For
Immediate Release:
June 9, 2005
Barrett echoes
Tory disgust with Liberal expense double-standard
Queens Park - MPP
Toby Barrett joins John Tory’s sentiment of disgust over the double
standard on spending habits of Ontario Liberals.
Yesterday, PC MPP
Ted Chudleigh asked Premier McGuinty in the legislature about the double
standard on expense practices of Minister for Economic Development and
Trade, Joe Cordiano. The Minister has admitted he expensed approximately
$12,000 on European hotels, meals, new suits and theatre tickets in London
to his riding association. Ontario riding associations are subsidized
by taxpayers (donors receive a tax credit of up to 75 percent).
It was only 2 years
ago - June 2003 - while criticizing then Minister of Energy Chris Stockwell,
that Dalton McGuinty said: "You cannot fob this matter over to the
Integrity Commissioner. It's about you, your judgment and your standards.
At what point in time are you, as Premier, going to exercise some leadership,
at least some modicum of leadership, and tell your caucus and cabinet
ministers that in your government, there are some things that are right
and there are some things that are wrong, and what Chris Stockwell did
was wrong? When are you going to have the courage, the intestinal fortitude,
the conviction to stand up and condemn this minister for what he did as
wrong?"
“This is an
astonishing double-standard by Dalton McGuinty,” said PC Leader
John Tory. “In Opposition, Dalton McGuinty called for the resignation
of Chris Stockwell over similar expenses that at the time he called unacceptable.
Now, in government he believes this is okay.”
The Premier would
only answer, “I can say that I have complete confidence in any way
that Minister Cordiano has brought to dealing with his expenditures.”
“This type of
double standard on spending is totally inappropriate,” echoed Barrett.
“While former Energy Minister Chris Stockwell was raked over the
coals by McGuinty over expenses incurred, he now allows his Liberal Cabinet
members to do the same.”
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For more information
please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: 519-428-0446, 905-765-8413 or 1-800-903-8629 |
