PREMIER'S AVAILABILITY AT EARLTON PLOWING MATCH

Date: September 22, 2009

Length: 10 minutes

Speaker(s): Premier Dalton McGuinty

MPP David Ramsay

Q: Premier, we hear that you may have had a discussion with Michael Ignatieff about the HST. Can you tell us about that?

PREMIER DALTON MCGUINTY: I just had a very brief chat. But before the chat, Mr. Ignatieff had already made clear, through the media, about his position. He is prepared to accept the agreement entered into by our government and the federal government, and that is good enough for me.

Q: What are you hearing from the farmers, if anything, about the HST?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Nobody raised it with me here today, but we have heard from the OFA that they are looking at savings between 25 and 30 million dollars. We are going to put our farmers on the same playing field as farmers in the other provinces where they have a single sales tax. So for now, right now, if you want to buy a farm...a truck for the farm, you've got to pay sales tax on that. Under our system you would not. If you wanted to buy, I don't know, some computer equipment to assist with the running of your business, again, today you pay provincial sales tax on that. Under the single sales tax system you would not. So, it provides an advantage.

Q: First impression of the event so far?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: It's great. I haven't missed one of these in, I don't know how long it's been, maybe a dozen years or something. And the weather worked out perfectly. Often at these darned things either they're too wet or they're too dry. You've had three weeks of dry here, I gather, as we've had in the south. You've got a little bit of rain yesterday. So now you've got some nice hard pack. It's perfect.

Q: So how Canadian of an event would you say it is?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Well, I can't imagine you'd find something like this anywhere else, especially now that I've attended my very first officially bilingual plowing match. And every plowing match you go to you are also going to have representatives there from our First Nations, our Aboriginal communities. So, you know, it makes it pretty unique.

Q: You'll be driving a tractor soon. When was the last time you did that?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Last plowing match. Every year, without fail, I get on the tractor and I only ask for one thing when it comes to my equipment.

Make it red.

Q: Premier, where did you speak to Mr. Ignatieff? Was it here earlier?

Can you just give us some more details? Did you say to him, 'look, we haven't talked about this, but we should talk about this?'

PREMIER MCGUINTY: You people are nosy.

Q: I know. I can't help it.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: We had a chat and that's all I'm going to say about it. And...but, you know, before that it was kind of anti-climactic in a sense. He's already made his position clear. He is going to honour the agreement between our government and the federal government. And that's, as they say, is good enough for me.

Q: Your Green Energy Act regulations will be coming out later this week.

You've talked a lot about this legislation, what it means for the province.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Looking forward to it.

Q: We have a story today - the solar industry is saying the province could lose out on about $5 billion in revenue because the regulations are banning solar panels on top farmland, grades A1, A2, A3. Are you concerned about that loss of revenue? Can you confirm that those regulations are coming?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: No, I can't confirm what's in the regulations, but I can tell you that we've worked really hard to strike the right balance to ensure that we're both, you know, develop a new economic sector, create new jobs, that we're going to do a much better job of harnessing, you know, energy from the sun and the wind, biomass. At the same time, not compromise, you know, quality of life or the environment, and not, you know, compromise our access to good farmland, as well. So, you'll see when it comes out, but I think we've got it just right.

Q: Aren't you going to be denying farmers the rental revenue they could get from solar? It's green energy...you really want it, so why ban it on those lands?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: I look forward to all those questions when we make our announcement.

Q [in French]: Mr. McGuinty, was it worth it to close Queen's Park and be in Earlton today?

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: Yes.

[Laughter]

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: It was worth it because for a lot of our members the only chance during the year that they have to travel in rural Ontario and to better understand the needs and challenges of our farmers is to attend the plowing match. So, it's a good opportunity to better educate ourselves on the subject of our farmers.

Q [in French]: What do you appreciate the most in Ontario farmers'

products? What do you consume the most?

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: You mean like food?

Q [in French]: Yes, yes, or wine, I don't know.

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: I really like wine -

[Laughter]

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: I like beans.

Q [in French]: Oui?

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: Tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn on the cob.

So I'm making an effort, at this time, to buy what's fresh and so I resist buying other things that I could buy in the month of January, for example.

Q [in French]: And what is your strategy for not getting yourself stuck during the race [inaudible] and to make a good [inaudible]?

PREMIER MCGUINTY [inaudible]: I always keep myself informed by my political philosophy, so I will go straight ahead and the other parties will pull right or left.

Q [in French]: Watch out for [inaudible]

PREMIER MCGUINTY [in French]: Okay.

[Laughter]

Q: Your tractor was pulling a little to the right today.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: No way. What are you talking about?

Q: You bumped into the Tories. Imagine that.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: ...trying to create some kind of an incident. I said 'we're out of the house. Relax. We're all friend here.'

Q: Mr. McGuinty, coming up to northern Ontario, I know you have your northern caucus, how important are northern Ontario issues?

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Very important. You know, I also have my continuing personal attachment to the north. At the end of every summer I try to

(inaudible) I went there with my three boys and rented a camp up there and just went fishing and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. We had a bear on our front lawn. Where else are you going to see a bear on your front lawn? There are wolves circling at Queen's Park, but there are certainly no bears there. I'm not referring to the opposition either.

So, there's a special quality of life to be found here and that's why I'm particularly proud that the plowing match is being held here in northern Ontario. I'm also pleased that they asked me about shutting down the House. You know, for a lot of members, the only real opportunity they get, having grown up in the urban sector, is to learn more about rural Ontario and farming issues by attending the plowing match. And this one's particularly special they say because it's in the north.

Q: You guys are throwing (inaudible) cheese off the wagon, so your thought on community spirit and what it took to pull it off to keep

(inaudible) cheese running and how that continues into something like today.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: Are you asking me something specific about this business?

Q: Yes.

PREMIER MCGUINTY: I don't know. Maybe David Ramsay knows a little bit more than I do on that.

DAVID RAMSAY, MPP: Yes, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund