A fair infrastructure funding private members motion from the MPP for Perth Wellington has been passed by all parties.
Randy Pettapiece says no riding or taxpayer should be punished for their voting history.
The resolution says government held and opposition held ridings should be given equal and transparent consideration for infrastructure funding.
Pettapiece say politics should not be part of the decisions.
“Too often, it appears that politics trumps fairness when it comes to infrastructure funding decisions,” Pettapiece explained after the debate. “It’s regrettable that this debate was even necessary.”
Pettapiece adds the government has repeatedly short changed rural and small town Ontario where the Liberals hold few seats.
He adds the province's cancellation of the Connecting Link Program and cuts to Ontario Municipal Partnership Funding are two decisions that have hurt small municipalities.
NDP MPP Percy Hatfield strongly supported Pettapiece’s motion.
“Our smaller municipalities need financial help from the senior orders of government when it comes to infrastructure. Governments shouldn't be playing favourites,” he says.
Liberal MPP Kathryn McGarry claimed that her government is not playing favourites.
“This summer, I went to many government announcements to help show our infrastructure investments in [opposition ridings],” says McGarry.
To Pettapiece, however, that confirmed the need for the second part of his resolution asking the government to guarantee that all MPPs, whether in government or opposition, be given fair and equal advance notice of the official announcement.
“Government funding is public money, not Liberal money,” says Pettapiece. “It belongs to the people, not to the Liberals. To exclude opposition MPPs from funding announcements is an affront to voters’ democratic choices.”
