Year at Queen’s Park marked by Hydro One sell-off, cuts, chaos and criminal investigations

Queen’s Park – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says that the last year has been marked by scandals and missed opportunities for the Liberal government. While the Liberals successfully rammed through their Harper-style omnibus budget Horwath said she and her team will continue to fight for the issues that matter to Ontario families, including creating jobs, fighting the sell-off Hydro One, working to stop cuts to health and education, and the gutting of rules preventing partisan advertising.

 

“Kathleen Wynne promised a different approach to government – she promised to bring people to the table, to listen to Ontarians. Instead, she’s shutting them out,” said Horwath. “When I talk with Ontarians about the last year, they tell me they are disappointed. They didn’t vote to sell Hydro One, they didn’t vote to fire nurses, and cut schools, they didn’t vote for chaos in education, they didn’t vote for more OPP criminal investigations and most importantly they didn’t vote to be ignored.”

 

Horwath and her team have been holding packed townhall meetings about the Liberal sell-off of Hydro One. Horwath committed that she would continue to meet with Ontarians across the province, and will continue to fight for what matters to middle class families.

 

“Ontarians want better. They deserve better. They deserve a government that is focused on their concerns and their priorities. I believe that our job is to work on behalf of people. To make Ontario families’ lives a little bit better, a little bit easier, a little more affordable and a little more hopeful,” continued Horwath. “This is why I do what I do. And this is what I believe it should be the top priority for Ontario.”

While the past year has been marked with significant disappointments, Horwath pointed to important bright spots, noting the recent passage of a New Democrat bill to ban conversion therapy and protect LGBTQ youth, as well as accomplishments which include holding the government’s feet to the fire on the sell-off of Hydro One, hiring a Financial Accountability Officer to give Ontarians non-partisan information about the real costs of government projects, passing legislation protecting child performers, protecting children from dangers posed by flavoured tobacco, standing up to end unpaid internships, and raising issues around Post-secondary executive pay to stop “double salaries.” 

Horwath wished Ontarians a safe and happy summer, and told them to expect to hear lots from New Democrats over the coming summer.