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Government's too secretive,
Liberal leader tells A”ociation.
i'he Ontario government was.
criticized on its, educational,
health, and agricultural policies
and on its secrecy by Liberal
leader Stuart Smith when he
addressed the annual meeting of
the We'stern Ontario North
Liberal Association in Lisfowel
last Thursday night.
Association president, Douglas
Bell, Stratford, presided for this
meeting which attracted 250
members from the district which
includes ridings in Huron, Perth,
Bruce and GreS, counties.
Members honored former
Federal Finance Minister Hon.
W. E. Harris of Markdale for the
contribution he had made to the
association over many. years.
Dr. Smith said if his party
formed the next government he
would end government secrecy,
radually introduce a new income
tax system to pay for education,.
bring back a system' •of
examination for schools and
"consult with the public"
regarding ways to save Money in
areas such as public health.
The Liberal leader also touched
briefly on the cut-backk, in milk
quotas and the 'government's
handling of public hearings into
the location of hydro power line
corridors.
Dr. Smith said he disagreed
with the financing, content and
thrust of .education in the
Province.
"There surely can't be a more
asinine way of paying for
education than by property tax,"
he said. "I can't for the life of me
see the slightest connection
between property and
education."
Besides being regressive, Dr.
Smith said property tax distorts
planning by forcing small towns
' to encourage industrial growth
regardless of the good farmland
they might be putting out of
production.
While property tax could not be
eliminated in a day, Dr. Smith
said his party , would move
towards gradually replacing the
property tax system with an
ilicome tax system.
Regarding the education
system, he said it was about time.
the government realized "that
you can't have an education
system where everything is left to
the choice of young people."
"The present government is
committed to everything but
won't measure it ...th0 has to
be an accounting."
Blasting the government for
secrecy on a number of topics, Dr.
Smith said he was especially
concerned with the group home
situation in the province and with
medical health laboratories.
Not that sick
He claimed three, m inistries
within the government had a
report prepared on group h omes
some time ago, but won't release
its contents because it shows
there is waste and dishonesty in
the system. Vr. Smith said the
cost of group home care ranges
from $20 to $80 per day.
"It's the same in the case of
medical laboratories. The cost
there has gone from $2 to $4 to
$70 million per year and we're
not that much sicker-, you know:''
A report in 1972 stating the
laboratories are badly organized
has never been released by the
government either, according to
the Liberal leader who says he
has a copy of it.
Dr.. Sniitit maintains the
government's' policy of secrecy it
"not desigiierd to protect yotir
interests. It is designed to protect
the governenent's image and
nothing else,,'*
"The Liberal party)" he
ettipliasize& "is Ootritriitted to a
6. 'THE BRUSSELS POST
policy of open information."
Regarding the "alleged
process of public consultation" on
the Bradley to. Georgetown hydro
power corridor, Dr. Smith called
the governments actions "a
farce,"
"The Concerned Farmers have
asked for an impartial person to
hold hearings, but the
government won't accept that.
Then when they requested the
ombudsman to look into it the
government muzzled him, saying
the decision was passed by
Cabinet two years ago and that
rules out the ombudsman.
Everything the government has
done in this case is nothing more
than window dressing; they
decided at the time of the Solandt
report where the line would go. If
we do nothing else, we will
consult with the people."
The Worst
Dr. Smith saved his harshest
criticism for the government's
actions in closing hospitals to cut
health costs.
"The hospital closings must
typify the very worst about this
'present government," he, said to
loud applause.
He accused the government of
carrying on a lavish, generous
'spending program "with no
thorough planning and. no vision
for the future," and then closing
hospitals to cut costs.
He said the procedure followed
in the 'closing of the Goderich
Psychiatric Hospital "alrriost
brought tears to my eyes." The
director of the mental hospital in
Goderich, "a model mental
hospital for rural areas", heard
about the closure on Christmas
Eve on his car radio, according to
Dr. Smith.
`There was no consultation,
There was, no trust. You've got to
trust people' and that's what
we're pledged to."
Dr. Smith said if the hospitals
win the appeal of the decision
(which stated the government had
acted illegally in closing the
hospitals) by the provincial
government, then they're "home
free."
"We won't give the
government power to close
hospitals if they come and ask for
it in the fall," he said,
Dairy Crisis
Regarding the "terrible crisis
in dairy farming", Dr. Smith said,
the problem was not an easy one
to solve or to blame on anyone.
The province knew over
production was coming and so
"bear a moral responsibility in
that regard," he said, adding that
it doesn't make sense 'that in
order to get a 20 per cent rebate
on their loans, dairy farmers have
got to produce rnore.
Dr. Smith said he agrees with
the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture's request that the
forgiveable portion of loans be
made available in 1976 for those
wilco need' it. 116 said.' yOUng
farmers were neing particularly
hard hit.
While "we can't be totally
isolationist" he said, imports of
milk products from outside the
country should be cut back. he
also suggests that "for One year,
for the dairy industry,, perhaps a
form of farm stabilization Should
be established:"
Extcutive ' '
Prior tom Smith's address to
the Association ) th e 280 hi
attendance voted on hew slate
of officers. Those elected are as
folloWst
DUridati, McCalluit of liatiover j
president William Elston of
Wingham, vice-president; Glen
Crockford of Hanover, secretary;
William Sonierville of Stratford,
treasurer, Kent Lament of Port . .
JUNE 9y' 1978
Elgin, Ross McLelland of Mount
Forest, Ian McAllister of Zurich,
Beryl Harper of Goderich,
Douglas Bell of Stratford, Mabel
Cline of St. Marys, all directors;
Wilfred Krauskopf of Dubli
agriculture; 'Robert M. Campbell
of Owen Sound, communications;
Daniel Murphy ;of Goderich,
finance; . Lloyd McLean of St,
Marys, labor; Robert Holmes of
St. Paul's, nominations; Dave Jack
of Fergus, organizations and
constitution -; Emil Hendrick of
Exeter, policy and research;
Diane Misener of Stratford,
women.
Three MPPs attended the -
meeting, Hugh Edighoffer of
Perth, Murray Gaunt of Huron-
Bruce arid Jack Riddell of Huron
and following Dr. Smith's address
Wm. Elston 'of Morris the new
association vice president,
presented him \ with a Perth
county cheese. • ,
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