Ontario Government needs to stop holding up creation of Rouge National Urban Park
NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2015
Ontario Government needs to stop holding up creation of
Rouge National Urban Park
(Queen’s Park) – On November 26, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott rose in Question Period
to challenge Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid, demanding to know why the Liberal
Government has deliberately held up the creation of the Rouge National Urban Park.
Ontario signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government in January 2013 to
transfer land to the Federal Government to create the Rouge Urban National Park, which would be
the largest urban national park in North America. However, the Ontario Government went back on
its word, throwing the entire plan into jeopardy.
The following is the Hansard text of Mr. Arnott’s questions and the Minister’s responses:
Mr. Ted Arnott: My question is for the Minister of Economic Development. The passage of Bill
C-40, to establish the Rouge National Urban Park, this past January was a great day for
Canada in creating the largest urban park in the world-some 20,000 acres. However, this
minister threw the entire project into jeopardy by reneging on an agreement signed in January
2013 to transfer provincial land to the federal government to create the new park.
While the minister cited inadequate environmental protection as the government’s rationale for
going back on its word, a fundraising email sent out by the minister made it clear that the
government’s motivation was purely partisan. They made up an excuse, because they didn’t
want the Harper government to get credit for the new park prior to the next election. It’s that
simple.
Now that there’s a new government in Ottawa, will the minister commit to stop holding up the
Rouge National Urban Park and agree to transfer the land?
Hon. Brad Duguid: I was planting trees in the Rouge Valley before I even knew what partisan
politics was about. When it comes to the Rouge Valley, I and my colleagues from Scarborough,
and all of us on this side of the House, recognize that we have a responsibility-nothing to do with
partisan politics. It’s to do with our responsibility to the next generation to ensure that we pass
on this gem of an ecosystem of a park to that generation.
The government you spoke about, the Harper government, didn’t take that responsibility
seriously. Thank goodness the new Prime Minister and the new government do, and we are
looking forward to working with them to put in place a real national park for the Rouge that is
going to ensure it has the protections we have in place today, or may even enhanced
protections. I’m looking forward to working with that new government to get that done.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?
Mr. Ted Arnott: It’s absolutely ludicrous for the government to claim that Parks Canada does
not provide some of the highest standards of forest protection and management, as the minister
has done in the past. The provincial Environmental Commissioner recently said that the
government “lack of dedicated funding makes it nearly impossible to protect new parcels of
environmentally sensitive land.”
The former CEO of Parks Canada, Alan Latourelle, went as far as to say, “Any individual or
organization that directly or indirectly implies that the federal legislation for Rouge National
Urban Park does not meet the standards of the current provincial legislation for Rouge lands is
misleading the public.”
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member will withdraw, because you cannot say
indirectly what you cannot say directly.
Mr. Ted Arnott: I withdraw.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.
Mr. Ted Arnott: This government has held up the Rouge National Urban Park for far too long.
Will the minister listen to the experts, submit comments on the Rouge National Urban Park
Management Plan and transfer the lands he committed to do in 2013?
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.
Minister.
Interjection.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke is warned.
Hon. Brad Duguid: Mr. Speaker, it is this government that has worked so hard over the last 10
years to ensure that the policies are in place to ensure that that park is protected for future
generations. It is this Liberal government that, in the 1980s under David Peterson, saved those
lands in the first place. This is something we feel strongly about. It’s nothing to do with partisan
politics, and the question from the member was about as partisan as you possibly could get.
This is about working together with the federal government to get this done right. We finally
have in place a minister of the environment federally and a government that cares about the
environment, that is determined to save this planet, determined to ensure that we preserve
those ecological gems like the Rouge Valley. We’re going to get this done. We’re going to get
this done with Prime Minister Trudeau-
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.
Just to remind the minister, when I stand, you sit.
Hon. Brad Duguid: Yes, sir.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): New question.
– 30 –
Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org