Bracebridge, Ont - Today, Tony Martin, NDP MP for Sault Ste. Marie and Jo-Anne Boulding, NDP candidate for Parry Sound-Muskoka continued their campaign to cut Parry Sound-Muskoka out of Northern Ontario and deny our communities much needed FedNor funding.
In a memo leaked from Tony Martin's office, Boulding and Martin discuss the fact that they know the residents of Parry Sound-Muskoka do not support their maliciously partisan campaign to deprive our region of development dollars. According to their memo, they think that planting letters to the editor in local newspapers from "ordinary folk" might do the trick.
"Tony Martin and Jo-Anne Boulding think they can fast-talk the people of Parry Sound-Muskoka into believing we are not part of Northern Ontario", said Tony Clement, MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka and Minister of Health and FedNor. "This is beyond playing political games. The people of our riding relay on this funding; I am shocked that the NDP thinks they can get away with this."
Bill C-451, brought forward by Tony Martin, aims to deny Parry Sound-Muskoka any future FedNor investment in local businesses and community organizations. The bill asserts that Muskoka and Parry Sound are not part of Northern Ontario and should be left out of programs aimed at benefiting the region.
"No matter how they try and argue that this bill is only a reorganization of FedNor, the bottom line is that at the end of the day, if Tony Martin has his way, Parry Sound-Muskoka would be cut off from federal investment. That is simply something I have to oppose," said Clement.
In a call to action over the summer, Tony Clement asked all those who oppose Bill C-451 to sign their names to the petition, which calls on all Members of Parliament to oppose this NDP legislation aimed at taking Parry Sound–Muskoka out of Northern Ontario.
At final count, 10,037 people from communities all across the federal riding signed their names to the petition and stood up to be counted in defence of Parry Sound–Muskoka's northern status.
