Deleted emails demonstrate why Government has to go
NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2013
Deleted emails demonstrate why Government has to go,
says MPP Arnott
(Queen’s Park) – With the news that the Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the
Government’s cover up of the Oakville and Mississauga gas plants, Ontarians have had enough,
says Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
Last week, Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner reported that high ranking former Liberal staffers,
including former Premier Dalton McGuinty’s chief of staff, illegally deleted an untold number of
emails relating to the cancellation of the Oakville and Mississauga gas plants. The OPP have since
confirmed that they have launched a criminal investigation.
In Question Period on June 10, Mr. Arnott ripped into the Liberal Government over their attempt to
cover up the scandal.
“As this House winds up its spring session, the pungent stench of scandal permeates this chamber,”
said Mr. Arnott. “The Liberals and their NDP enablers will soon return to their ridings and discover
that the people of Ontario have rendered their verdict.”
“The Liberals have been found in contempt of this House, the privacy commissioner says they broke
the law, the OPP have begun their investigation,” Mr. Arnott charged. “It is time for this Government
to go.”
Mr. Arnott called for the Government to finally come clean and to fully comply with the OPP
investigation.
“The Premier would have us believe that she wants to restore transparency and provide access to
all documents relating to the Oakville and Mississauga gas plants scandal. She has made that
statement repeatedly, even though she knew full well that damning emails had been erased,” said
Mr. Arnott. “What is the Premier prepared to do to ensure that all current or former Liberal caucus
and staffers fully comply with the OPP investigation?”
(Attached: Hansard record of Mr. Arnott’s Questions to the Premier in the Ontario Legislature and
the Government’s responses, June 10, 2013)
– 30 –
Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org
Ontario Hansard – 10-June 2013
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Mr. Ted Arnott: My question is for the Premier. To quote Sir Walter Scott, “Oh what a tangled web we
weave, when first we practise to deceive.” Last week the government learned that they cannot deceive the
privacy commissioner; soon they will find that they cannot deceive the Ontario Provincial Police.
The Premier would have us believe that she wants to restore transparency and provide access to all
documents relating to the Oakville and Mississauga gas plants scandal. She has made that statement
repeatedly, even though she knew full well that damning emails had been erased.
What is the Premier prepared to do to ensure that all current or former Liberal caucus and staffers fully
comply with the OPP investigation?
Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Although all the world is a stage, it seems to me that this place is a place
where we are not really engaged in theatre.
What I have said over and over again is that I have worked, since the day I got into this office, to make
sure that every question that was asked and every document that was asked for received an answer and the
document was provided.
We opened up the process. We made sure that the committee had the opportunity to ask a broad range of
questions. We have complied and provided that information to the committee since I came into this office.
I said during the leadership that that was exactly what we were going to do. That’s what we followed
through on-
Interjection.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Renfrew, come to order.
Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: -and we will continue to behave in that manner.
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. The idea of asking somebody to come to order doesn’t
mean that you get to finish the sentence; it means you just stop.
I also want to make a comment on what I heard. There’s a delicate balance between what one wants to say
in this place and what we’re not supposed to say in this place. I think if you start down the road of leaving
the listener with the impression that something is happening that’s unparliamentary in your language, that
could be the case. So I’m going to caution all of us to try to avoid trying to say something you’re not
supposed to say and say it a way that you can say it. I’ll leave it at that and let everybody just kind of
digest that.
Supplementary, please.
Mr. Ted Arnott: Back to the Premier: As this House winds up its spring session, the pungent stench of
scandal permeates this chamber. The Liberals and their NDP enablers will soon return to their ridings and
they’ll discover that the people of Ontario have rendered their verdict.
The Liberal members comprise the government of Ontario. They are all responsible. By propping them
up, the NDP are now culpable as well. The Liberals have been found in contempt of this House. The
privacy commissioner says they broke the law. The OPP have begun their investigation. It’s time for this
government to go.
Will they call our non-confidence motion for debate and a vote before this House adjourns for the
summer?
Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Government House leader.
Hon. John Milloy: We have a committee of the Legislature which is looking into this matter. The
Premier has outlined the steps that she has taken beyond that, including speaking with the Auditor
General.
The report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner raised some troubling issues. The Premier has
outlined the steps that we have taken to make sure that the rules as they exist are being properly adhered
to by political staff, both in her office and across Queen’s Park.
At the same time, as I indicated last week, I will soon be sitting down with the Information and Privacy
Commissioner to work with her in my capacity as Minister of Government Services, to see what steps can
be taken to strengthen the act going forward, so that the information that she relayed in her report never
happens again.
We have been taking proactive steps. We will continue to take those steps, and we will also allow the
committee of this Legislature-
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. New question.