Ontario’s Finance Minister needs to explain why he missed a legislated deadline to report on the province’s long-term fiscal outlook, Nipissing MPP and PC Finance Critic Vic Fedeli demanded today.
The Fiscal Accountability and Transparency Act, adopted by the Liberals in 2004, states “within two years after each provincial election, the Minister shall release a long-range assessment of Ontario’s fiscal environment.”
“You’re two weeks late,” Fedeli told Charles Sousa today in the Legislature in asking when the assessment would be tabled.
Not only did Sousa not indicate when the Legislature can expect to see the long-term assessment, he didn’t indicate whether it would be tabled at all.
“That’s unacceptable, and Ontario taxpayers deserve to see this report,” Fedeli said.
“The Minister is running afoul of a law his own government adopted. As we saw with the deleted gas plant emails, the Wynne Liberals don’t seem to feel the laws of this province apply to them.”
Fedeli noted this is the latest in a long list of fiscal failings by the Wynne Liberals to get Ontario’s economy back on track.
“They’ve had nine months, yet we have no jobs plan, no plan to balance the budget, and no long-term fiscal assessment,” said Fedeli.
“It only stands to reason that Ontarians can expect another whole lot of nothing when they present their Fall Economic Statement.”
