For Submission Wednesday, September 26, 2006

Back to Queen’s Park for the Fall Session

As many of you may already know, this week marked the beginning of the return to Queen’s Park for the fall session.

Our agenda is a busy one, and I look forward to continuing to pursue the needs of our community here in Haliburton-Victoria-Brock.

The Agriculture community recently took part in the annual International Plowing Match and I was very pleased to welcome leader John Tory and our PC Caucus to this years famous event held in Peterborough County.

Agriculture has been dealing with numerous issues and challenges over the last number of years. We continue to see inaction and have been calling on the McGuinty government to help reduce the uncertainly of farmers by establishing a made-in-Ontario plan to build a secure and sustainable farming industry in Ontario.

Sure enough, the McGuinty Liberals are pleased to try and take credit for funding, which they have kept in their own back pockets for months.

The Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization (CAIS) payments have flowed in seven other provinces, prior to Ontario’s Agriculture industry getting their portion. I’m quite certain that not one Ontario farmer is prepared to thank Dalton McGuinty for placing Ontario’s farming industry on an en-even playing field and holding on their cash.

The McGuinty Liberals made a promise that Agriculture would be a lead Ministry, but in the mean-time has cut $400 million from that same Ministry over the last two years.

Our community cannot afford the loss of farmers and agri-businesses. The City of Kawartha Lakes Chamber of Commerce has stated that we have lost 50 farm related businesses in the last year alone. This has to stop.

Unfortunately, we continue to see inaction by the McGuinty Liberals.

The fall session will also provide the opportunity to question the McGuinty Liberals on the failed promise to reduce Emergency Room waiting times.

The Ontario Medical Association has stated that there are as many as 19 hospitals in the province that are facing a severe doctor shortage in their Emergency Rooms. Another promise broken by the McGuinty Liberals.

Autistic children and their families had hoped that Dalton McGuinty was sincere in his promise to increase treatment beyond the current age of six. The many letters, emails and phone calls received have unfortunately shown to so many parents that this is another McGuinty Liberal promise gone unfulfilled. I was able to join as parents of autistic children rallied at Queen’s Park earlier this week holding placards saying, “No More Excuses.”

I couldn’t agree more.

One thing I can assure you is this: The wait times in Emergency Rooms, as bad as they are, are not even close to as long waiting for Dalton McGuinty to keep his promises.

“Say anything to get elected, even if it means breaking promises” – that’s the motto of the McGuinty Liberals.

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