September 10th, 2019

By expanding privatization, Ford puts businesses before people: NDP

WATERLOO — The NDP’s critic for Economic Growth, Catherine Fife, released this statement in response to today’s Ford government announcement about expanding public-private partnerships for the province’s infrastructure projects:

“Everyday Ontarians are struggling to afford basic services like health care, transportation and education — services the Ford government has taken an axe to.

By expanding public-private infrastructure partnerships, Ford is again signalling that his priorities lie with big industry, not people.

Ontario’s Auditor General found that the previous Liberal government spent an extra $8 billion on 74 public-private partnership projects with no evidence of value-for-money for Ontarians. Privatization means Ontarians pay more for companies’ profit margins, as well as higher borrowing costs — including a higher interest rate.

Privatization makes it easier for governments to keep infrastructure costs off the books, hiding debt.

Ontarians deserve a government that prioritizes their needs over those of big business.”