Northern MPP filibusters Queen's park committee

NEWS RELEASE

RANDY HILLIER, MPP LANARK-FRONTENAC- LENNOX-ADDINGTON

************************** Hillier filibusters committee as Liberals betray northern foresters and communities

QUEEN'S PARK - Randy Hillier, PC party critic for northern development, mining and forestry, continued to stand up for Northern Ontario today in the general government committee, as the McGuinty Liberals cut committee travel dates, barring Northerners from participating in debate on the McGuinty Government’s Forest Tenure bill.

“Today, the government members announced they weren’t interested in traveling to the North,” said Hillier. “The government has been seized with fear at the prospect of facing down people in communities like Sioux Lookout and Iroquois Falls, places where their forestry agenda has cost jobs and livelihoods. They prefer to stay cloistered in Toronto, close to their environmental lobbyist friends.”

Shortly after the start of deliberations by the General Government Committee chaired by Northern Liberal David Orazetti, Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown moved to remove all Northern dates from the committee schedule, saying that Northerners had been heard enough.

“If this is the level of representation the Liberals provide to their constituents in the north, I hope northerners look long and hard at the choices before them this fall,” said Hillier. “I came to Queen’s Park to stop Toronto-centric legislation which is passed at the cost of Northern citizens. Clearly Mike Brown and David Orazetti’s priorities lie significantly further south of their own constituencies.”

PC Caucus members Steve Clark and Randy Hillier stalled the committee, attempting to hold the Liberals to visiting at least one Northern city.

Brown conceded only to videoconferencing Northern petitioners, and refused to budge, once again citing that there was no reason for the committee to visit the North.

“I’d rather force a filibuster than allow such terrible legislation to move forward unopposed,” said Mr. Hillier. “The forest tenure review and wood supply competition was not only botched from the start, now the Liberals are trying to push it through while silencing their opposition.”

“Denying Northerners their say is not only undemocratic, it’s a cowardly way to govern,” said Hillier. “This fall, Northern voters can decide: four more years of being ignored by McGuinty Liberals, or a reinvigorated PC government under the leadership of Tim Hudak.”

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