This Bill 5 and SEZ Act…

This Bill 5 and SEZ Act schedule contains much too much discretion, no criteria for designating SEZs, no specificity as to what laws will be exempted, who will be given favoured treatment, nor how democratic and Indigenous rights will be respected in SEZs. To have any hope of acceptability, this needs to be specified in the Bill, not later regulations determined behind closed doors by Cabinet alone. There are no such details, pointing to an ill-considered proposal or one that is easily subject to political and private influence, too reminiscent of the Greenbelt scandal. On all grounds, and to protect this government's reputation, this Bill should be withdrawn and abandoned.

The Bill reacts to a false notion that protecting human health, the environment, Indigenous rights, and citizen roles are problems for economic development. This is contrary to long-standing business concept of the "triple bottom line", ESG, sustainable development, and a host of other similar concepts. Business thrives when the environment and people are healthy and sustainable. This happens through the assessment and engagement processes in legislation that Ontarians have worked for and relied on over decades. In fact, they are essential to the kind of country and province we want to maintain and that Premier Ford said he would stand up for against President Trump.

Our roles and rights as citizens do not end with an election; they continue through information, participation, appeal, and oversight rights. We bring our knowledges, priorities, expertise, and values to such decisions -- exempting or reducing these benefits through this Bill undermines good decisions, particularly ones made remotely from Queen's Park without the application of useful legislation and public contributions. Indeed, this is what our veterans fought and died for in Europe 80 years ago (and I've experienced the French and Dutch gratitude for this sacrifice), and continue to speak about today. It is part of every high school civics class - we all know this.

And we all see that development projects stall and decisions are delayed and removed to the courts when Indigenous rights are disregarded - the Crown's Constitutional duty to consult and accommodate will trump this Bill every time. This is what is being set up through Bill 5, a short-sighted and over-bearing approach to old-style decisions that will only slow the process and divide our province.

We all remember the lessons learned 25 years ago this week, when the Mike Harris government cut back on water testing and was found partly responsible for the Walkerton water crisis. There, the reliance on voluntary measures - like this Bill's "trusted proponents" -- and the lack and non-application of provincial environmental rules led to a crisis and public inquiry that declared that strong legislation and procedures were needed to protect the public. SEZs could lead to leaky landfills, ill-considered developments, and Indigenous protests and court actions, among others. I assume that Premier Ford's government does not want to repeat the Walkerton mistake and endure these issues through this Bill.

Contrary to what Premier Ford has said and presumably wishes, this Bill seems to support the argument that Premier Ford is aligning more with the authoritarian, private interest, and anti-government direction of President Trump, with wholesale government discretion without public safeguards. Politically, this will play into liberal narratives and alienate the Conservative base, particularly in rural areas.

Again, this is a tragically flawed Bill and Schedule that does not reflect the lessons of history or politics, the responsibilities of governments nor rights of citizens, nor distinguish the Premier from the growing problems observed south of the border. It thus should be withdrawn and abandoned.