Electricity: Don't Blame God Ernie, Blame Decades of Red-Toryism

OSHAWA, June 25, 2003 - Freedom Party of Ontario Leader, Paul McKeever, took exception today to Ernie Eves most recent shirking of responsibility. Ernie Eves yesterday said that things will work out “if” there is some divine intervention. The Canadian Press quoted Eves yesterday as saying:

“If everybody continues to be energy conservation conscious (and) the individual up above gives us a little help, "I'm confident everything will work out."

Paul McKeever says that such an attitude is entirely unacceptable for a Premier. “On Wednesday, we are expected to use up nearly all of the 25000 megawatts of power that is available to Ontario. The IMO is already planning rolling black-outs in case there isn’t enough electricity for everyone to use at the same time. And what do we get from the premier? A plea for God to intervene. I suppose, then, that Mr. Eves will consider it to be God’s fault if the power goes off in some places today? This is perhaps the most irresponsible premier in history.”

The Freedom Party of Ontario Leader blasts both Mr. Eves personally, and the history of Progressive Conservative governments on this file generally. “We’re in the pickle we’re in because of decades of Progressive Conservative governments that took the Commanding Heights view of electricity: the socialist view that the government should own it all, run it all, put a large chunk of the cost of electricity on the government credit card, and thereby control an important aspect of the economy. The minority blue-Tory faction in the PC party wisely sought to change that, but the red-Tories have pushed back, imposing price controls and promising to leave them in place until at least 2006. Now, power generation investors have been scared off: they are afraid their profits will be capped or eliminated. Make no mistake, Eves and decades of red-Tory rule are to blame for this mess.”

McKeever says the only solution is a political re-alignment. “Blue tories broke away from the federal PCs years ago. It’s time to finish the job provincially too. Freedom Party has an open door policies for Tories who see the critical importance of a free market for electricity. The time to act is now, before we’ve all got power limiters on our houses. The last thing that Ontario’s economy needs right now is Electricare.”

Paul McKeever (who will be running in the riding of Oshawa, against Sid Ryan and Jerry Ouellette) is available to discuss this matter today. You can contact him directly at ***-***-**** (cell).

Freedom Party is expected to run candidates in approximately half of Ontario's ridings in the coming election.

For further information: Paul McKeever, Leader, Freedom Party of Ontario.
Oshawa Office Telephone: 905-721-9772.
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