McGuinty defends Ontario's closed poverty consultations

from The Globe and Mail

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty is defending his government's invite-only consultations on a new poverty strategy after people were thrown out of the first meeting.

Several protesters and a New Democrat member of the legislature were ejected from a public hearing in Peterborough on Monday, while at least one Liberal who wasn't on the committee was allowed in.

NDP finance critic Michael Prue was also refused entry today to the government's second public consultation on poverty in Cobourg.

Mr. McGuinty says the government wants to meet with selected groups behind closed doors to hear their ideas for dealing with poverty.

He says there are lots of ways for people to give government their opinions on poverty without attending the public consultations.

But the New Democrats say the government should at least let the public in so they can hear the ideas being put forward. The NDP says holding so-called public consultations in secret is counterproductive.