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OPPOSITION DAY
NATIVE LAND DISPUTE
Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): I move that the Legislative
Assembly call upon the government,
To recognize that the McGuinty government was made aware of the Six Nations'
land claim issues at Caledonia in August 2005, yet allowed the situation to
escalate to a full-blown standoff starting on February 28, 2006;
To recognize that the McGuinty government refused even to acknowledge the
Caledonia land occupation as a provincial issue until day 42 of the standoff;
To recognize that the McGuinty government's Places to Grow Act was a
catalyst in igniting the standoff, since it provides a legal framework for the
McGuinty Liberals to designate any area of land as a growth plan area;
To recognize that the McGuinty government further provoked the situation
with a regulation identifying the greater Golden Horseshoe area as the first
area for which a growth plan will be prepared;
To recognize that the Premier's procrastination and failure to show
leadership when it was most needed allowed this situation to escalate into a public
safety crisis;
To recognize that the McGuinty Liberals have refused to compensate the OPP
for the unforeseen costs incurred while policing Caledonia and to reimburse
municipalities policed by the OPP that sent officers to Caledonia;
To recommend to the Lieutenant Governor in Council that a commission be
appointed to inquire into and report on how absence of communication and lack of
leadership by Premier McGuinty and his Liberal government allowed the
Caledonia situation to escalate to a full-blown standoff and subsequently a public
security crisis;
To accept recommendations from the commission directed to preventing similar
chaotic confrontations when dealing with future land claim issues in the
province, including recommendations with respect to ways in which we can improve
dispute resolution in this area and enhance respect for the rule of law; and
To grant the commission powers under the Public Inquiries Act.
The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Mr. Tory has moved opposition day
number 4. Mr. Tory.
Mr. Tory: I'm pleased to have the opportunity to move this motion, to
initiate this debate today and to speak to the motion. I want to make four points.
The first three are important, but I think the fourth is especially
important. The four points are: the need to find ways to improve the land claims
process; secondly, the need for a timely response on the part of governments when
incidents of this kind arise and the shocking failure of the McGuinty
government to respond in a timely fashion in this particular instance; thirdly, the
need for leadership and communication on the part of the government of
Ontario when incidents like this arise so that we don't have a crisis boil up
before anything is done -- again, a shocking failure on the part of Premier
McGuinty and his government in this instance; and finally, some comments on what I
think is the most important issue of all that needs to be looked at by a
commission and should be discussed here in the Legislature today, namely the
importance of the maintenance of the rule of law.
Dealing with the first issue, the land claims process, I think it is
apparent to all of us that we have to do better. We heard the minister this
afternoon getting into the same old game of saying that really this is all the
federal government's responsibility and the rest of us should wash our hands of it
and have nothing to do with it and so on. I think this is the kind of thing
that has made our First Nations fellow citizens and, frankly, the citizens of
Canada tired of this game that goes on back and forth, as opposed to saying,
"Let's put a bit of energy, effort and creativity into finding better ways in
which we can deal with these land claim issues." How we could do better; how
they could do better, meaning the people in Ottawa and meaning the First
Nations people? We're all in this together at the end of the day, sitting down,
discussing these things. I think there is not the need to point the finger of
blame at any one person or another, but there's a need for us to accept our
collective responsibility to make sure this process is done better.
Where is the harm in inviting, before an independent body or an independent
investigator, experts and representatives on all sides -- First Nations,
local governments, provincial governments, federal governments, business people,
citizens who might have a view or two to offer on this kind of thing -- and
to talk with them and listen to them on the matter of how we can take these
land claims that have been around in many cases for hundreds of years,
including the one that has led to the standoff at Caledonia, and find a way to do
better? I would answer my own question by saying that there's absolutely no harm
at all. There's never harm in calling people together under the watchful eye
of an independent investigator and putting some of these questions on the
table and listening to what all these people have to say as to ways in which we
could do better.
OPPOSITION DAY
NATIVE LAND DISPUTE
Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): I move that the Legislative
Assembly call upon the government,
To recognize that the McGuinty government was made aware of the Six Nations'
land claim issues at Caledonia in August 2005, yet allowed the situation to
escalate to a full-blown standoff starting on February 28, 2006;
To recognize that the McGuinty government refused even to acknowledge the
Caledonia land occupation as a provincial issue until day 42 of the standoff;
To recognize that the McGuinty government's Places to Grow Act was a
catalyst in igniting the standoff, since it provides a legal framework for the
McGuinty Liberals to designate any area of land as a growth plan area;
To recognize that the McGuinty government further provoked the situation
with a regulation identifying the greater Golden Horseshoe area as the first
area for which a growth plan will be prepared;
To recognize that the Premier's procrastination and failure to show
leadership when it was most needed allowed this situation to escalate into a public
safety crisis;
To recognize that the McGuinty Liberals have refused to compensate the OPP
for the unforeseen costs incurred while policing Caledonia and to reimburse
municipalities policed by the OPP that sent officers to Caledonia;
To recommend to the Lieutenant Governor in Council that a commission be
appointed to inquire into and report on how absence of communication and lack of
leadership by Premier McGuinty and his Liberal government allowed the
Caledonia situation to escalate to a full-blown standoff and subsequently a public
security crisis;
To accept recommendations from the commission directed to preventing similar
chaotic confrontations when dealing with future land claim issues in the
province, including recommendations with respect to ways in which we can improve
dispute resolution in this area and enhance respect for the rule of law; and
To grant the commission powers under the Public Inquiries Act.
The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Mr. Tory has moved opposition day
number 4. Mr. Tory.
Mr. Tory: I'm pleased to have the opportunity to move this motion, to
initiate this debate today and to speak to the motion. I want to make four points.
The first three are important, but I think the fourth is especially
important. The four points are: the need to find ways to improve the land claims
process; secondly, the need for a timely response on the part of governments when
incidents of this kind arise and the shocking failure of the McGuinty
government to respond in a timely fashion in this particular instance; thirdly, the
need for leadership and communication on the part of the government of
Ontario when incidents like this arise so that we don't have a crisis boil up
before anything is done -- again, a shocking failure on the part of Premier
McGuinty and his government in this instance; and finally, some comments on what I
think is the most important issue of all that needs to be looked at by a
commission and should be discussed here in the Legislature today, namely the
importance of the maintenance of the rule of law.
Dealing with the first issue, the land claims process, I think it is
apparent to all of us that we have to do better. We heard the minister this
afternoon getting into the same old game of saying that really this is all the
federal government's responsibility and the rest of us should wash our hands of it
and have nothing to do with it and so on. I think this is the kind of thing
that has made our First Nations fellow citizens and, frankly, the citizens of
Canada tired of this game that goes on back and forth, as opposed to saying,
"Let's put a bit of energy, effort and creativity into finding better ways in
which we can deal with these land claim issues." How we could do better; how
they could do better, meaning the people in Ottawa and meaning the First
Nations people? We're all in this together at the end of the day, sitting down,
discussing these things. I think there is not the need to point the finger of
blame at any one person or another, but there's a need for us to accept our
collective responsibility to make sure this process is done better.
Where is the harm in inviting, before an independent body or an independent
investigator, experts and representatives on all sides -- First Nations,
local governments, provincial governments, federal governments, business people,
citizens who might have a view or two to offer on this kind of thing -- and
to talk with them and listen to them on the matter of how we can take these
land claims that have been around in many cases for hundreds of years,
including the one that has led to the standoff at Caledonia, and find a way to do
better? I would answer my own question by saying that there's absolutely no harm
at all. There's never harm in calling people together under the watchful eye
of an independent investigator and putting some of these questions on the
table and listening to what all these people have to say as to ways in which we
could do better.
Comment