Ontario Hansard - 22-March2010
ENERGY RATES
Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is for the Minister of Energy. The McGuinty Liberals have to be hearing the same thing that we are in the opposition about the HST and how it's just a $3-billion tax grab. It can't be easy for them to travel the province trying to sell a tax hike of 8% more on home heating, on gas, on haircuts, on autism therapy, especially since it makes things a lot harder for Ontario families.
At the end of last week the Premier just made things a lot harder for Ontario families by signing a regulation that slips a massive $53-million tax on energy bills. So we have a question for you: Is that why morale over there is lower than a gutter snake on a backcountry road, or is that why George Smitherman was gang-tackled, or is it both?
Hon. Brad Duguid: It's obvious to me that the Conservatives never got it when they were in power, they still don't get it. The fact is-and don't take our word for it. Talk to energy experts around the world and they will tell you that the most efficient way to manage energy supply is through conservation. Your critic used to get it. He did in February; he obviously doesn't get it today. He's on a different learning curve than the rest of us.
The fact is that if we can reduce our overall load and if we can reduce our overall maintenance of the system, we're saving all Ontarians dollars. This is smart investment. It's something that will ensure that all families will have an opportunity to find savings on their energy bill through conservation. It just makes sense.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?
Ms. Lisa MacLeod: While that minister plays hide-and-go-seek with taxes, our critic has been hard at work on the energy file and energy conservation. At no time did he ever suggest that we shouldn't be conserving, and that's something that he needs to clarify in his supplementary response.
There was no news release last week to announce the $53-million tax grab through the back door. In fact, last week, after the throne speech when we asked them what they were going to tax, what was the new surprise, they didn't respond. In his lecture on the HST to the Stratford and Area Builders' Association on the day that the regulation was posted and in his speech today to Toronto business people, there was no mention by the revenue minister that there was going to be another surprise backdoor tax that wasn't mentioned in the throne speech. That is this $53 million.
We want to know: Was the regulation pulled because they didn't tell their caucus about this secret deal?
Hon. Brad Duguid: The member should know that conservation programs have been paid for by the rate base for a very long period of time. The majority of conservation programs that have gone forward are paid for by the rate base because in the end, they're paid for by the very people who are going to accrue the savings by taking advantage of those programs.
This is just good public policy. It ensures that families have the opportunity to engage in these very important programs. It ensures that we're making the most cost-effective investment we possibly can to deal with our energy-supply challenges. These are decisions that the party opposite failed to make when they were in power. These are challenging times; these are challenging decisions. But at the end of the day, we're building a system that's reliable, we're building a system that's sustainable and we're building a system that's affordable to consumers. That's what Ontarians expect-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.
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