Olivia Chow, MP

Post Summit Accountability Report

After four days, two summits and billions of tax payers’ dollars spent, world leaders emerged Sunday evening with almost nothing new to report. There were doubts from the start about the goals of Stephen Harper’s summits, but after a controversial weekend in Toronto, many questions remained unanswered: 

• Why did the federal government ignore the concerns and suggestions of the City of Toronto in holding the summit in downtown Toronto on a weekend?
• What role did federal officials play in the Integrated Security Unit in policing the summit, who made the strategic decisions in how the stores were protected and how peaceful demonstrators and journalists were treated? A detailed breakdown of the billion dollar security price tag should be included.
• When and how will the government compensate Toronto for the damages?
• What was the process leading to the temporary suspension of basic civil liberties for the duration of the summits without public debate?

New Democrats and I have requested the Public Safety Committee to get to the bottom of these questions and develop a post-summit accountability report.  

In damages, lost income and wages, the summits have generated a huge financial cost for business owners and their employees. The federal government may not be legally bound to compensate them, but they are morally responsible. I will continue to press for a comprehensive package, and if you haven’t already done so, please sign my letter demanding fair compensation for Torontonians. For more information on what compensation is currently available, please visit: http://g20.gc.ca/payments-on-an-ex-gratia-basis/  

If you have specific complaints about police mistreatment, please contact the Office of the Independent Police Review Director:
http://www.cpc-cpp.gc.ca/srv/mac/G8G20CP-eng.aspx and/or https://www.oiprd.on.ca/

Finally, we must not lose sight of what concrete action must still be taken to make poverty history and tackle climate change.