Posts Tagged ‘Standing Committee on General Government’
McGuinty Government Demonstrates Lack of Respect for Parliament and Citizens In One Stupid Move
So it’s 3:45pm the Legislative Assembly is in session. Some MPPs are in the House debating the budget, others are stuck to their chairs fulfilling what’s known as ‘house duty’. You see, Government MPPs aren’t expected to actually debate, or even pretend to show interest in the bills that are planned, designed and drafted with the approval of three guys in the Premier’s Office.
This isn’t new, and frankly isn’t going to be the issue I get bothered about today. What does bother me though is that while the 2009 Budget is being debated in the House – a budget that will see McGuinty’s Government run the single largest deficit in history, double the debt over the duration of his two (and I would bet the $300 bribe I will be receiving from the Premier, the Liberal Party’s last mandate for now); members of the Standing Committee on General Government are supposed to be listening to public comment from citizens from across Ontario regarding the Green Energy Act – a bill that tears down citizen’s rights to dissent, will have a major impact on Ontario’s long term energy plan and will legislate permission from a bunch of corporate welfare swines who kick a chunk of their subsidy back to the Ontario Liberal Party to do untold environmental damage and act without any oversight.
So what does one do if you’re one of the opposition MPPs who serves on the Standing Committee on General Government? Debate the budget, try to make Ontarians understand the fiscal damage Dalton McGuinty and co. are inflicting on our province, or stand up for citizen’s rights and the environment in committee? It’s a tough choice and not one any member should have to make. Premier McGuinty and his democracy adverse crew have purposely made it impossible for opposition MPPs to defend citizen’s rights and fight for fiscal sanity in Ontario. They purpose scheduled to of the most important (and politically stupid) bills for consideration at the same time.
I wanted to watch the committee hearings. I have been prevented from appearing so a bunch of Ontario Liberal Party donors, Ontario Government grant and subsidy receiving organizations and other folks who have the about as much independence from this Provincial government as a grade school student, who has yet to learn to tie their own shoes has from their parents, can go in and praise this horrendous piece of legislation. As a result I felt attending in person would not be wise for fear of catcalling inappropriate things at folks who lie for a living and certainly have questionable financial ties, I certainly would never want to defend. So I found a TV, went to channel 105 and thought I’d watch the swines in action. Unfortunately, it’s not being broadcast as the House is debating the budget.
The first speaker I watched was Bob Bailey – the MPP for Sarnia Lambton, and only sitting MPP to defeat a Cabinet Minister in the last election. In addition to standing up for Ontarians in the budget debate Mr. Bailey is one of two opposition MPPs on the Standing Committee on General Government – which is meeting at the same time. When it was the NDP’s turn to speak, I saw Rosario Marchese, the MPP for Trinity Spadina, one of the legislatures better spoken and more passionate speakers. He was standing up for Ontarians as well. Marchese happens to also be the sole NDP MPP who sits on the Standing Committee on General Government.
What’s clear is Premier McGuinty doesn’t want to hear from everyday Ontarians like me. Our letters are ignored, we’re blocked from appearing at committee so his cronies can go in and parrot his views. If this wasn’t bad enough, McGuinty and his staff are using procedural techniques to undermine Opposition attempts to stand up for Ontarians who want their voices heard, and have become the only avenue for concerned citizens who are sick of Liberal MPPs sitting on their hands, ignoring them, taunting them and otherwise disregarding our concerns.
The only solace I find in this is that McGuinty seems to have so thoroughly lost control of the wheel and touch with everyday Ontarians, that when the ship right’s itself in 2011, when folks like me will get to determine the fate of men like him, I don’t know who will be at the helm, but I believe with every fibre of my being that Ontarians are sick of the knee-jerk governance, jerk like behaviour and the level of arrogance that has set in over McGuinty’s Queen’s Park.
Deny us our voice now, use procedural tactics to weaken the opposition’s attempt to stand up for Ontarians, but wait until the next election, and watch what the citizen’s whose rights you’ve been trampling do back.
I pledge here and now, for the first time since becoming an eligible voter, I will look at each and every candidate in the race and vote for the one who I believe will best represent me, and not the party that I have supported with each and every ballot I’ve cast, with every door I’ve knocked on, and every sign I’ve hammered in. Not this time Dalton.
I encourage folks who feel the same to join me in making a similar pledge to vote for the best candidate from either opposition party who will stand up and represent your community, and not the party who has demonstrated a total lack of caring for the struggles, opinions and beliefs of hard working, every day Ontarians who just want the best for their province, and unlike the Ontario Liberal Party do not financially benefit for taking the opinions they do.
As a final thought: John Garner – the 32nd Vice President of the United States between 1933-1941 once referred to that post under FDR as ‘not worth a bucket of warm piss.’ – I wonder what he would think of the role of a Government MPP watching the anti-democratic tactics of Premier McGuinty?
3 Comments »Update on the Green Energy Act, Toronto Hydro's Antics and the Great Work Happening on the Ground in Guildwood
Citizen’s Voices Will Be Heard But Will Smitherman Listen
It worked! There will be public committee hearings on the Green Energy Act. Residents from across our province sent emails to the opposition House Leaders telling them to force the Standing Committee on General Government to go out into the Province and listen to the real voices of citizens, and not just the paid voices of the wind lobby.
Setting the committee agenda is about the only place in the legislative process where the opposition has a majority. Folks from across Ontario called on the opposition to refuse to make deals with the government that would shut down our voices. Once again, both the NDP and PC caucuses stood up for residents of our province in the face of the ‘bought and paid for’ advice, the wind industry has provided the Liberal government through massive amounts of donations and their paid lobbyists.
As residents we now must take advantage of this opportunity, and head out to the hearings, send in submissions and tell the government ‘residents’ won’t lay down’. It’s clear Smitherman and his staff prefer listening to donors and lobbyists over the people of Ontario, and they will be out in full force trying to keep straight faces as they praise a bill they all but wrote. We need to join them and shame their lack of concern for the environment or democracy. Just like the oil industry, these folks are out to make a buck – regardless of the damage they do.
Toronto Hydro’s Latest Trick
Toronto Hydro Energy Services is without a doubt the most disgusting example of sleazy decision making I’ve ever witnessed. Joyce McLean and Jack Simpson have run such a totally dishonest process both they and Chris Tyrrell should be fired. McLean and Simpson have abused the public trust through absolutely unethical tactics, allowing the ‘affected public’ to be abused by their allies who receive funding from the same folks who fund their research. Chris Tyrrell has demonstrated he doesn’t have the guts to stand up to the bizarre, twisted and irresponsible actions of these employees of his – so he too must go.
For her latest stunt, Joyce McLean has decided to submit an application, she must know does not meet the requirements for the Class B Environmental Assessment, to the Ministry of Natural Resources in the hopes of receiving the permit to go ahead with the Anemometer before the Green Energy Act is through committee. Anywhere else submitting a factually inaccurate paperwork would be legally frowned – but at Toronto Hydro it’s just another day’s work.
We will prove they have not completed the steps in the Class B environmental assessment and we expect the Ministry of Natural Resources to stand up to Toronto Hydro and tell them they need to follow the law like everyone else and also run a fair, open, legal process. Guildwood is ready for a fight and is not going away. Should MNR accept the application, I promise to make the bureaucrat, who we’ve begun sending evidence to via registered mail, famous. You will know his name, where he works, and what we showed him prior to the decision being made.
Guildwood Takes Action
I had an amazing day delivering flyers to Guildwood residents, informing them about our community meeting. With a lack of political representation, Cabinet Minister’s attacking our community and Toronto Hydro lying their way through the process – we are standing up. I am thrilled to be working with dozens of volunteers who have been speaking to their neighbours about what is at stake here and educating each other.
Many are looking forward to a meeting where they can come with questions, collect information and answers and do so without a restrictive process, abusive paid eco-bullies like the ones the Toronto Environmental Alliance bussed to our last meeting.
Although it is horrible to see a community railroaded and treated this way, Guildwood residents are working together to demonstrate the real strength behind democratic ideals that is alive and well in our community. It is heartening to see so many residents out of necessity getting involved in the political process, to stand up for their rights where those who have been elected to do so have failed to.
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