“They didn’t say sorry or apologize to taxpayers or their fellow MPPs…Clearly they did wrong, they ripped off taxpayers, and they’re not even sorry about it.”

                                                –Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak, Ottawa Citizen, October 2, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 3, 2012

LEONE: COMMITTEE TO ENSURE LIBERALS COME CLEAN ON $650M SCANDAL

QUEEN’S PARK – Taxpayers have come closer to learning the truth about the Liberals’ scandalous waste of at least $650 million in public funds after the Legislature voted in favour yesterday of investigating the Liberals’ ongoing refusal to release all documents in full, Cambridge Ontario PC MPP Rob Leone said today.

“What makes the Liberals’ gas plant scandal so difficult for taxpayers to swallow is the fact that the government has told so many communities there’s no money for that new hospital or highway that’s been promised and cancelled so many times,” Leone said. “And then they pour salt into the wound by showing extreme contempt for taxpayers by refusing to release all of the gas plant documents without any missing sections.”

The Liberals’ ongoing refusal to release all documents in full resulted in the Legislature grinding to a halt last week as the House debated the motion of contempt. On Monday, the Ontario PCs triggered a vote to end the debate, which put forward a motion to refer the matter to Committee for an in-depth investigation of the Minister’s actions, the extent of Liberal political interference, and the true cost of the gas plant fiasco.

The Committee will report back on its findings to the Legislature by November 19.
Leone reiterated that when accounting for the cost of new transmission lines and purchasing turbines, the cost of the Liberals’ cancelled gas plants jumps to at least $650 million – money that could have gone towards services like education and front-line healthcare or paying down the debt, but instead was wasted on saving a few Liberal seats in the last general election.

“The Liberals have yet to show even a flicker of recognition that their deliberate policy decisions and reckless overspending have put Ontario on track to tripling its debt to $411-billion by 2017,” Leone stated. “By referring the matter to Committee, we’ll ensure the Liberals are held accountable for their gross mismanagement of the province’s energy file and public funds.”

For further information, contact Christine Bujold (416) 325-1330 christine.bujold@pc.ola.org