Families suffer as political wrangling thwarts select committee – Barrett
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2013
Simcoe — Families in need of help for children with developmental disabilities have been left in limbo by a shameful trail of political game-playing that has again shot down work on solutions according to MPP Toby Barrett.
Less than a year after having her proposal for a Select Committee on Developmental Services die during prorogation, Health Critic Christine Elliott is seeing her second attempt meet a similar fate – a fate Social Services Critic Barrett warned against during the final question period in the house. “A month ago, I told you of a made-in-Ontario crisis after years of neglecting our developmentally disabled,” Barrett pressured the Minister of Social Services. “A family from my riding, the Callaghans, visited Queen’s Park that day – when their 20-year-old, severely disabled daughter, Anna, finishes her education this month there will be no supports. When I asked you if you would back the Select Committee on Developmental Disabilities to ensure that Anna, the Callaghans and other families across Ontario get the support they require, you said yes, as did the third party. Minister, what happened? Where is that promised select committee?” MPP Elliott’s motion had been unanimously accepted with a plan that called for the committee to sit through the summer and have an interim report ready by Oct. 31 – a final report would be due by April 2014.
When the Minister sloughed off the responsibility for committee formation as, “one that’s lodged with the three House leaders,” Barrett pressed further on the need for urgency. “The Callaghans don’t have the summer to wait. They need that committee struck today. The resolution you and your colleagues approved had timelines attached. They won’t be met if you continue to drag your feet,” warned Barrett. “We have unanimous support. We’ve worked with our House leader. Why do we hear that you and the third party are balking? What happened to the NDP? What does House leader Gilles Bisson have to say about this? Minister, will you strike the committee today?”
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LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
Tuesday 11 June 2013
ORAL QUESTIONS SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED
Mr. Toby Barrett: My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. A month ago, I told you of a made-in-Ontario crisis after years of neglecting our developmentally disabled. A family from my riding, the Callaghans, visited Queen’s Park that day. When their 20-year-old, severely disabled daughter, Anna, finishes her education this month there will be no supports. When I asked you if you would back the select committee on developmental disabilities to ensure that Anna, the Callaghans and other families across Ontario get the support they require, you said yes, as did the third party. Minister, what happened? Where is that promised select committee? Hon. Ted McMeekin: Well, I was more than pleased to support the motion from the honourable member. I did that in good faith. I assumed that her motion was put in good faith. It was passed by members of the House. That having been said, it’s not my responsibility nor your responsibility, nor the member who made the original motion’s, to define the terms of any special committee—the membership, when it will meet and everything else. That job is quite properly one that’s lodged with the three House leaders. I look forward, as I suspect every member of this House does, to a resolution. The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary? Mr. Toby Barrett: Minister, the Callaghans don’t have the summer to wait. They need that committee struck today. The resolution you and your colleagues approved had timelines attached. They won’t be met if you continue to drag your feet. A month ago you told us that you were “proud to say … that I will be delighted to support the motion.” You said, “anything we can do together” to respond more appropriately to the most vulnerable folk that are there and need our help is good. We have unanimous support. We’ve worked with our House leader. Why do we hear that you and the third party are balking? What happened to the NDP? What does House leader Gilles Bisson have to say about this? Minister, will you strike the committee today? Interjections. The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you. Minister. Hon. Ted McMeekin: I surrender, and I confess. Mr. Speaker, I confess to having an abiding interest in moving forward in the context of serving those who have developmental challenges, and their families. That’s why I stood in my place, as others did, and spoke, as I did, in support of the motion. That having been said, you should take that issue up with your House leader and the other House leaders, to see if we can get this resolved.