Northern conversation

The former leader of the Ontario NDP says his party will make Northern consultation an election issue after a motion was defeated at Queen’s Park Wednesday.

The NDP introduced an opposition day motion Wednesday calling on the province to commit to a consultation process when it comes to decisions about Northern Ontario.

Howard Hampton (NDP, Kenora-Rainy River) said from the Far North Act to HST, Northern Ontario hasn’t been heard in Toronto.

"All of which have huge impacts on Northern Ontario – to pass this legislation with no consultation, with no public hearings," Hampton told local reporters Thursday.

The NDP member said the fact that two weeks of hearings on Bill 151 – the Forest Tenure Act – were held in Toronto instead of Northwestern Ontario was wrong. Places like Sioux Lookout didn’t have a chance to be properly consulted on changes that could impact their community.

"These are communities watching their whole economic base being taken away from them by a government that makes decisions in a backroom at Queen’s Park with no effort to talk to people. No effort for people across the North to have any kind of input."

Hampton said he’s not surprised the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives would kill the NDP motion, but he’s more concerned that the government had introduced a time allocation motion on Bill 151, which he said will cut debate.

"(The Liberals are saying) we’re going to ram this legislation through in record time so that people don’t even have a chance to comment via the internet or any other way. It was like saying ‘now that we’ve told you to shut up we’re going to tape your mouth so you can’t say anything and that’s what’s so infuriating," Hampton said.

But MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay— Atikokan) said on top of dozens of chances for Northerners to have their say on legislation like Bill 151, anyone who couldn’t make it to Toronto could voice their concerns over Bill 151 through video conferencing.

"(The NDP’s) language on this topic is completely fraudulent," the Liberal MP said. "It’s completely politically motivated."

Mauro asks if Hampton and his New Democrat colleagues were so concerned with the Forest Tenure Act, why did they only add one amendment to the bill?

"Our government has consulted not only on this consultation but on almost every piece of legislation to a far greater degree than most other governments," Mauro said. "If they’re concerned with the legislation why did they place a motion to not debate it?"

Mauro added that the consultation process has been more than fair.

Ministers in the legislature Wednesday rhymed off a long list of consultations that have taken place even though the legislature was sitting, something the NDP failed to do most of the time during their last year in power, Mauro said.

"When the legislature is sitting it is always harder for a bill to travel," he said.