Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has tabled a non-confidence motion in the legislature over the cost of two gas plants that were cancelled by the Liberals – a move that is unlikely to get any traction as the NDP has already dismissed the move as “political football.”
“Today we’re putting forward a motion of non-confidence,” he told reporters Monday, hours before tabling the motion. “We’re going to hold this Liberal government to account.”
Hudak said the Liberals have “crossed a line” in their management of the cancelled gas plant projects, and accused the government of incompetence, corruption and a “blatant disregard” for taxpayers.
“This gas-plant scandal goes so far over the line, especially at a time when we have a jobs and debt crisis, it alone deserves a vote in the legislature,” he said. “Let’s get on with it, let’s have a vote.”
Earlier this month, an auditor general’s report pegged the cost of cancelling the Mississauga gas plant to be approximately $275 million -- $85 million more than the previous Liberal estimate.
Opposition House Leader Jim Wilson said the auditor general’s report made clear how far the Liberals are willing to go to cover up the scandal. He called on the New Democrats to support the motion, which requires unanimous consent before it can be brought to the floor for debate.
“Either the NDP believes the gas plant scandal, the largest in Ontario’s history, is worthy of a confidence vote, or they are prepared to prop up a corrupt Liberal government,” Wilson said.
But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the party would not be supporting the motion, saying the issue should not be used as a “political football.” Instead, she said a public inquiry should be launched to “depoliticize” the issue.
“What I’m concerned about is it’s just another kind of political game that’s being played,” she said, adding both the Liberals and the Conservatives have rejected the idea of a public inquiry.
Premier Kathleen Wynne told reporters on Monday that the Conservatives should wait until the Liberals unveil their budget on Thursday, rather than move a non-confidence motion over the gas plants.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s budget will be the first fiscal plan from the Liberals since Wynne took the reins from her predecessor Dalton McGuinty.
She said during question period that she has made efforts to be as transparent as possible regarding the gas plants, and is set to testify before a committee on the issue Tuesday. She also accused the Conservatives of irresponsibly rejecting the budget before reading it.
“I would expect that the leader of the opposition to read the budget before he decides not to vote on it,” she said.
During Monday’s press conference, the Conservatives said they fully expect the Liberals to “buy” the NDP support with budget items and called on Horwath to support the motion.
Hudak has previously said that he won’t support the budget, leaving the balance of power with the New Democrats.
“If the NDP are foolishly lured into backing the Liberals on their budget, or abstain as they did last year, the very least Ms. Horwath can do is to work with us to demand that this confidence motion be called to a vote,” Wilson said.
Horwath reiterated her intention to wait and see what’s in the budget before deciding whether to support it.
“I know the government continues to send out hints or signals that they’re going to be delivering the results that New Democrats asked them to deliver for the people of Ontario, but we also know that Liberals make promises they don’t keep,” she said.
On Sunday, Horwath told CP24 that the NDP wanted to see funding to fight youth unemployment and the closing of corporate tax loopholes in the budget.
“None of these things are unachievable… If Ontarians don’t get those results in the budget, we won’t be able to support it,” she said.
The governing Liberals decided to halt construction on the Mississauga gas plant days before the 2011 provincial election, prompting critics to accuse the Liberals of buying seats.
The auditor general has not yet released his report into the cost of cancelling the Oakville gas plant. The Liberals say that decision cost the province $40 million, but the opposition believe it’s closer to $1 billion.
In the past, Wynne has admitted that the decision to cancel the plants was a political move, but maintains she wasn’t in the room when the decision to cancel the Mississauga plant was made.
