Conservatives demean democracy with more patronage appointments | Unpublished
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Toronto, Ontario
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The Green Party of Ontario is independent yet is philosophically aligned with other green parties in Canada and around the world. The GPO is fiscally conservative, socially progressive and environmentally focused, and begins with the basic premise that all life on the planet is interconnected and that humans have a responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world.

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) became an officially registered political party in 1983, and has been developing in size and sophistication since that time, expanding its membership and rising in the polls. We have increased the number of candidates in successive provincial elections. In the 1999 provincial election, we fielded 58 candidates, and became the fourth largest party in the province. In 2003, we fielded our first nearly-full slate, 102 out of 103 candidates, and received 2.8% of the vote. The 2007 election saw Ontario voters support Green Party values with unprecedented enthusiasm. The GPO, for the first time in history, had a full slate of candidates and garnered over 8% of the vote.

In the 2018 election GPO leader Mike Schreiner became the first Ontario Green to be elected to Queen's Park. The party now has two seats and polls between 4-8%. 

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Conservatives demean democracy with more patronage appointments

February 23, 2024
Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner

GUELPH — Ontario Greens Leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to news that the Ford government has appointed two former PC staffers to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee.

“Government appointments should be based on merit – not on whoever happens to have recently completed a stint in the Premier’s office.

For years, the Ford government has used the public purse to give cushy jobs to well-connected PC insiders.

Not only does this politicize what’s supposed to be an independent process – it erodes public trust in our system of government.

Greens call on the Ford government to clean up their patronage appointment mess by:

  • Fixing the appointments process to include merit-based criteria;
  • Standardizing transparency measures;
  • Making results of Integrity Commissioner investigations public;
  • Adding a public complaints and investigation process;
  • Striving for diversity and gender parity;
  • Strengthening appointment process for Special Advisors and short-term Advisory Bodies; and
  • Establishing a committee to reform the appointments process.” 

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