For Immediate Release
June 14, 2005

DALTON MCGUINTY HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR: BARRETT

Legislative session ends with questions about ethics

Queens Park - Dalton McGuinty has a lot to answer for when it comes to integrity according to MPP Toby Barrett.

The Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant representative said despite the fact that the legislative session is has ended for the summer, McGuinty shouldn’t be let off the hook, as there are a number of questions he must answer.

Questions like:

Why does Dalton McGuinty have a different standard in government than he did in opposition?

Why does Dalton McGuinty believe it is OK for Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar to be at his company's headquarters when it is supposed to be in a blind trust?

Does Dalton McGuinty accept Minister Takhar's explanation that he visited his company to have lunch with his wife when he was there at 8 am?

Does Dalton McGuinty believe Minister Takhar's Liberal riding association CFO, who is also the company CFO, is an appropriate trustee for his blind trust? Is this really an arms length official as is stipulated in the act?

Why won't Dalton McGuinty ask Minister Takhar to step down pending an investigation by the integrity commissioner?

Meanwhile, Barrett pointed out that the past legislative session saw the McGuinty Liberals continue their track record of broken promises and not being straightforward with the people of Ontario. For instance:

  • Cutting $47 million in funding to communities across the province;
  • Claiming a deal with the federal government was worth $5.75 billion in new money when most of it was recycled money;
  • Breaking a promise to provide funding for autistic children;
  • Revising their timeline to deliver a balanced budget for the third time in two years;
  • Admitting that they will not be able to keep commitment to shut down Ontario's coal-burning power plants by 2007;
  • Approving a licence for a private hospital despite a promise;
  • Breaking their pledge to close private MRI and CT Clinics;
    Barrett pointed to a strong first legislative session for PC Leader John Tory following his decisive March by-election victory in Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey. Over the Spring session, Tory and his Caucus were able to:
  • Convince the Liberals that the flawed adoption legislation was not ready for passage
  • Expose $170 million the McGuinty Liberals are wasting to fire health care staff and close DHC offices;
  • Get the Liberals to endorse a motion to make the Ministry of Agriculture a lead ministry and provide much-needed assistance to
  • Expose the lack of real science behind the boundaries of the Greenbelt;
  • Pressure much-needed amendments to the Spills Bill;
  • Allow more free votes by Caucus members in the Legislature; for example the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

In addition to a busy legislative session, PC Leader John Tory continued to aggressively reach out to expand support for the Party. He has visited 55 ridings, 44 cities/towns, attended 107 events, 15 fundraisers and met with 37 different stakeholders. He recently hosted a huge 2,200 person fundraiser in Toronto, a larger attendance than this year's Premier's dinner.

"Mr. McGuinty and his team can pretend people have stopped talking about them as promise breakers," said Barrett. "They're dreaming. Ontarians haven't forgotten and they won't forget. They know this is a government which can't be trusted and which can't run the store."

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For more information please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: 519-428-0446, 905-765-8413 or 1-800-903-8629