I am sitting across the table from a woman I hold in awe, wondering how different Canada might be if she was Prime Minister. It blows the mind that Hazel McCallion, “the greatest Mayor on the face of the earth,” is 88 years old, has more energy than many 40 year olds and shows no sign of slowing down.

“I’m going for another term as long as my health holds,” the feisty Mississauga Mayor tells me, her cell phone ringing nonstop throughout our lunch. Even though she takes every call, her train of thought never wanes.

It also blows the mind that this powerful woman came into the world at a time when women were fighting for the right to vote and the freedom of no longer being considered second-class citizens. McCallion was born on February 14, 1921—only a few years after Manitoba became the first province to give women the right to vote in 1916, with other provinces following the lead from 1916 to 1925. But not her native province of Québec (Hazel was born in Port Daniel on the Gaspe Coast of Québec). It wasn’t until 1940 that Québec gave women the right to vote, and a few years later Hazel moved to Toronto, where she would meet Sam McCallion, settle in Streetsville and bear three children. She resides in Streetsville to this day, though Sam has since passed away.

Though no die-hard feminist, it’s a no brainer Hurricane Hazel would have been at the forefront of this female revolution, had she been old enough to join in back then. That’s just her way: fighting for what is right.

Today, it’s a power plant crisis that has her back up. And in her usual style, she’s up for a fight and never suffers fools gladly. “Tell me that again,” she presses an aide, who has just advised her that both Ontario’s Energy Minister, George Smitherman, and Environment Minister, John Gerretsen, confirmed they will not show up for a Monday night town hall meeting where angry citizens are expected to vent their opposition to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s plan to build a $1-billion, 850-megawatt gas-fired power in Clarkson, in Hazel’s riding.“ This is political suicide,” cautions McCallion, as she plans a terselyworded email to McGuinty where she’ll warn hiding is not the answer.

In the end, McGuinty sent in Ontario Power Generation’s vice-president of communications, Ben Chin, to face the wrath of the people. But not before McCallion fired a shot over his bow, announcing Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Alene King, had agreed to investigate the impact on people’s health, where pollution is already a burning issue in this pollution-stressed area.

McCallion wants McGuinty to kill the project. So, too, does a growing grassroots group of citizens from Mississauga and nearby Oakville. And they’re spitting nails over some compromises being floated. One comes from Oakville Mayor, Rob Burton, who suggests he’ll support the plan if two units of pollution are cut for every one unit of new pollution from the power plant.

“It’s preposterous. It defies the laws of mathematics and physics,” complained a spokesperson from MIRANE T, a coalition of 25 citizens’ group. She pointed out there are 57 industries in the area and even if all of them were closed, you couldn’t do the two-for-one trade because of pollution from other sources, like cross border and air/highway traffic. McCallion, meanwhile, is adamant: “We’re not prepared to gamble with the health of our citizens.” What sets McCallion apart from so many is she is loyal to her gut instincts and lives by common sense—and that means staying apolitical, no matter the issue.

Believe me, in her 33 years of holding office, she has dealt with many burning issues, each one with its own political agenda.“Basically, I am a Conservative with a Liberal point of view and social conscience, who is looking for a lot of reform in government,” she explains.

McCallion voices disappointment that “common sense” left Mike Harris’s Tories’ Common Sense revolution to usher in a number of bone-head policies, like the amalgamation of cities and the downloading of social services costs. “We will never recover from downloading,” she says.

But rather than looking for hand-outs, McCallion prefers to run a tight ship and prides herself that Mississauga has remained debt-free since 1978. At the same time, despite infrastructure challenges and battles over use of GST money, McCallion has grown Mississauga from a small collection of towns and villages into the sixth largest city in Canada, with a enviable mix of commercial, residential, industrial and recreational areas.

“I think we give value for tax dollars; we run our city like a business,” says McCallion, who also takes pride of “no waste” at City Hall, which is contrary to the City of Toronto where exposing waste of money has become a daily political sport, while debt skyrockets and the people are taxed to death.

McCallion is also a believer in true democracy, and government for the people and by the people. That is why she was the first Mayor of a major municipality to submit its annual operating budget to residents for their input and scrutiny. Bottom line is she realizes tax dollars are the hardearned money of her constituents. “I only spend taxpayer’s money like I spend my own,” says McCallion, who admits to being frugal. Now, she’s worried how harmonization of the 5 per cent GST with Ontario’s 8 per cent PST will impact families, as a new 13 per cent tax hits many items, like gasoline, heating fuel, running shoes, hydro, home renovations, even funerals, when the HST hits in July 2010.

“It’s the wrong tax at the wrong time,” she says, pointing out Ontario’s economy is still bleeding from a high dollar, fallout from a severe U.S. recession and the subprime crisis, and a crippled auto industry “that has reduced the once manufacturing envy of the world into a have-not province.” She also worries about the sad state of family finances, record household debt, and warnings that one missed paycheque could push many families over the edge. Closer to home, she finds it ludicrous that after Mississauga reached out to lower-income families to give them a break on the cost of recreational facilities, these fees will now be hit with a 13 per cent tax.

As for our new global world, McCallion is an advocate of “fair trade” not just “free trade.” She understands good jobs and a healthy middle class is key to a free democratic capitalist society—not growing the gap between the rich and the poor with casino capitalism and greed.

So, I wonder: as our country digs itself deeper into debt and power-hungry politicians keep their fingers on the election trigger, what would Canada be like if Hazel McCallion was the Prime Minister? A better place? Bet on it.

Linda Leatherdale is one of Canada’s most trusted financial journalists, who can be reached at lindaleatherdale.com. She is also Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Cambria, a leading manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces. (www.cambriacanada.com). You can get more information about Mississauga City Centre at (MississaugaCityCentre.ca)