Andrea Horwath, MPP for Hamilton Centre, asked the following Question of Premier Dalton McGuinty in the Ontario Legislature on January 27, 2009, concerning the McGuinty government’s failure to protect the interests of a murdered 8-year-old child:

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Thank you. My question is for the Premier. The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services pledged that the McGuinty government would leave no stone unturned in answering all the questions about the March 2006 murder of eight-year-old Jared Osidacz by his father. Why isn’t domestic violence being considered in the context of the coroner’s inquest that will begin on March 2?
The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Premier?
Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to say to my colleague that I appreciate the question and I can only speculate in this regard. I’m assuming that the coroner has responsibility for scoping the inquest and can make a determination as to what is a consideration and what is not a consideration. The assumption that I’m making is that that decision rests exclusively with the coroner’s office.
The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Supplementary?
Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, the Premier might be interested to know that Dr. Peter Jaffe, a highly respected expert for his government, was commissioned to write the report for the inquest. Dr. Jaffe’s thoughtful report clearly linked the horrific domestic violence against Jared’s mother in 2002 to the child violence that resulted in Jared’s untimely and tragic death four years later, but the coroner is not allowing that crucial evidence to be presented. After pledging to leave no stone unturned, why is this government allowing the coroner to quash the most crucial aspects of the death of Jared Osidacz at his father’s hands?
The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Premier?
Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I express, on behalf of all members of the Legislature, our sympathies to the family affected by this terrible tragedy. To remind my colleagues, as well, of some of the steps that we have taken, we have supported Kevin and Jared’s Law and enacted it in 2006. We are both honouring and following this legislation. We are doing more for victims than any previous government. I won’t get into the list of things that are in here, but it brings me back to, I think, the essence of my colleague’s question. Again, I think this was something that is properly within the purview of the coroner; I’ll seek to confirm that. But I don’t believe that we have the authority to influence when an inquest is going to be held, how it’s going to be held, and, in particular, the scoping or terms of reference which a coroner is going to adopt, but I will confirm that for my colleague.