Premier Kathleen Wynne says Dalton McGuinty should go a long way to clearing the air on the Liberals’ $585-million$585-million gas plant debacle.

“I’m glad that Dalton McGuinty is going to be at the committee hearing,” Wynne said Monday on the eve of McGuinty’s testimony before MPPs Tuesday.

They will grill the former premier, who has kept a low profile since resigning in February, for 90 minutes about the power plants the government axed in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election, saving five Liberal seats.

“He’s got a lot of explaining to do . . . people are really angry about that,” said NDP energy critic Peter Tabuns, who added McGuinty should “be honest about why he made these decisions.”

Wynne has already admitted the cancellations, in areas where residents opposed the plants, were “politically motivated” and McGuinty acknowledged last fall that he was responsible.

The Conservatives and NDP will pepper him with questions to nail down when he knew cost estimates were higher than his long-stated figures of $40 million for Oakville and $190 million for Mississauga, and why some documents on the cancellations were released later than others.

“Who ordered the cover-up?” said Progressive Conservative energy critic and MPP Vic Fedeli. “This is a major corruption scandal in the province of Ontario and we’ll treat him like any other witness.”

The Ontario Power Authority has put the Oakville tab at $310 million and Mississauga cost $275 million, according to a recent report from Ontario’s auditor general.

McGuinty, the MPP for Ottawa South, will answer questions “with honesty and integrity,” Wynne told reporters at a Thorncliffe Park drop-in centre for young mothers.

Wynne, who testified last week, pointedly did not try to distance herself from McGuinty’s decision to scrap the two gas-fired plants.

“From my perspective, I was part of the government. I’ve been very clear that I take responsibility for making sure that we get the information out.”

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli said he’s not counting on McGuinty putting the issue to rest, given the furor it has created at Queen’s Park with Conservatives trying to convince the NDP to help defeat the government and force an election.

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“The opposition can find ways to generate steam out of it. I might say, perhaps, hot air,” Chiarelli said, noting he’s waiting for Conservative Leader Tim Hudak to testify.

“Clearly he was on record wanting to cancel the Mississauga plant and wanting to relocate it.”

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