THUNDER BAY – The McGuinty Liberals are under attack on two fronts from the opposition parties over the decision to prorogue the Ontario Legislature. Kenora MPP Sarah Campbell is launching an effort to boost public support to pressure the Liberals to get back to work. So too are the Progressive Conservatives.
Likely sensing frustration in Northwestern Ontario, both parties are targeting local MPPs Michael Gravelle and Bill Mauro. Campbell is hosting a rally at the Ontario Government Building on Red River Road on October 25th.
The PCs are accusing the Premier of putting the interests of the Ontario Liberal Party ahead of the interests of Ontario – Their campaign tags the Liberals for putting Ontario on ‘auto-pilot’ when there is important work to be done.
Vic Fedeli, the Progressive Conservative MPP from Nippising states, “Residents in Thunder Bay should be outraged over the decision made by Liberal MPPs Michael Gravelle and Bill Mauro to shut down the Legislature to keep hidden the true costs of canceling the power plants and to avoid their record of nine years of reckless overspending”.
Cambridge MPP Rob Leone is on the attack over comments made by Premier McGuinty that the charges of a ruling by the Speaker of the Legislature on a “prima facie ruling of contempt” being ‘phoney’ or’ surious’.
Leone states, “The people of Ontario want to know why the government spent hundreds of millions of dollars on politically motivated decisions in Oakville and Mississauga. This money isn’t going to fund priorities like hospitals, schools, bridges, and public transit. It has simply been spent to save a few Liberal seats”.
Leone goes further in a media statement the Cambridge MPP charges, “After nine years of steering Ontario down the wrong path for his own personal gain, the Premier would be mindful to acknowledge the mistakes his government has made, contempt being one of them”.
Under the rules of the legislature, prorogation has killed the committee that is investigating the gas plant cancellations. Leone has vowed to continue the fight when the legislature resumes. “Until then, Ontarians are left with a Liberal government that refuses to deal with its lack of accountability and transparency, in addition to solving the jobs and debt crisis that they created,” adds the frustrated MPP.
“Gravelle and Mauro need to explain to local taxpayers why they stood idle and failed to say ‘no, prorogation is wrong and we need to get back to work,” continued Fedeli.
“While 600,000 Ontarians woke up today without jobs and the prospect of a $30 billion deficit, the scandal-plagued Liberals have put the government on autopilot, shutting the doors to leave their reckless spending to go unchecked with no plan to kick-start private sector job creation,” charged Fedeli.
The Ontario PC Party has launched two new radio ads today in a campaign to pressure the Liberals to put Ontario’s interests in front of their Party’s interests and to re-open the Legislature. “Instead of shutting down the House so they can focus on picking a new Liberal leader, they should immediately recall the Legislature so we can take urgent action to deal with the jobs crisis”.
“The Liberals are turning their backs on the concerns and priorities of Ontarians, but Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs are offering hope with bold new ideas and a plan for prosperity,” added Fedeli. “The Liberals are hiding from accountability and have no ideas on how to fix their mess, but the Ontario PC Party is ready to do our part.”
