Press Release |
For Immediate Release September 30, 2008
KLEES To Premier McGuinty: Close The Integrity Gap Between Rhetoric and Funding of Developmental Services
(Queen’s Park) Newmarket-Aurora MPP Frank Klees today took the cause of the developmentally handicapped to the floor of the Legislature where he called on Premier McGuinty to “Adopt the principle of fairness to funding people with developmental disabilities and their families.”
Klees made his direct remarks during 3rd Reading Debate today of Bill 77, the Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act. Klees compared his assessment of Bill 77 with McGuinty’s motion on fairness, that was passed in the House yesterday.
“How can you justify, on the one hand, calling on your federal colleagues to be fair when it comes to funding and yet turn your back on people within our province?” said Klees. “How can you stand in your place and pretend that you’re doing something by bringing forward legislation that in the final analysis will not make any difference in the lives of real people in our communities?”
“People have been put through the process of making application, their hopes are in the program,” Klees said. “They remain optimistic until the final word is given them: ‘Sorry, we’ll keep your application on file but at this point in time there is no money available, no hope, stay tuned. That is unacceptable.”
“Further, Bill 77 will only create additional bureaucratic structure that will force people with developmental disabilities and their families into slots the government has predetermined will be the solution for them,” Klees said. “People with developmental disabilities and their families are the ones who should be entrusted with the decision-making because they, and not the government, know best what is right for their daughter or their son.”
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Frank Klees, MPP
Newmarket-Aurora
416 509 8999