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TORONTO - With an upcoming provincial election in Ontario this year, the campaigning has begun long before the official writ period. In fact, there has been mounting pressure for several months to see Tim Hudak, leader of the Ontario PC party, reveal his election platform. It is understandable why a politician would seek to avoid releasing their election platform a year before the election - such a lengthy campaign would just give opponents more time to throw mud and poke holes in each other's ideas. Long campaigns have a habit of becoming a race to the bottom. It seems, however, that the sparks are starting to fly in Ontario where Tim Hudak has now outlined the main planks of his platform. It is now McGuinty who will need to counter, and McGuinty's team of spin doctors has already been working overtime to present his record in a favourable light. Hudak has announced that he will cut taxes and rein in spending to bring the provincial deficit under control. “It won’t be easy,” Hudak explained. “I don’t look forward to it. But it must be done - and it can be done smart." One of the ideas raised by Hudak involves shrinking the bloated public sector - in terms of overall employment as well as disproportionate benefits and salary provisions. Instead, the public service compensation should be modeled on the private sector. These new proposals would potentially have some teeth as well. If Cabinet Ministers miss spending targets their pay would be docked - a system similar to other provinces that penalize MPPs for running budget deficits. Perhaps the most looked-for element of Hudak's platform concerns removing the HST from electricity and home heating bills. This should not have even been a political decision - taxing these basic necessities of life as if they are 'luxuries' was a cruel and unconscionable step in the first place, especially for those on a fixed income. It is somewhat refreshing to think of an Ontario with a long-term plan and a leader who would stick to it. Tim Hudak may or may not be that guy, but there is some promise in these ideas.
Highlights - A proposed 5% tax cut on first $75,000 of income |
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