Former MPP Roberts Named Vice Chair of Ontario Licensing Appeals Board

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The Ottawa Center’s NDP MPP, Joel Harden, is calling for a review of the government’s appointment of the defeated Ottawa West Nepean Conservative MPP Jeremy Roberts as vice chairman of Ontario’s Licensing Appeals Tribunal.

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“The License Appeal Tribunal (LAT) adjudicates issues that have a real impact on people’s lives, such as driver’s license suspensions, car insurance claims, and home warranty claims,” ​​Harden said in a statement.

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“Doug Ford said Ontario’s minimum wage education workers were forced to use food banks or the cupboards were bare for social assistance recipients who had to choose between groceries and rent. It seems that the Prime Minister is happy to hand out six-figure taxpayer-paid money…salaries to defeated Tory MPPs,” he said.

An NDP spokesperson asked Roberts to appear before the Standing Committee on Government Agencies to review “Roberts’ qualifications and suitability for the job.”

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The state cabinet approved Roberts’ appointment on November 2.

It was announced in a letter from the Prime Minister to the Secretary-General of Parliament on November 4.

“I am attaching information on the appointment of the Board of Directors scheduled for the Agency, the Board and the Committee approved by the Cabinet on November 2, 2022.”

Governments usually issue council orders weeks after the fact.

The LAT has over 20 Vice-Chairs and about 100 members.

The prime minister’s office and attorney general did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Roberts was the only Progressive Conservative MPP to run for re-election this year and lose.

He was ousted by NDP’s Chandra Pasma in her second election against Roberts.

Roberts is perhaps best known as the MPP who introduced legislation to make Ontario daylight saving time all year round. His bill was unanimously supported.

However, Roberts’ bill stipulates that New York and Quebec must be the first to pass similar legislation, so daylight saving time remains in effect in Ontario.