TORONTO - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is campaigning for the Oct. 10 general election on the taxpayers' dime by making billions of dollars in announcements after he prorogued the legislature three weeks early, the opposition parties charged Wednesday.
McGuinty has been unveiling parts of the Liberals' climate-change strategy with announcements almost daily since he adjourned the legislature June 5, promising $11.5 billion for public transit, $650 million for a new jobs strategy and a host of smaller projects.
He made another climate-change announcement Wednesday, vowing to eliminate the provincial sales tax on energy-efficient appliances like dishwashers for a one-year period, starting July 19.
The Conservatives and New Democrats say McGuinty's announcements -- which were all made outside the legislature -- have been Liberal campaign promises, not government policy.
"It is exactly what it appears to be: it's a political campaign,'' said Opposition Leader John Tory. "It is being financed by the taxpayers' money.''
NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns said McGuinty's recent announcements to combat climate change are nothing more than Liberal re-election promises.
"Look at the announcements: details to come after Oct. 10, work to start after Oct. 10,'' Tabuns said. "We're getting an election campaign going on, funded by you and me and the public, as the premier goes from announcement to announcement.''
McGuinty said Wednesday that the government's legislative agenda had been completed, which is why he recessed the legislature early, but insisted that wouldn't stop the government from doing its work, which includes announcing new parts of his climate-change plan virtually every day.
"There's all kinds of work that takes place outside of the legislature itself,'' McGuinty said Wednesday after announcing a $150-million rebate program for energy rated appliances.
Environment Minister Laurel Broten defended the government's multibillion-dollar announcements made after the legislature recessed, but dismissed suggestions they would be part of the Liberal party's official campaign platform.
"You might have some inside track as to what is going to be in a platform,'' Broten said before a cabinet meeting. "I think you're jumping to speculation. These are government actions.''
The opposition parties noted McGuinty had condemned the previous Conservative government for introducing the 2003 Ontario budget at a Magna auto parts plant instead of inside the legislature.
They said McGuinty's big announcements after adjourning the house amount to the same behaviour he criticized before the last election.
"They are doing what (then premier) Ernie Eves did,'' Tabuns said.
"They're using all kinds of stages and venues outside of the legislature to promote their electoral platform, and saying that in fact they are just making public commitments.''
The Magna budget, as it became known, resulted in accusations that the Conservative government of the day was trying to avoid the scrutiny of the legislature _ the same charges now being levelled against McGuinty.
McGuinty said at the time that the decision to release the budget at a Magna parts centre in Brampton instead of in the legislature showed contempt for parliamentary tradition.
"Look at what (Premier Ernie Eves) has done so far. One hundred and three MPPs are paid to do a job and we in the Opposition are paid to hold this government to account, and we have been shut out,'' McGuinty said in 2003.
The Conservatives and New Democrats said Wednesday that McGuinty has done exactly the same thing by shutting down the legislature for the election before making his many announcements on climate change.
