QUEEN’S PARK – The Ontario PCs are calling on the McGuinty Liberals to stop with their delay tactics and immediately begin the investigation into the government’s $650-million gas plant scandal by re-striking the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Ontario PC MPP for Cambridge Rob Leone said today.
“It’s been one week since the Legislature voted in favour of holding an investigation into the Liberals’ outrageous decisions to scrap the gas plants,” Leone said. “They tried to cover up their scandal and hide the true cost for cancelling the plants from taxpayers. They must be held accountable, and they must begin the investigation immediately.”
Leone stated there’s absolutely no reason for the Liberals to wait the full 10 days to call the Committee, as allowed under Legislature rules. “The only reason to wait is to hide the truth for as long as possible about the true cost of the cancelled gas plants and the full extent of political interference by the Liberal Party in Ontario’s energy file.”
In accordance with last week’s vote, the Standing Committee is now empowered to investigate the Liberals’ refusal to release all documents, the extent of political interference and the true cost of the gas plant fiasco. To avoid any further delays, Ontario PC House Leader Jim Wilson sent a letter to Government House Leader John Milloy listing many of the high ranking Liberal politicians and employees whom the Ontario PCs want to call before the committee to testify.
“The Liberals are getting plenty of notice so they can start clearing their schedules,” Leone stated. “Last spring, Premier McGuinty refused to testify before the Public Accounts Committee on his government’s Ornge fiasco. We don’t want to see a repeat of the same behaviour.”
For the last nine years, the Liberals’ deliberate policy decisions have driven our province’s economy into the ground, Leone continued. Since the last general election, there are now 30,000 more Ontarians searching for work, for a total of close to 600,000 people. With a potential $411-billion debt facing the province by 2017, the cancelled gas plants do nothing but further burden taxpayers, all because the Liberals wanted to save a few seats in Oakville and Mississauga.
“It’s a sad day for Ontarians when such extreme steps must be taken to keep the government honest about its actions,” Leone concluded about the investigation. “This province needs a plan for getting our economy back on track, not a government that squanders public funds to save its own political skin.”
