April 11, 2007

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

ONTARIO LOTTERY AND GAMING CORP.

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford): A government that lacks transparency, integrity, responsibility and accountability is a government that people can't trust.

Every day for two and a half weeks, Premier McGuinty and his minister responsible for Lottogate have arrogantly shrugged their shoulders at the lack of confidence in the integrity of our lottery system. They have refused to answer direct questions about who in the Premier's office and the minister's office was aware of allegations of fraud and why it was ignored. They've avoided explaining how they could have possibly missed or chosen to miss a comprehensive number of warning signals that should have spurred action on cleaning up this mess more than a year ago. They have tried to deflect responsibility for their lack of oversight by blaming everyone from the CBC to tens of thousands of hard-working retailers.

The government has provided contradictory answers about communications meetings and freedom-of-information requests involving the OLG. The Premier has failed to explain how and why several political spin doctors tied to his office, and with the Liberal election campaign team, were brought in to plot a communications strategy for Lottogate.

Many questions; no answers: The Premier has failed the test of leadership by hiding answers, ignoring questions and denying requests for the truth. If the Premier is confident that he and his minister should have no accountability for a scandal occurring under their watch, why won't this government agree to call for an open and transparent investigation by a legislative committee? Just what are they hiding?