A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper
Let me begin this one by throwing my bias right out there.
Thanks to Dalton McGuinty, Ontario’s house of democracy has been shut down.
I never cared all that much for Dalton McGuinty, going back some 16 years ago when, as an MPP from Ottawa, ran for and successfully won the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party’s leadership. Compared to Gerard Kennedy, who challenged him for the leadership of the party in 1996, I always felt that McGuinty was stiff and arrogant, and (save for Mike Harris) far more conservative than any premier the province has had going back to the 1960s.
This past Monday, October 15, that arrogance reached full throttle when McGuinty decided he was not going to step down as Ontario’s premier without also slamming the doors shut on parliamentary democracy in this province for what could be many months to come. Why he somehow feels that the business of the legislature cannot continue while he makes his exit and his party chooses a replacement is an expression of personal arrogance that shows no respect for the people of a province he was entrusted to serve all these years.
The fact that members of Ontario’s Liberal Party, save for a few mavericks like the MPP for Niagara Falls, Kim Craitor, have failed to expressed concern about McGuinty’s decision to prorogue (as in close down) parliament doesn’t say much for its respect for democracy in this province either.
This October 18, one of Canada’s largest newspapers, The Globe and Mail, took the rare step of publishing an editorial at the top of its front page titled; “Prorogation an abuse of power” – an editorial that summed up much of the anger and concern expressed by the province’s opposition Conservative and NDP parties, along with many ordinary Ontario citizens in recent days.
“The legislature has been adjourned indefinitely,” reads the Globe editorial. “No date has been set for the culmination of the provincial Liberal leadership campaign. At this rate, there will not be a new premier, or a new session of the legislature, until some weeks or months into 2012. In the meantime, there will be no Question Periods, holding the government to account, including over the gas plant decision. There will be no public scrutiny of proposed legislation. The passing (or rejection) of new statutes, moreover, is an integral part of the governing process; it is not just a matter of major reforms. Without a legislature, a government can work only through administrative actions.
McGuinty “needs to reverse this arbitrary action and request a new session of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly” now, concludes the editorial.
Indeed, all of us of voting age in Ontario should call and email our MPPs and demand the re-opening of the provincial legislature. If our MPPs are Liberals, we ought to warn them that their days in office are number if they don’t make a determined effort to press McGuinty to end the prorogation of the people’s business our legislative assembly is constituted to address.
(Niagara At Large invites you to share your views on this post, remembering that NAL only posts comments by individuals who also share their first and last name.)
Niagara At Large 
What nerve to shut down the legislature….. it is bad enough that he’s leaving his position in mid stream but unthinkable that he would continue by making things worse for the people & Ontario…..he is soooo nervy to be able to leave & say to heck with you people…..
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How about we prorogue their pay?
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I have been trying to think of something to say here since I first saw Doug’s posting. Unfortunately, everything I want to say will get me and Doug charged with libel (and other charges under public decency laws!) I want to curse and swear at the Liberals. I want to punch a few in the face. That’s how angry this whole thing makes me.
I sent an email to my MPP (Liberal cabinet minister Ted McMeekin) two days ago to politely say prorogation is not right. He has not responded.
He was quoted yesterday in the Hamilton Spectator:
“He also said it was logical for McGuinty to prorogue and that it would often take 10 hours of listening to useless opposition posturing to accomplish one hour of work.
“I think we’re seeing the abrogation of democracy in the legislature,” McMeekin said. “No one’s guilty but everybody is responsible. We need to find a way through this.”
I reacted to the above quote by posting the following on the Spectator website:
To Ted McMeekin
Abrogation of democracy in the Legislature?? How patently disengenious. You Ted, and the other Liberals, led by Dalton McGuinty, are guilty of abrogation of democracy! It sickens me to think that a few years ago, I voted for you. You should follow McGuinty’s lead and resign. NOW!
It took all the self-control I could muster to avoid driving to McMeekin’s contstituency office. I knew the result would not be pretty.
As far as I am concerned, here’s what needs to happen:
1: The Ontario legislature resumes sitting immediately.
2: Contempt hearings begin immediately for Energy Minister Bentley.
3: Contempt of Parliament proceedings begin immediately for Dalton McGuinty.
4: The Liberal Party Of Ontario be held financial and legally responsible for the decision to cancel generating plants in Mississauga and Oakville.
5: The Liberal Party Of Ontario be barred from putting forward any candidates in future provincial elections until the debt outlined in #4 is paid in full.
With all that said — now is the time to focus on getting Tim Hudak to step down as Conservative leader.
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To Will MacKenzie: I wish WordPress came equipped with a “like” button. Thanks for your comment — I believe that you speak for a great many residents of this province.
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As I said on another NAL blog, this sounds like a strike to me, a refusal to work. They do this but refuse the right to strike for others. I guess they’re special.
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