In the aftermath of the Stephen Harper’s unilateral decision to hold the G20 in downtown Toronto, Liberals are calling on Conservative government to make compensation available to small business owners who incurred damage to property.
“Small business owners shouldn’t be on the hook for Stephen Harper’s mess,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic, Mark Holland. “This damage was highly preventable, if only the right decisions had been made by the Conservatives.
“Given the damage to property caused by Mr. Harper’s decision to hold the G20 in Toronto, we support the City of Toronto’s call for federal compensation to small business owners.”
After violent protests caused damage during the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in 2001, the Liberal government announced a $2 million fund to compensate merchants, residents and non-profit organizations for damages. The Harper Conservatives are currently only providing compensation for business losses within the security perimeter – not outside the fence where damage occurred.
“You’d think that after spending $1 billion on security, the federal government would have been able to prevent smashed windows and damage to businesses – but that was clearly not the case,” said Mr. Holland. “We don’t understand why Mr. Harper is waiting so long to rectify this situation by dragging his feet on a much needed compensation package.”
The Conservative government gave the City of Toronto fifteen minutes notice before announcing their decision to hold the G20 there, and then compounded their error by hosting the meetings in the middle of downtown instead of the more easily secured Exhibition Place, further away from business and residents.
Contact:
Justine Villeneuve
Office of Mark Holland, M.P.
(613)769-9644
