Petition calling on Premier McGuinty to honor his pledge
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TORONTO: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has hired Tasha Kheiriddin as a full-time director and spokesperson for the province of Ontario.

Ms. Kheiriddin has worked in the fields of law, journalism, and political advocacy for over a decade. After practicing litigation and serving as president of the Progressive Conservative Youth Federation of Canada, she became a producer with CBC Newsworld 's current affairs debate show, counterSpin with Avi Lewis. Ms. Kheiriddin then joined the Cable Public Affairs Channel as an on-air host and producer. In 2003 she received the Justicia Award for Excellence in Journalism for her weekly television newsmagazine, Legal Talk.

"Tasha Kheiriddin is a welcome addition to our team and arrives at Queen's Park at a crucial time. With the McGuinty government threatening to break its pledge to not run annual deficits, taxpayers in Ontario need an effective voice to advocate for their concerns," said Troy Lanigan, CTF National Communications Director. "We are confident Tasha will build on the excellent work done by her predecessor, John Williamson, who is now our federal director."

Ms. Kheiriddin begins her term with the launch of a province-wide petition urging Premier Dalton McGuinty to keep his promise not to raise taxes and not to run a deficit in the upcoming budget, as set out in the Taxpayer Protection and Balanced Budget Act. "If Mr. McGuinty fails to keep his campaign pledge he will violate the trust Ontario voters placed in him in the last election", Kheiriddin said. "His government will return to the deficit-financing policies of the Rae administration, which did such terrible damage to the Ontario economy, and which no taxpayers in this province wish to revisit."

Ms. Kheiriddin is already engaging key public policy stakeholders in several meetings planned for the coming days. She will be meeting with Mr. Lorrie Goldstein, editor of the Toronto Sun, this afternoon, and will be appearing tonight at 8 p.m. on Rogers Television Mississauga (IN Camera) and Friday, March 5, at 10 p.m. on CTS TV (Michael Coren Live). Ms. Kheiriddin, along with CTF federal director John Williamson, will be available to media between noon and 2 p.m. today during a walk-through of the Queen's Park media gallery.