Press Release |
For Immediate Release December 3, 2008
KLEES: Coalition Coup a Threat to Local Economy
(Queen’s Park) Newmarket-Aurora MPP Frank Klees called on the three federal opposition leaders to reconsider their plans to bring down the recently elected federal government and wants the Premier to join the call for stability.
"At a time when plants are closing and job losses are mounting, the last thing we need is more uncertainty," said Klees. "The actions of Messers Dion, Layton and Duceppe are wrong-headed and self-serving and threaten to plunge our already fragile auto manufacturing sector into crisis."
In a letter to the Prime Minister and the three opposition party leaders, Klees stressed the need for immediate action by the federal government to prevent the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs. He pointed to the 850 jobs that will be lost as a result of the recently announced Magna plant closings in York Region and the threat of thousands of additional job losses if a meaningful action plan for the industry is delayed.
"My intention is not to defend the actions of the federal government that gave rise to the strong opposition mounted by the three opposition parties," said Klees. "In retrospect, neither the timing nor some of the content was well advised. And in response, the opposition parties made their point forcefully and effectively. That’s the role of opposition parties in our parliamentary system of government.”
But that's where it should have ended, according to Klees. After securing the government's retreat on the controversial proposals such as taking away the right to strike by the public sector, eliminating funding to political parties and agreeing to move the date of the federal budget to accelerate the timing of an economic action plan, the opposition parties should have claimed victory and moved on to work with the government to ensure the implementation of an economic recovery strategy rather than resort to what is playing out to be an historical coup d’etat.”
"Rather than being satisfied that they had effectively performed their opposition role, the triumvirate of Dion, Layton and Duceppe formed an unholy alliance to overthrow the government," said Klees. "In so doing, they are willing to destabilize our government, risk a loss of international confidence in our economy and sacrifice thousands of jobs by even further delaying the implementation of a meaningful federal economic action plan that would assist our auto sector."
"This is a time when every member of every parliament in the country should be working together to build confidence in our governments, our economy and our manufacturing industries. The last thing we need is to be thrown into another election or to be led by a coalition of three political parties, one of which has no loyalty to Canada, have no mandate to govern, have contradictory policies, and have self-appointed the man who would be the Prime Minister should this so-called Coalition have its way. This is not the Canada I know, and we all have a responsibility to stop this abuse of power and protect the integrity of our parliamentary system of government."
-30-
References:
Frank Klees, MPP
416 509 8999
Video
Attached: Letter to The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, MP, PC
Letter to Mr. Stephane Dion, MP and
copied to Jack Layton, MP and Gilles Duceppe, MP