Ford’s cuts will only make life harder for families: Ontario NDP Finance critic

QUEEN’S PARK — Sandy Shaw, Ontario NDP Finance critic, released the following statement in response to the release of the Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) report, Income in Ontario: Growth, Distribution and Mobility:

“Today’s report from the FAO shows what many Ontario families already know: That everyday Ontarians are worse off today than they were 20 years ago.

The Liberals had 15 long years to raise the minimum wage to a level that would have helped people. When they finally got around to doing something about it, it was too little, too late. Doug Ford stopped the planned minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. Ford also cancelled the basic income pilot and cut in half a planned increase to social assistance. I just got back from travelling the province for pre-budget consultations, and I heard over and over again that people are fearful about more cuts to come under Ford to things that people count on — like education and health care.

Doug Ford is helping the very rich get even richer with a tax cut for the wealthy, while everyone else is left to feel the squeeze. We should be giving low and middle income families more opportunities, not fewer. That’s why Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP campaigned on helping all Ontarians build a more affordable life with commitments like cutting hydro rates, converting student loans to grants, and providing drug and dental coverage for everyone."