Hudak calls for judicial inquiry into cancelled gas plants

TORONTO – PC Leader Tim Hudak is calling for a judicial inquiry into the cancelled power plants in Mississauga and Oakville.

He made the demand during his testimony Tuesday before the government committee investigating the scandal.

The NDP has already demanded a public inquiry but Hudak says a judicial inquiry is the only way to get real answers.

Video

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak testifies at gas plant hearing. Watch the video below:

“The threat of people going to jail if they don’t give truthful testimony — maybe that will rattle enough cages. It will actually get answers on behalf of taxpayers.”

“I think that the power of a judge to compel honest testimony like the Gomery Commission is actually going to get us answers in a much more prompt fashion.”

Liberal committee member Steven Del Duca asked Hudak about the PC campaign promise to scrap the plants.

“To use a phrase I’ve heard here before: ‘Who were the henchmen?'”

“Good, cheap theatre, Mr. Del Duca in terms of what you’re trying to do and that’s to obscure what the real issues here are before the committee,” Hudak said.

The Liberals called Hudak to testify but NDP committee members say there was no reason to do so and accuse the Liberals of abusing their power.

Relocating the two plants has cost taxpayers at least $585-million — more than double the original numbers given out by the Liberals.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Monday she could not see what light Hudak could shed on the gas plants scandal unless he was a secret adviser to the Liberals in the last election.

Former premier Dalton McGuinty told the committee last week he had no idea what it would cost when he made the political decisions to cancel the two gas plants, but insisted it was the right thing to do in the face of widespread local opposition.

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