For Immediate Release:
March 23, 2010
Queens Park – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett says an apology to Caledonia would be one step in the right direction.
Barrett was referencing a call for an apology to Caledonia made by Opposition Critic for Aboriginal Affairs Ted Arnott during Throne Speech debate in the Legislature last night.
“I would suggest and implore the minister in his two-minute reply, the opportunity that he has forthcoming, to apologize to the people of Caledonia for the ineffective policy of this government,” Arnott proposed. “And explain what, if anything, they are going to do as a government to respond to that problem in the coming weeks because certainly that is a huge issue for the province of Ontario, and I think that the Attorney General and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs has an obligation to address it in his response.”
While there was no apology forthcoming, Barrett commended his Caucus colleague for calling on government to recognize its obligations in Caledonia.
“Government may want to deny it, but there are clear impacts from its lack of action on the Caledonia land dispute and related justice issues,” stated Barrett. “the very least government can offer is an apology – but they won’t even do that.”
In leading up to his call for apology Arnott noted that the throne speech failed to even once mention “Caledonia” and went on to detail the effects of now four years of government inaction.
“…the fear, the intimidation, the lawlessness at times, the economic loss that community has experienced as a result of what’s happened,” Arnott reported. “and the despair and loss of hope in that community that anything is going to be done to help because of this government’s policy, quite frankly, which at best has been ineffective and at worst is an example of political hubris.”
– 30 –
For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629
Question
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
March 22, 2010
Mr. Ted Arnott: I listened with some interest to the comments by the Attorney General and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, as well as the member for Willowdale, who split their time in the discussion of the throne speech that we’ve had this afternoon. I listened as the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs indicated that he was going to focus his remarks on that particular responsibility. At the start of his remarks he specifically indicated that that was going to be the focus of his speech. I didn’t hear him mention the word “Caledonia,” and I suppose that the minister would hope that no one would want to bring up that subject because it’s surely one of this government’s greatest failures since their election in 2003.
Our MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk, Toby Barrett, has, over the past four years of the illegal occupation of certain lands known as the Douglas Creek Estates, time and time again called attention to the problems associated with the occupation in his riding, the fear, the intimidation, the lawlessness at times, the economic loss that community has experienced as a result of what’s happened and the despair and loss of hope in that community that anything is going to be done to help because of this government’s policy, quite frankly, which at best has been ineffective and at worst is an example of political hubris.
I would suggest and implore the minister in his two-minute reply, the opportunity that he has forthcoming, to apologize to the people of Caledonia for the ineffective policy of this government and explain what, if anything, they are going to do as a government to respond to that problem in the coming weeks because certainly that is a huge issue for the province of Ontario, and I think that the Attorney General and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs has an obligation to address it in his response.