TORONTO (January 8, 1996) - For the first time in its 12 year history, Freedom Party was refused an opportunity to address the government in power through government-sponsored public hearings.
Even though Fp's request to appear before the Standing Committee on General Government on Bill 26 was submitted weeks before the first ads inviting the public to participate in the January 9 London hearings appeared in the press, it was not until the day before the hearings that the committee could confirm that Freedom Party was not welcome.
Because such presentations take time to research and prepare, Fp president Robert Metz contacted several different people (including Tonia Grannum and Douglas Arnett ) at the Clerk of the Government issues committees in Toronto, during the period from mid-December to January 8. Each time, Metz requested some written information on the mandate of the hearings, as well as on the criteria of selection before the committee. Each time, the answers could not be provided.
Worse, committee spokespersons continued to lead us on that there was still a possible opportunity to get selected, if not for the first set of hearings on January 9, then on the second set scheduled for January 16. And again, it was not until the 15th of the month that we were informed that Freedom Party was not welcome at the second hearings as well.
Ironically, on the same day, Metz received a phone call from Fp member and London-Middlesex Taxpayers' Coalition (LMTC) chairperson Jim Montag. Having earlier informed Metz that he had received a call from Ernie Eves' office requesting that the LMTC apply to appear before the committee, Montag told Metz that when the committee contacted him, he was given total choice as to what time he wished to make a presentation.
Thus, only minutes before Metz was informed that there was no more room to schedule presenters before the committee, Montag was told by the same committee spokespersons that there were NO slots taken as yet.
"So appearances before the committee are by invitation only..." responded Metz.
Grannum immediately retracted her statement, suggesting that her use of the word "invitation" was inappropriate. She explained that the three people responsible for selections were MPPs Gerry Philips (Liberal), Frances Lankin (NDP) and Tony Clement (conservative). Metz attempted to contact Clement and left a message on his answering service, but the call was never returned.
At Metz's request, Grannum faxed him a list of presenters to the hearings, revealing that the Communist Party of Ontario had already made TWO presentations before the hearings in Toronto (one of them made by its party leader as an individual), and that the vast majority of presenters were recipients of government subsidies and special legislation. The matter has yet to be followed up satisfactorily, but we intend to continue pursuing it. However, the very notion of calling the Bill 26 hearings "public" was completely without merit. Both the committee's mandate AND the process of selection were entirely political, while any impact by the hearings on Bill 26 itself was already precluded before they began.
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last updated on April 28, 2002
