Tony Martin booted from Legislature after 'idiot' insults

For the third time in 12 years, Sault MPP Tony Martin was ejected from a sitting of the Ontario Legislature today.

Martin and Transportation Minister Norm Sterling were ousted during an angry exchange that dealt with Northern Ontario sawmill closures.

Speaking by telephone with SooToday News after the ouster, Martin told us that he and Sterling were referring to each other as "idiots" at the time.

"I'm surprised I got kicked out. I didn't hear the Speaker warning me," said Martin, who remembers ejecting only one MPP during the two years he spent as Speaker of the House.

"Norm Sterling called me an idiot," Martin told us.

"I said, no, I'm not the idiot, you're the idiot. The two of us got kicked out," the Sault MPP said.

Was Martin baited?

Martin says he was baited into an exchange of insults by Natural Resources Minister Jerry Ouellette, who accused the Sault MPP of using NDP Natural Resources Critic Gilles Bisson to ask questions for him about the Sault.

"He suggested that I didn't have the courage or the guts to ask my own questions .... to defend my community. Anybody who knows me knows that isn't true," Martin told SooToday.com

Martin says he told Ouellette: "Anytime you want to go head-to-head on this, let me know."

Then the transportation minister entered the fray, Martin responded in kind, and the two got the boot.

The ejection was only from the afternoon session of the Ontario Legislature, and Martin expected to be back in the House for tonight's sitting.

The following is a full transcript of the exchange:

***************************************************************** Mr Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay):

We know what motivates this government, and that's helping its friends on Bay Street, not the patients.

My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources.

Yesterday my colleague from Sault Ste Marie asked you about the closing of the Domtar mill in Sault Ste Marie.

In response, you told him you are going to let Domtar continue harvesting wood off their licence and send it anywhere they want in Ontario for processing, to the detriment of the community of Sault Ste Marie.

Let's be clear: when the sustainable forestry development act was passed by this Parliament, under the leadership of Howard Hampton, it was the intent of that legislation that the licence was tied to the mill and that the mill was there for the benefit of the community.

What you are announcing is a clear reversal of that policy.

I'm saying, Minister, that it's clear where you're going with this whole thing.

Your intent is on clear-cutting communities across northern Ontario rather than protecting them and the jobs in those communities.

Will you reverse your policy and go back to what we put in place, which was the protection of those communities when it came to those licences?

Hon Jerry J. Ouellette (Minister of Natural Resources):

First of all, I find it interesting that the member from Sault Ste Marie can't even ask the same question on behalf of his community; he has to have somebody else speak about it.

Not only that, but when you talk about communities such as Temagami and the other mills up in Kenogami, what happened up there?

The mayor came down and specifically asked us to keep those workers working in that community.

What the member is asking me to do is shut down all the work in that mill in Sault Ste Marie.

We intend to keep as many people as possible employed in the forest industry in Ontario.

Mr Bisson:

First of all, you're full of it. I'm the critic for MNR, and I'm working along with my colleague Tony Martin and any other northern member across this province who is seeing their community devastated by what you're doing.

The issue here is clear: we have allowed amalgamation and we have allowed companies across northern Ontario such as Domtar and Tembec to group together under one banner.

What they're saying is, "These are our licences; we can do what we want," to the detriment of Kirkland Lake, of Sault Ste Marie and of Sturgeon Falls.

What I'm calling on you to do is something real simple: honour the legislation we put in place in this province, which says the licence is tied to those mills and those communities.

Will you reverse your policy, or will you see every worker in those communities put at risk?

Hon Mr Ouellette:

Very clearly, what the member is asking for is to make sure those workers who are in the forest in northern Ontario are not working.

I will make sure that when the mayors come forward, whether it's Kirkland Lake or Sault Ste Marie, if we can keep people employed in the north, we will do so, and the fibre will remain in the province of Ontario, as much as the Ministry of Natural Resources can accommodate.

The Speaker (Hon Gary Carr):

New question, the member for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke.

Mr Tony Martin (Sault Ste Marie):

Any time you want to go head-to-head, let me know.

Interjections.

The Speaker:

Order. I would ask all members' co-operation. The member for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke has the floor.

Interjections.

The Speaker:

The Minister of Transportation is out and the member for Sault Ste Marie is out as well. I name both of you. I ask Mr Sterling to leave, and I ask the member for Sault Ste Marie to leave as well. Carry on outside. If you want to yell at each other, do it all afternoon if you like. Congratulations to all of you. I think we've now hit 40.

Mr Sterling and Mr Martin were escorted from the chamber.