FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 26, 2015
QUEEN’S PARK – The question of who is standing up for farmers at the Cabinet table in regards to the sale of Hydro One remains unanswered.
“To the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, clearly a minister who should be fighting for farmers at the cabinet table: We have dairy farmers here today. However, the minister has sat idly by while now 174 municipalities, the vast majority of them rural, have passed resolutions opposing the sale of Hydro One. The minister himself has said we will keep Hydro One ‘in public hands’,” said Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett.
But Minister Leal didn’t answer the question, allowing the Minister of Energy to answer.
Barrett continued his line of questioning: “Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture is sitting over here, silent—sitting idly, silent, I might say—with respect to the Hydro One fire sale while rural municipalities pass resolution after resolution opposing it. Among the now 174 municipalities that oppose this sale are the ag minister’s own Peterborough County and Peterborough itself.
“In the past, Minister Leal opposed privatization— ‘… we’ll never look at it.’
“His constituents oppose the sale; the farmers his ministry represents oppose the sale. My question: When will the minister finally represent farmers at the cabinet table—I’m not referring to other cabinet ministers—and oppose the sale of Hydro One?”
Again, Minister Leal had allowed the Minister of Energy to answer on his behalf.
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For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org
YOUTUBE LINK:
ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
OFFICIAL HANSARD
OCTOBER 26, 2015
Privatization of public assets
Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, clearly a minister who should be fighting for farmers at the cabinet table: We have dairy farmers here today. However, the minister has sat idly by while now 174 municipalities, the vast majority of them rural, have passed resolutions opposing the sale of Hydro One. The minister himself has said we will keep Hydro One “in public hands.”
Speaker, when will the minister speak up at the cabinet table to keep Hydro One in public hands?
Hon. Jeff Leal: To the Minister of Energy.
Hon. Bob Chiarelli: It’s a strange question, coming from a member from that party. As we all know in this House, in the 2014 election, that party campaigned in favour of broadening the ownership of Ontario Power Generation and Hydro One. Not only that, they indicated that rates would be protected through the Ontario Energy Board. Not only that, the present leader of that party has essentially said the same thing.
So when will that party disavow themselves of the commitment they made in the 2014 election campaign?
Mr. Toby Barrett: Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture is sitting over here, silent—sitting idly, silent, I might say—with respect to the Hydro One fire sale while rural municipalities pass resolution after resolution opposing it. Among the now 174 municipalities that oppose this sale are the ag minister’s own Peterborough county and Peterborough itself.
In the past, Minister Leal opposed privatization—“… we’ll never look at” it.
His constituents oppose the sale; the farmers his ministry represents oppose the sale. My question: When will the minister finally represent farmers at the cabinet table—I’m not referring to other cabinet ministers—and oppose the sale of Hydro One?
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.
Minister—
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Excuse me.
Hon. Bob Chiarelli: Rural municipalities want infrastructure. They’ve said it over and over again. If they look at the results of the recent federal election campaign, the country, ??in every province, said they want infrastructure. That’s why they got the result that they did from a party that was promising infrastructure.
We did a lot of consultation, and the mayors, one after the other, said they need infrastructure. We have a $130-billion infrastructure program, over 10 years, led by the Premier. That is real change in terms of meeting the infrastructure deficit.
The $4 billion that will go to infrastructure from broadening the ownership of Hydro One …