Greg Sorbara dismisses 'myth' of gas plant scandal

Premier Kathleen Wynne bought into the "mythology" surrounding the province's gas plant scandal by repeatedly apologizing for it and its supposed $1.1 billion price tag, according to longtime Ontario Liberal Greg Sorbara.

In his new autobiography, the former finance minister says he was "horrified" at how former premier Dalton McGuinty was tarnished by allegations that the plants were cancelled, at great expense, to score points with voters in Oakville and Mississauga.

"That's just not true," Sorbara said in an interview with CBC Toronto.

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Sorbara claims the province's auditorgeneral used "every single negative assumption" about the plants when he said their cancellation would cost taxpayers $1.1 billion.Sorbara said it was this "myth" that McGuinty's successor, Wynne, appeared to accept in the run-up to the recent provincial election.

"I think she played into mythology and kept apologizing for the way it was handled, and kept suggesting that [her] government will never do this again," Sorbara said. "Every government cancels projects it thinks are ill-advised."

"Will [the gas plants] ultimately cost a billion dollars? I'd bet most of the family farm that's just not the case," he added.

Sorbara also says he was convinced that bringing in the HST in 2009 would be "political suicide" for the Ontario Liberals, though he eventually set these concerns aside.

Click the video for the full interview.