris's longtime finance minister and successor as premier, said he hadn't yet sat for his official portrait.
"I guess this will prompt me into action, as Mikey usually did,'' Eves laughed. "This will prompt me into doing something.''
Former NDP premier Bob Rae, a current Liberal candidate for Parliament, was the only living member of the former premiers' club not to join the audience.
Although many former Harris cabinet ministers were in attendance, including current federal ministers Jim Flaherty and Tony Clement, Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory was not.
But Harris went out of his way to make it clear that Tory had called to say he couldn't attend the portrait unveiling because of a previous speaking commitment Tuesday.
"I said, `Listen, you get out there and campaign for the day. I'll tie the premier up for a while and you'll have a head start in the election,''' Harris said. "I wouldn't have it any other way.''
There is a perception that Tory has been trying to keep his distance from Harris, at least in public, as he tries to move the Conservatives back to the Davis centre-of-the-road style and away from the right-wing policies associated with the Harris years.
"Times change,'' Tory said in an interview earlier Tuesday. "We have our own program for today, which Mike Harris himself would acknowledge is going to be a different program for a different time and a different leader.''
Harris was severely criticized as premier for slashing social services, closing hospitals and downloading provincial costs onto municipalities.
He was dogged throughout his term of office and beyond by the 1995 aboriginal occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park and the fatal police shooting of unarmed protester Dudley George.
A public inquiry concluded last month that Harris did not direct police actions on the day George was killed, but said he probably did utter a racial slur during a high-level meeting called to discuss the occupation.
