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    Letter from liberal MP Joe Volpe Regarding: G20 Police Abuses‏
    volpej7@parl.gc.ca on behalf of Volpe.J@parl.gc.ca
    To: Gary Morton
    Dear Mr. Morton,
     
    Thank you for your email regarding to the G20 summit.
     
    No matter how you look at it, the G20 summit was a complete disaster, proving that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are not fit to govern.
     
    From the outset they bungled the issue of maternal health as the focus of the summit.  Then came the outrageous news of pork-barrel spending in one of their Cabinet Minister’s ridings for projects that had nothing to do with the summit.
     
    As we got closer to the summit, news came of the billion dollar price tag for the summit, including $1.9 million fake lake, and a “security” bill of $930 million – multiple times more than any G8 or G20 summit in history.  This was further evidence that the Conservative government was out of control and out of touch.
     
    But, none of these issues compare to the events on the streets of Toronto on that momentous weekend.  What we witnessed was democracy turned upside-down.  It is a different time in history when vandals ran through streets wreaking havoc and people were arrested indiscriminately.
     
    Something clearly went seriously wrong that weekend, and an investigation and enquiry is essential.  That is why the Liberals called back the Public Safety Committee to Parliament this week to begin investigating, unfortunately, the Conservative members used games to not let the proceeding begin.
     
    We have also sent a letter directly to the Minister of Public Security, Vic Toews, with a specific list of questions, including:
     
    • What security advice the government considered before moving the summit to Toronto?
    • Why they ignored advice to hold it at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds?
    • Who designed and approved the G20 security plan and its astronomical price tag?
    • Who was ultimately giving security commands?
    • Whether anyone on the political side got involved – directly or through PCO – in operational decisions during the summit?
     
    Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the decision to hold the G20 in downtown Toronto – a decision that led to exorbitant costs and a nearly impossible security situation for police. This makes him ultimately accountable for the disaster that ensued. We will ensure that he is held to account for his decisions and the consequences they caused.
     
    Thank you again for taking the time to write to me on this very important issue.  Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of any assistance. 
     
    The Hon. Joe Volpe, P.C., M.P.
    Eglinton-Lawrence