As you know, the Legislature was recalled two weeks ago so we could debate the Putting Students First Act. After discussing three other Government Bills, one Government motion and six private members bills and motions, we finally voted on the wage freeze for teachers. I, like many others, have no interest in participating in a façade. Regrettably, that's the rule, not the exception in Ontario politics. You can read my full thoughts on the issue here.

Property rights update

Many home owners, business people and farmers have discovered that their property isn't really theirs in this province. But few know that they could have more rights if they were not Canadian citizens. Mexican and American companies doing business here in Canada receive far more protection for their property than we do as Canadians. A column of mine recently appeared in the Toronto Sun addressing this issue. You can read it here.

This upcoming weekend I'll be a speaker at the Institute for Liberal Studies' Canadian Property Rights Conference in Ottawa. The conference includes a number of distinguished speakers like Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith, the Fraser Institute's Mark Milke, the Alberta Landowners Council's Keith Wilson and many others. There's still time to register and you can by clicking here.

Make sure to catch me on Sun News Network's The Arena with Michael Coren this Wednesday from 7-8 PM. I'll be talking about the case and need for property rights.

BSL update

At the end of last session, we saw that the governing party has no interest in repealing Ontario's breed specific legislation or improving the current Dog Owner's Liability Act. You can catch a full video of that committee here.

I know I haven't had any good news to report on this front, but after last week, I do have some. The voters denied the Premier a majority. As long as the governing party doesn't have a majority, we can still get rid of BSL in Ontario. Now that the Legislature is coming back, it's time to put the pressure on our elected representatives. A list of MPP Constituency phone numbers have been added to the bringbackthebulls.com web site. If you want to see Bill 16 called for final reading, call the Liberal MPPs and tell them you want Bill 16 called for 3rd and final reading. Your participation can make the difference.

Democracy update

As an elected representative, I have many duties. I have to make sure to represent my constituents, to vote on bills, to be a community ombudsman and the like. I’m often asked to choose from, or between, many competing and conflicting activities throughout each day of the year. Although I have my own views on the priorities of a Member of Provincial Parliament, I’d like to hear what you believe my priorities should be as your elected representative. I'd like to hear your opinions on the matter. Help me represent you by answering this survey. It can be found here.

Democracy is more than a spectator sport. If we want to make our province a better place, we have to participate and show our elected representatives what we want. On the 14th of August, I gave a speech to the Glengarry Landowners. You can see a preview of the speech here and the full speech here.



Best regards,

Randy Hillier, MPP
Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington