By arthur Weinreb
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Last week Ontario NDP MPP Peter Kormos introduced a private members' bill to strip MPPs who leave office before their current terms expire. The only exception to being penalized for leaving early would be if the member resigns his or her seat due to medical reasons.
It is becoming more and more common for members of the Ontario Legislature to quit during their term in office in order to run for another office. What outraged Kormos was the recent resignation of Liberal MPP Tony Wong. Wong, an MPP who in virtually unknown by Ontarians outside of his immediate family, announced that he was quitting in order to run for election as councillor in his local municipality, wherever that may be. Wong, who has only been a sitting MPP since 2003, will walk away with $43,000 in severance pay for his unremarkable and short term in the Ontario legislature.
Wong is not the only sitting MPP to leave during this session. Gerard Kennedy, Ontario's Minister of Education, gave up his seat to run for the leadership of the federal Liberals; an action that is at least understandable compared to others who have walked away from their jobs. Then Liberal MPP Joe Cordiano quit for "personal reasons". and Tory MPP Cam Jackson recently announced that he was resigning his seat to run for mayor in Burlington. But it was the action of Tony Wong who, unlike the others, was not a long time member of the legislature that shows what utter contempt many politicians have for their constituents and the province.
Private members' bills rarely become law. This bill has less of a chance to pass and Kormos undoubtedly knows this. The $43,000 that Ontario taxpayers will fork over to Wong who hadn't had time to properly warm his seat is, let's face it, small change. You can't buy a new logo or drop a letter from the name of a Crown Corporation for that kind of money. This private members' bill isn't about saving Ontarians money; it's about principle. and principle is what is lacking in the Ontario legislature.
The problem of members leaving before their terms expire is bound to get worse. Since the McGuinty government brought in fixed election dates and legislation to hold municipal elections every four years, barring the fall of a minority government municipal elections will always be held 11 months before the province goes to the polls. There will be more Tony Wongs and Cam Jacksons in the future.
The purpose of Peter Kormos's introduction of the bill is no doubt to embarrass not only the members of the legislature who quit before their terms expired but to try and prevent future mid-term resignations. and these members should be embarrassed; especially those who choose to vacate their seats to run in municipal elections. Depending upon when they leave, their resignations may spark costly by-elections. and other inconveniences and expenses are occurred regarding their constituency work and expenses.
MPPs work hard and put in long hours, but unlike years ago they are well compensated for their work. It is hard to believe that anyone goes into politics for the money and the loss of $43,000 in severance pay is unlikely to deter MPPs like Tony Wong from selfish and opportunistic endeavours. When it comes down to the crunch, we live in a society where rights without responsibilities are demanded. MPPs are no different. They have the right to quit before the end of their term in order to feed their own egos and no bill that penalizes them financially is going to stop them from putting their own aspirations first.
Peter Kormos's bill will achieve its objective if it attracts the attention of the public. In a perfect world, these politicians would be punished by the electorate when they choose to seek another office where the grass looks greener. But don't count on it.
Keep up the good work, Peter. and whatever you do, DON'T QUIT!
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement