For Immediate Release
April 18, 2007

McGuinty's democratic renewal claims a farce - Sterling

Queen's Park, Toronto - Lanark-Carleton MPP and Progressive Conservative critic for Democratic Renewal Norm Sterling today shone a light on the hypocrisy of the McGuinty government's so-called democratic renewal initiatives.

"The McGuinty government has developed a habit of gagging debate on its democratic renewal bills and entirely preventing debate of other democratic renewal matters," said Mr. Sterling.

On Monday the McGuinty Liberals used a guillotine motion to end debate on Bill 155 which calls for a referendum on the proposal from the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. Not only did the government shut down debate on this Bill, but they refuse to allow the Legislature to debate or approve the question to be asked in the referendum, as suggested by the Select Committee on Electoral Reform. As well, the McGuinty government has buried its former Bill 62 which would change the rules regarding political party registration, in the 275-page Budget Bill.

"McGuinty campaigned on promises to reform our Legislature to give MPPs more power but he keeps dodging debate over his so-called democratic reforms," said Mr. Sterling. "Actions speak louder than words so I only hope Ontarians are watching his actions so they won't fall for his words again in the next election."

Mr. Sterling concluded his statement by calling McGuinty's democratic reforms "a farce."

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For more information, please call Lanark-Carleton MPP Norm Sterling at: (416) 314-7900

HANSARD TRANSCRIPT
ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
April 18, 2007

Democratic Renewal

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): I rise today to bring to the attention of all members of this House and all Ontarians the irony of the McGuinty government's supposed democratic reforms.

Earlier this week, we saw Premier McGuinty ram through Bill 155, the referendum bill, using a guillotine motion to cut off debate in this Legislature. Bill 155 is a bill which calls for a referendum on the citizens' assembly recommending reform for our electoral system. Of course the bill doesn't include a provision to allow the Legislature of Ontario to approve the question put before the electors. The Liberal cabinet will be making that decision.

Another trick the McGuinty government has been using to get its so-called democratic reforms through the Legislature without proper debate by our democratically elected officials is burying them in budget bills. Do you know that in schedule 11 of the budget appears Bill 62, legislative reform to change the system to register parties in the province of Ontario? Are we going to have a debate on it? I doubt it when you consider all of the matters that are to be dealt with in this budget bill.

I think all Ontarians recognize that democratic reform in the hands of the Liberal government and what they promised before the last election is a complete farce.