FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5^th, 2016

Justice Gets a Failing Grade

(QUEENSPARK) Randy Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington) pushed the Attorney General and the Liberal Government today on the revelation that, according to a recent Macdonald-Laurier Institute report, Ontario ranks as one of the lowest provinces in the country in terms of “access to justice”. On top of this, MPP Hillier cited the report’s conclusion that 43% of all cases are either stayed or withdrawn before trial.

“Such a large number of cases being stayed or withdrawn is, to me, an indication that there is something very wrong with the system” said Hillier. “This data suggests a failure on behalf of either the courts or law enforcement, and when our justice system receives more money than any other province, these sorts of problems are unacceptable.” 

MPP Hillier made a point of identifying the fact that the abysmal state of Ontario’s justice system enables innocent people to have legal conditions placed on them, lose custody of their children and be put in to hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt due to legal fees, only to have charges against them dropped. 

“This government does nothing to provide any sort of remedy for the thousands of innocent people who have had their lives flipped upside down by the justice system only to have their cases withdrawn” proclaimed MPP Hillier. “It’s about time the Attorney General addressed the abhorrent state of our justice system and did more to protect the innocent rather than persecute them”

A full recording of MPP Hillier’s questions to the Liberal Government can be found here

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Contact:

Perth Office 613-267-8239

Queen’s Park 416-325-2244

[email protected]

Thank you to everyone who listened and called into the Telephone Town Hall on Hydro. If you did'nt get the opportunity to share your thoughts on the town hall, take the survey and let MPP Hillier know how you feel about the current state of Hydro in the province and some of the solutions he's put forward.

Read MPP Hillier's open letter to UCDSB and LDSB regarding the student accommodation review process and elements of his previous discussions with the Board Chair and Director of both Boards.

Bagmen, Pro “Rogues”, Service Cuts, and the Liberal’s 36 Cent “Solution”

With the warm months quickly coming to an end and the legislature back in session, it’s about time for another Scuttlebutt. From long Service Ontario wait times and PSW cuts for seniors, to cash-for-access scandals and ever-increasing hydro prices, it has certainly been a busy few months. Just recently, the Wynne Liberals decided that they needed to “reset” their political agenda and prorogued parliament, only to re-introduce all the same bills as before. The only new addition to this “reset” agenda was a meager 36 cent a day rebate on hydro costs, which you can watch me debate here.

As well, I would also like to take the time to draw your attention to a couple of events taking place in the near future which I sincerely hope you will be able to join me at. 

Ontario's Lubricious Throne Speech
"A Balanced Plan to Screw Up Ontario for Everyone"

(QUEENS PARK) - Today's Speech from the Throne rings in a new session of parliament, justified by the Wynne Liberals as a necessary 'reset' of their legislative priorities.

One should ask how there can be a reset while at the same time a commitment to reintroducing all the legislation that died on the order table with prorogation? Clearly the Premiers words and her actions are at odds with one another once again. Instead, what was presented was a chest thumping agenda of re-announced priorities delivered with lubricious language.

“The Speech from the Throne today was nothing more than lip service to past commitments and re-announcements of existing projects,” MPP Randy Hillier proclaimed. “The only new announcement was the subsidy on the provincial portion of the HST for residential and small business hydro bills with no explanation of how this will affect the Treasury.”

Today’s speech simply parroted the same stale policies from the previous session. In truth what the Premier is attempting to accomplish is a reset of her political fortunes – not the wellbeing of the people of Ontario.

“Keeping with how they have operated in the past, all of these announcements where delivered in oily and slippery language without detail,” Hillier explained. “They didn’t even attempt to explain where exactly they plan to get the money needed for these policies. How do they plan to provide subsidies and balance the budget while meeting the outrageous spending commitments they regurgitated today?”

“These re-announcements of the same old ideas illustrate that this was far from a reset, it’s business as usual in the Legislature and the Liberals will continue to govern with their own self-interest as their priority,” concluded Hillier.

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