Mr.
Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): My question
today is for the Minister of Community Safety
and Correctional Services. On Monday of this week,
you accused our leader, John Tory, of grandstanding
in this House when he did his job in a responsible
manner and questioned you on what your government
is doing to stem the activity of guns and gangs
outside of the GTA. Now we know why you were so
mean-spirited in your response. Yesterday, the
2006-07 expenditures were released. It's on page
96. Minister, you are cutting a total of $31.6
million from two key OPP units: investigations
and organized crime, and field and traffic services.
For your information, Minister, investigations
and organized crime include the following: provincial
weapons enforcement unit, child pornography section,
the drug enforcement section, the anti-racket
section and crime prevention.
Minister, how can you expect the Ontario Provincial
Police to properly do their job when you continue
to slash their budget in these key areas?
Hon. Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community
Safety and Correctional Services):
I thank the member for his question. I just
want to tell him that his information is not
correct, and I just want to correct the record
for him. Here's what we've given the OPP to
date: the provincial weapons enforcement unit,
$2.3 million in additional funding announced
January 5, 2006. There will be an additional
51 new OPP officers hired as a result of our
1,000 officers program; guns and gangs task
force, announced October, 2005, 32 additional
crowns and 26 officers; January 5, $51 million
for enhanced anti-gang strategy, including funding
for a provincial ops centre to fight guns and
gangs; $5.7 million annually for the biker enforcement
unit. We've also enhanced the program of the
criminal investigation service of Ontario.
That is hardly cuts. You should understand:
The budget of the OPP is determined by the OPP.
We have given them more money than they've had
in the past, and they determine how they allocate
it. I'm just --
The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown):
Thank you, Minister. Supplementary.
Mr. Dunlop: Minister, maybe
you should reprint page 96 of this book, then.
Look at the numbers for yourself. We have witnessed
this past weekend the most gruesome bloodshed
in the history of our province. It was gang
related, gun related and drug related. Minister,
will you go back to the cabinet table and properly
fund the provincial weapons enforcement unit,
the child pornography section, the drug enforcement
section, the anti-racket section and the crime
prevention division so that the Ontario Provincial
Police, that force, can do their job with the
best resources possibly available to them?
Hon. Mr. Kwinter: I just listed
for the member the enhancements that we've given
to the OPP. You should understand that the reason
I was so critical on Monday was that the OPP
have done an incredible job. I was aware of
information. They certainly had the resources
that, as soon as they found out about this tragedy
that took place, they were able to go in and,
the same day after they performed the autopsies,
they arrested the five perpetrators. Now, that
isn't an indication that they don't have the
resources to do it.
I have a great deal of faith in the OPP. They
provide a fabulous service to the people of
Ontario. We should all be proud of them, and
they're getting adequate funding.
