Tory presents his "law and order" agenda for Ontario, "one law for all"
Tory slams McGuinty for inaction on Caledonia
By Jim Algie - May 04, 2007
Ontario Opposition Leader John Tory slammed Premier Dalton McGuinty for inaction on Six Nations land claims at Caledonia and promised a more active approach if his Progressive Conservative party wins the October election.
“Simply standing by and allowing land occupations and railway blockades that defy court injunctions just cannot be an option,” Tory told delegates to the annual convention of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards, Friday, in Owen Sound. “The premier of Ontario must be prepared to vigorously pursue new tools and new measures to ensure all parties comply with the rule of law,” he said.
It was part of what Tory described to police board delegates as his party’s “rule of law platform.” It includes more justices of the peace, tighter bail and sentencing measures, social programs to address poverty and solutions to justified Aboriginal land claims and legal complaints.
Tory also spoke of a more “businesslike” process for setting police budgets in Ontario. Current police spending often represents a “political bidding process in which parties bid against each other to see who can promise more police officers,” he said in an interview later.
“No one is below the law. No one is above the law.
No one is beyond the law,” Tory told his audience of about 300 police board members. “The common theme here is simple, there must be one and only law for all.”
In his prepared remarks, Tory criticized Premier McGuinty for inaction during the Caledonia standoff. He described the continuing conflict as “a miscarriage of justice” which has “torn apart an entire community” and “placed police officers in a completely untenable situation.”
At the conference opening day, Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino lashed out at critics of police management of the Caledonia protest which has emphasized public safety over law enforcement. Aggressive police intervention under the former Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris was an issue during a recent public inquiry into the shooting death of a First Nations protester by OPP during the Ipperwash protests of 1995.
Tory said his “one law” concept doesn’t involve more aggressive police tactics. In prepared remarks, he spoke of the need for “new tools and new measures to ensure that all parties comply with the rule of law.”
“Political direction to the police is unacceptable,” Tory said. He endorsed the use of “non-confrontational methods” in the absence of violence.
Interviewed later, the opposition leader spoke of potential remedies in civil court for controlling disruptive protests and labour disputes. A lawyer by training and a former chief executive officer of Rogers Inc., Tory said substantial fines against organizations responsible for breaches of the law would help limit illegal protests.
“A lot of the organizations that end up behind these actions are organizations that have assets and money . . . We say we’re going to fine and substantially fine those involved organizations that, in effect, are not obeying the law.”
“I think there can be a lot of consequences that are non-confrontational that don’t even involve the police. They involve the courts and they’re saying to people there is going to be a price to be paid for not following the law.”
It was a campaign-style speech delivered during breakfast for a convention whose delegates were to hear at lunch from current Ontario Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter. It came six months ahead of a new, legislated election call at four year intervals.
Although Premier McGuinty’s government recently announced a Sept. 10 kickoff to the formal campaign period, campaigning has clearly begun. Tory introduced delegates to a premier’s office employee who has begun auditing all of the opposition leader’s public appearances.
Tory introduced David Penfold by name and asked him to stand. He then advised delegates to bring their complaints about provincial police policy to Penfold for quick referral to the premier’s office.
Part of the Conservative public safety policy involves new protection for “the disenfranchised, the poor, the vulnerable portions of our population,” Tory said. That includes renewed housing stock, better support for single parents and new after-school programs for youth.
Tory acknowledged long-standing grievances among Ontario First Nations.
The provincial government must “be a better friend to the Aboriginal people in this province.”
However, he also said “there needs to be a better way to manage dissent.”
“What I think we can’t do is what Mr. McGuinty has done which is nothing,”
Tory said in an interview. “He has just allowed an occupation to go on for more than 400 days and I think that we can’t allow the principle to become entrenched in our system that people can do whatever they want when they have a grievance or a complaint.”