The Legislature returned following Family Day and the Sudbury by-election. What we learned in the lead up to the Sudbury by-election has been the subject of countless questions concerning the ethics and integrity of Kathleen Wynne and her political operatives. I myself have asked 15 questions on the subject. To capsulate the issue, former Sudbury MPP, Joe Cimino, resigned his seat on November 20th necessitating a by-election. Andrew Olivier was the Liberal candidate during the last general election, losing a narrow race to Mr. Cimino. Most people—including Andrew Olivier—thought he would be the Liberal candidate once again. However, Kathleen Wynne had other ideas. In late November she convinced Glenn Thibeault, the sitting NDP MP in the riding, to resign his federal seat and run provincially. And this is where the scandal begins.
Political operatives of the Premier—Pat Sorbara, her chief of staff, and Gerry Lougheed, one of her top fundraisers—approached Mr. Olivier and offered him inducements to step aside and allow Mr. Thibeault to get the nomination uncontested. When Mr. Olivier refused, the Premier appointed Mr. Thibeault as the candidate. The Premier, as Liberal leader, is fully empowered by her party’s Constitution to appoint a candidate. However, under Electoral Law and the Criminal Code it is illegal to offer someone inducements to step aside in favour of someone else. The issue is now the subject of an investigation by the Chief Electoral Officer of the province. The Ontario Provincial Police have also begun a criminal investigation. The Chief Electoral Officer has already stated that in his view there are apparent breaches of the Election Act. We are awaiting information from the Ontario Provincial Police, but I can tell you that as of the writing of this column (March 11th, five weeks into the investigation), the Premier is yet to be interviewed. This brings four investigations currently underway by the OPP with respect to conduct of either Members or staff of the Wynne Government. We will keep you informed as this unfolds.
Recently, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli announced that his government is reviewing the time-of-use pricing with respect to your hydro bills. In my experience, anytime this government uses the words ‘review’ and ‘electricity’ in the same statement, your bills are probably going up. They just do not seem to get it. They just do not understand how unaffordable electricity has become for people in rural Ontario under their misguided energy policy.
The government—through Minister Chiarelli—has also announced the possible privatization of at least a portion of Hydro One. Hydro One is the utility that delivers your power. It is not in the production business, it’s in the distribution business. It is also the utility that has been embroiled in a billing controversy that has become a fiasco, one that has even drawn the involvement of Ontario’s Ombudsman André Marin.
For years, the Ontario Liberals have been opposed to the privatization of the public utility, but they are so starved for cash to try to mitigate the massive debt they have run up that they are putting many assets on the chopping block. Before any public utility or other provincial asset is sold, Ontarians should see a complete cost-benefit analysis to ensure that they are getting value for their money. Any proposal should be vetted by the Auditor General before a decision is made. Ontario’s assets are there for the benefit of all. They are not there to help the Liberals climb out of their fiscal mess. The Liberals’ hunger for cash prompted them earlier this year to divest themselves of all the shares they still held in General Motors. They purchased those shares during the recession of 2008/2009 and sold them for $600 million less than you—the taxpayer—paid for them. I have said it many times that Liberal math just does not add up, and this is another glaring example.
On a positive note, we have been lobbying hard for improvements on our highways in Renfrew County and expect that this summer we will see a significant amount of construction activity. One of my prime goals has always been to make our highways as up to date and safe as possible.
