MCGUINTY'S CABINET PLAYS HOOKY FROM WORK TO TAG ALONG AFTER OPPOSITION PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 22 March 2007 19:00

 
OTTAWA, March 23, 2007 - It's no wonder that Ontarians aren’t seeing results from their provincial government, when two Liberal Cabinet Ministers and Dalton McGuinty’s executive assistant have nothing better to do on a work day than attend opposition press conferences.

Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson and Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur took the time from their “very busy” schedules to hear Opposition Leader John Tory give his reaction to the budget, tabled yesterday, where Dalton McGuinty forgot about average Eastern Ontario taxpayers.

Tory, along with Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod, was in Ottawa to highlight the government's failures on issues of vital importance to Eastern Ontario, including the neglect of rural infrastructure, the loss of manufacturing jobs, and the cruel snub to children of families serving in the Canadian Forces in Petawawa.

"Ontarians are wondering how it is that Dalton McGuinty can increase spending by $22 billion without producing any results for Eastern Ontario," said MacLeod.  "I guess today we see the answer, since ministers are more interested in hanging out at opposition press conferences than in doing their jobs."


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For more information
Stephen Gilman, Executive Assistant
Office of Lisa MacLeod, MPP (Nepean-Carleton)
Phone: 613-823-2116  Cell: 613-297-2051


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JUST THE FACTS


  • McGuinty's 2007 budget offers nothing to offset the $20 million deficit at the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.
  • McGuinty's 2007 budget doesn't fix the long term care crisis, so long term care patients will continue to take up acute care beds in Ottawa hospitals.
  • McGuinty’s 2007 budget offers no financial support for the expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre, but pledges a new convention centre for Niagara Falls.
  • McGuinty’s 2007 budget contains no plan to fix the 417/174 split, so residents in the East End will still endure rush hour gridlock.  Yet McGuinty pledges billions for transportation and transit in Toronto, York, Brampton, Mississauga, Durham, and the Golden Horseshoe.
  • McGuinty stands by and does nothing, and even cuts the rural tourism budget, as Eastern Ontario loses vital manufacturing jobs.
  • No Eastern Ontario Secretariat or Eastern Ontario Economic Development Fund, but McGuinty creates a Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator.
  • McGuinty has no plan to fix infrastructure for rural communities within the City of Ottawa, such as roads, water and sewer services. Yet McGuinty pledges billions for rural infrastructure in the rest of Ontario.
  • No help for children with Autism and no funding for an autism pilot project in south-west Ottawa.
  • No help for children at risk at the Phoenix Centre serving military families based in Petawawa.
  • Dalton McGuinty has continued his tradition of neglecting farmers by cutting more than $100 million from the Ministry of Agriculture budget.