By Doug Draper
The Ontario Liberal government’s decision two years ago to cancel plans for gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga is enough of a “scandal” to justify the same kind of judicial inquiry that has been investigating and charging politicians in Quebec over corrupt dealings involving public contracts, said Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak during a telephone conference for the media that Niagara At Large participated in this May 16.
Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“I think we need a judicial inquiry into this gas plant scandal,” said Hudak, who leads Ontario’s official opposition party, during the teleconference.
“Perjury and destroying public documents is a criminal offense,” Hudak said before adding that “maybe the threat of having jail cell doors shut behind them” will cause the reigning Liberals in Ontario to be more forthcoming about who exactly was responsible and how much of the province’s tax money – possibly above and beyond the $585 million already disclosed – on closing these plant projects down.
Ontario’s former Liberal premier, Dalton McGuinty, has taken responsibility for cancelling the Mississauga and Oakville gas plant projects, but continues to insist he had no idea the decision would cost Ontario taxpayers more than half a billion dollars. The new Liberal premier, Kathleen Wynne, has apologized for the decision but has also insisted she was not in on the decision to close the pin on the projects.
During the teleconference, Hudak and one of his senior party members, Jim Wilson, also questioned why the province’s NDP leader, Andrea Horwath, might possibly support the Wynne Liberal’s recently tabled budget and allow the government to survive on rather than be defeated, triggering an election.
“I don’t know how much longer Andrea can look in the morrir in the morning and prop up this … corrupt government,” Wilson said.
What do you think? Should some face criminal charges over this mess? Should we hold an election over it now? Is it fair to blame the new Liberal premier, Kathleen Wynne, for whatever happened under the watch of Dalton McGuinty?
(Niagara At Large invites you to join in the conversation by sharing your views on the content of this post below. For reasons of transparency and promoting civil dialogue, NAL only posts comments from individuals who share their first and last name with their views.)
Niagara At Large 
YES
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Scandals in Quebec, scandals in Ontario, scandals in our Senate: where does it end? When Bill Clinton was running for the Presidency in the U.S., questions about his moral behavior came up — and were later proven true. His minions boldly declared, “Morality is not an issue in this election!” How true!
Seems to me, morality is not an issue in Canadian elections either. Surely, the time has come when legislation needs to be in place to deal harshly with those in positions of trust in government who breach that trust. If any situation cried out for a judicial inquiry it is the power plant scandal. But then, that would have to be followed with judicial inquiries into the Ornge Air Ambulance scandal, the hospital closing scandals, and the hospital records system scandal. Collectively these have cost the Province of Ontario more than a billion dollars. That’s approximately $75 for every man, woman, and child in the province! And, that may be the tip of the iceberg.
That the Opposition in Ontario would have any second thoughts about bringing down the current Liberal government and calling an election is beyond my understanding. The election would have cost less than the losses incurred by the same Liberals during their tenure.
Horvath’s waffling inspires little confidence, and I’m not sure I trust the Conservatives to do any better. Where do we turn?
What this province sorely needs is for people with integrity to run for office. Then the local electorate needs to vote, not for party cronies, but for those people with the greatest integrity and the best ideas and most impressive community track records, regardless of their party. Make integrity and morality issues in elections! How can we ever get good government otherwise?
Perhaps such candidates would bring in legislation that (a) makes the forcing of judicial inquiries easier, say by getting enough votes for one from the electorate, and (b) similarly to make possible the recall of candidates that do not prove their worth. The calling of elections, as we can see, can be far cheaper than leaving incompetent leadership, and possibly corrupt politicians in office.
It’s time we woke up. Presently, and sadly, we get the government we choose. Shame on us!
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Hudak is nothing but TALK, and if he was Premier, He would no doubt have a few sandals of his own…….NO DOUBT….I wouldn’t trust him as for as I could throw him…
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Under our system of government we are told that we get to vote in a political party and for that winning political party to run things and make decisions on our behalf according to how that political party sees fit.
However, often we are voting for liars, deceivers and cheats or anyone with the best ability to deceive. Sadly there is no accountability or recourse once we fall for the liars, deceivers and cheats.
We are told that if we don’t like the way the party in power is governing we have the opportunity to vote them out and vote in another political party! But, it takes a full four years just to start understanding the nature of those we have put in power and even then the evidence is that worst of these have the ability to hide their predilections through more lies and deceit.
Recent examples of our great and wonderful political system clearly indicates that things are not working well (assuming they ever where) for the Canadian Citizen. Perhaps there was a time when the system struggled through under a semblance civility and respect.
Our current system of governance will not improve as long as there is a dearth of intelligent laws to protect the country and its citizens from its government.
It is one thing for a party leader to talk of penalties ‘after the fact’ but what about discussing meaningful recourse for the protection of the country and the Citizen.
Personally I will seriously support any party that promises to bring in the very necessary protections needed to clean up what has become a sleazy political mess.
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Recall Legislation Is Overdue
To hold public officials accountable for their decisions is one matter. To throw them into prison over those decisions is another. Unless a criminal act can be established without a reasonable doubt, no one should go to jail. Being stupidity or inept are not crimes. Surely, the time has come instead to have in place a recall measure. When a party or specific elected official proves unworthy of our employ, why should the electorate have to wait for them to finish their elected term of office before removing them? Four or five years can be a long, expensive time frame!
If a business hires an employee who later proves unworthy, inept, or downright stupid, the company can fire that employee whether he/she has a contract or not; the company may have to pay compensation for the unfinished term but the organization can fire the neglectful employee. Under some circumstances, the company may wisely have made provision for certain acts to go uncompensated on termination. The people of this nation should have the same right.
Surely, if this right had been in place, neither Dalton McGuinty nor most of his party, and many of their direct hires, would have been out of work as soon as the first high-cost scandal became known. To have to wait several years to get rid of this neglectful, inept, perhaps even stupid, lot of decision-makers is ludicrous. Look how much the subsequent scandals has added to the cost of their employ! I suggest a campaign to force the current governments to enact recall legislation not only at the provincial but also at the federal. Why should we have to wait for their next terms to “fire” the incompetent and unworthy who represent us? Give us the mechanism to recall them as soon as they show they can’t be depended upon. What do you say Canadians?
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Two words that could bring democracy back PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION!! We need to break up the “old boys club” with all of their “corporate connections and favours.”
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Did any Tories face charges when Dudley George was shot? Or how about when people died in Walkerton? Kimberley Rogers? Where was the righteous Hudak then?
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