TORONTO – Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca released the following statement:
“Another day has come and gone and the situation in Ottawa has gotten worse, not better. It’s been 72-hours since the provincial government promised tough action, yet nothing has been done to help release the people of Ottawa from the occupation of their city. No $100,000 fines, no trucks seized.
“While police successfully ended the blockade on the roads leading to the Ambassador Bridge, it took a week. That is a week of trade between Canada and the United States being ground to a halt, thousands laid off and hundreds of millions stolen from our economy. Despite those actions, the consequences to almost everyone responsible has been non-existent.
“What kind of message does it send when you can close down an economy, or our capital city, and literally get away with it?
“Equally shocking is the silence from provincial authorities as this crisis continues. When strong new powers are provided to the police, they and the government have an obligation to remain transparent and accountable to the people they serve on how or if those powers are used. We have had silence from the OPP Commissioner and no press conferences from the Solicitor General, Attorney General, or Minister of Transportation. That is simply not acceptable.
“Earlier today Doug Ford stood here and admitted defeat in Ottawa. Given that reality, I don’t see how the federal government has much of a choice but to use its extraordinary powers as the Ottawa occupation cannot be allowed to continue.
“Anyone who believes that Ontario is open for business, or that Doug Ford and his Conservatives are For the People haven’t been watching these past two weeks.”