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So the Liberals get to sell Hydro, without really selling it, while bringing in billions and buying off the unions, all at no cost. Magic! And guess what? Since it won’t be a public utility any more, Wynne’s government has moved to remove it from the burden of oversight by Ontario’s independent monitoring agencies. The new privatized-but-still-controlled-by-the-government operation would no longer be subject to full scrutiny by the auditor-general, the ombudsman, the financial accountability officer, the privacy commissioner or the environmental commissioner. Those agencies sent a joint letter to the premier on Friday, complaining that her plan would “significantly reduce important oversight powers,” and “reduce the scope of the reviews that can be conducted on behalf of the people of the province.”



Wynne waved off the criticism with another testament to her faith in the free market. “The fact is that private companies have their own oversight mechanisms,” she said. “There are rules around oversight for publicly traded or private companies. And on top of that we’re going to put a Hydro ombudsman in place. We’re building in some oversight. So I actually think the oversight will be there.”

Amazing. The premier believes the market knows best when it suits her to be an ally of the market, but insists on maintaining provincial control even after a sell-off, because you can’t trust the market to get it right. Perhaps best of all for the government, the whole deal is being done without a word of debate in the legislature, where the plan has yet to be discussed and approved, much less subject to opposition inquiries. When the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats complained to Speaker Dave Levac, he ruled that the government has the right to make plans without having to run to the legislature for approval every five minutes.

“Presumably, if the legislation does not pass, these arrangements will not be implemented,” he said.

Clearly, Levac appreciates that when you’re dealing with magic, subjecting decisions to mere mortals is an unnecessary encumbrance. Let them get their own wands, this one belongs to the Liberals.

National Post

KellyMcParland<