To paraphrase Charles Dickens, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” for provincial politics in 2014, says Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls.
“I was honoured and humbled to be re-elected, but I’m afraid for what the re-election of Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals mean for our community and province,” he said.
Wynne received a majority government in the June 12 election, removing what Nicholls said was the last vestige of accountability in the provincial legislature.
“When we had the Liberals in the minority position, we could slow down their agenda, but now when I look across the house, I see the smirks because they know they have the votes to push things through,” he said.
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Nicholls said although it’s frustrating, “I can’t afford to get tired” when it comes to criticizing provincial energy and economic policies and the premier’s new sex education curriculum.
“Our debt, our ridiculously high energy costs and the billion-dollar scandal of the day is taking our province down and our only weapon is public awareness,” he said.
“When you mention that we’re losing jobs and the response you get is that businesses come and businesses go, you know there isn’t much empathy for the average citizen,” he said.
Nicholls said remarks made by Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli to the effect that the smart meter program was too complex to be understood by auditor general Bonnie Lysyk were “sexist in the extreme.
“It’s very obvious that the smart meter program is a nearly $2 billion bust, and when the government is called on that fact, the response is an insult questioning whether the female auditor general is smart enough to figure it out.”
Although the government may be able to stifle the opposition on some issues, it can’t ignore the financial markets.
“We’ve had our credit rating downgraded and that impacts investment and confidence in Ontario.”
Nicholls said on a personal note, he is happy his bill to amend the Highway Traffic Act continues through the house, having passed second reading earlier this month. It is currently before the Standing Committee on Justice Policy.
The bill will allow for school bus camera footage to be used in court to determine if a vehicle and driver passed a bus while it was stopping to pick up or discharge students.
“We still have far to0 many of these ‘blow by’ incidents where drivers just ignore the flashing lights and arm on the bus,” he said. “The consequences of ignoring the law in this situation are so immense that we have to use every possible tool to apprehend those responsible.”
Nicholls says in his role as Community Safety and Correctional Services critic often finds him in conflict with the government, but he tries to keep things in perspective.
“At the end of the day, I believe drawing things to the attention of the government is vital,” he said. “If a problem gets fixed and public safety is improved, I don’t care who gets the credit for it.”
