For immediate release:
April 27, 2007

Barrett demands end to McGuinty’s ‘Flick-off’ campaign
Local MPP seeing blue as province spends $500,000 to simulate swearing

Simcoe—MPP Toby Barrett is expressing outrage over the McGuinty government’s decision to spend $500,000 of taxpayer money on a campaign that openly condones swearing.

“Premier McGuinty has increased his tax grab to $90 billion since coming to office, but unfortunately, we’ve seen it squandered and wasted on poorly planned, poorly executed and ill-advised programs,” said Barrett.  “Why are we paying a health tax when the money is being used to tell people in Ontario to ‘GO FLICK YOURSELF’.”

The ‘Flick-off’ scandal broke at Queen’s Park, this week, when the Opposition learned that Premier McGuinty’s Environment Minister spent $500,000 on a group that simulates swearing in an attempt to convince youth to turn off the lights.  The website, www.flickoff.org, uses a font that gives its name the appearance of a different four-letter word, while using phrases such as ‘go flick yourself’ and ‘are we flicked?’”

“I’m getting emails from angry parents who are fearful that their kids will think it’s okay to say these phrases to their teachers or grandparents,” Barrett continued.  “If the Premier can spend five hundred grand using this language, why wouldn’t young people think it was acceptable?

“This is worse then a $500,000 waste of taxpayer money – it’s in poor taste, and it proves that Premier McGuinty cannot provide the leadership required to manage a $90 billion budget.”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (519) 428-0446,
(416) 325-8404, or 1-800-903-8629