PRESS RELEASE - For immediate release - 

MARKHAM - Last week (Dec. 5) the Auditor General of Ontario released his 2011 Annual Report. As expected the report itself, all 460 pages of it, is critical of a number of portfolios and agencies that the government considers part of its purview.  We at the Ontario Libertarian Party believe the report highlights just how many areas of our life the government is involved,  and how incapable it is of administering those areas.

But the Auditor General's report is especially critical of the McGuinty Liberal government's handling of the Energy portfolio. The report clearly shows that the people of Ontario have been let down. As the Auditor General stated in one press release: "Because we all use electricity, and because the sector operates in a near monopoly, effective oversight…..has historically been crucial." In another press release, the Auditor states that: "Billions of dollars of new wind and solar power projects were approved without many of the usual planning, regulatory, and oversight processes."

A National Post editorial last week (McGuinty's Green Energy disaster - Dec. 7), referred to the Auditor General's criticism of the Energy portfolio as "one of the most scathing indictments of government mismanagement we have ever witnessed."

However scathing the criticisms are, we don't believe that the Auditor General's office is capable of offering appropriate solutions. "I know the Auditor General is trying his best, but the fact is, the McGuinty Liberal government like others before, makes the job of finding things to fix, easy. The hard part of his job is providing constructive criticism, and that's because government monopolies are not interested in providing the best service at the lowest cost," said Allen Small, leader of the Ontario Libertarian Party. "I can't shake the feeling that the office of the Auditor General has underplayed the extent of the financial trouble Ontario and its citizens are in as a result of these poor decisions."

"The increasing cost of electricity shows how the government has screwed-up and made life even harder for families already having trouble making ends meet during tough times," said Paolo Fabrizio, deputy leader of the Ontario Libertarian Party. "Green energy subsidies to corporations like Samsung, come directly out of the pockets of Ontario's working families to satisfy Premier McGuinty's green allies and their agenda."

We believe the problems at the root of all the Auditor General's criticisms relate to the size and scope of the government in Ontario, and though the Auditor General's office is a watchdog, it is after all, an arm of government. We believe they are in fact a part of the problem. 

Furthermore, none of the other political parties in Ontario will take on this issue because they back the government. They may voice some small concerns to the press, but none of them are willing to withdraw their support for the government, and therefore they are part of the ongoing problem. Only the Ontario Libertarian Party is consistent in its approach, and it believes that because of the incompetence displayed by Premier McGuinty and his team, plus the effective vote of non-confidence demonstrated by the Auditor General's report, Premier McGuinty should offer his resignation at the earliest opportunity.

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