Ontario's Liberal government is being accused of saying one thing and doing another when it comes to public safety.

When the Liberals were in opposition they attacked the move to privatize the safety inspection of facilities such as propane plants.

The opposition accuses the Liberals of failing to address the issue once they were elected.

It was the Conservatives under former premier Mike Harris that ended the government inspection of propane plants, when they created the independent Technical Standards and Safety Authority.

At the time Liberals such as Jim Bradley — who has since become transportation minister — said the privatization of safety inspections created a conflict of interest.

"Those who have a close connection to what is being supervised, and perhaps have a vested interest, are those who are now doing the supervising," he said in 2000.

Three years later the Liberals were in power. They left the TSSA in place. "I think when it comes to issues of public and community safety, they have been negligent," said current Conservative Leader John Tory.

The New Democrats simply call it hypocrisy.

If the Liberals are true to their word they have to change this regulatory system because they said themselves it [TSSA] wouldn't adequately protect the public," said Howard Hampton.

The NDP leader says the government is almost five years late with the review of safety regulations it announced this week, after the propane explosion.

Premier Dalton McGuinty was asked to comment on the explosion on Thursday.

McGuinty is in China promoting Toronto's bid to be host city for the 2010 PanAm Games.

The premier didn't want to talk about the explosion that scorched scores of homes and left two people dead.

"First of all I want to say that my heart goes out to the families and friends of the two individuals who lost their lives," he said.

"What's important for us to do right now is to allow the investigation to take place, let's await the outcome of those investigations, and then let's draw what lessons we might from that terrible experience and see what changes, if any, we need to make to ensure it doesn't happen again."

He also declined comment on the pending lawsuit from the blast.