Murdoch Apologizes, but Sticks to His Guns
After spending 100 days in exile, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch returned to his seat in the Legislature and delivered his first statement, starting with an apology to the Speaker of the House.
Below is a copy of his statement that he delivered this afternoon.
STATEMENT:
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to apologize to you for my actions of November 30th through December 2nd, 2009.
I have utmost respect for the way you do your job and I appreciate how well you treated me when I served as an independent member in the Legislature.
I also want to apologize to your staff, including the clerks and security guards, for any inconvenience I may have caused them.
But, Mr. Speaker, I have no regret for doing my job – for calling a spade a spade.
Throughout my 30 years in elected office, I have always believed in the importance of exercising one of our basic freedoms: the freedom of speech.
I have every intention of continuing to voice my opinion because I believe it is of utmost importance to represent my community. To stand for the people who – by electing me – placed their faith in me to carry their concerns to Queen’s Park.
In my view, a government – that’s a government of the people, by the people, for the people – should be applauded because they are so confident in their leadership, so certain of their direction, that they allow members to think, to vote, to react, to represent ...and to call a spade a spade when necessary.
But these are truly cynical times in Ontario politics…
In yesterday’s Throne Speech this government talked about its “five-year plan.”
Let’s talk about the government’s last “six-years plan” that’s turned Ontario into a have-not province; saddled it with the largest deficit in its history, a whopping $25 billion; and saddled Ontarians with two largest-ever tax hikes.
God help us if we have to put up with another five years of this government.
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