Statement from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath on throne speech

Following the throne speech on Monday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement:

“Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals have had 15 years to build the Ontario they wanted. They chose to spend those years slashing hospital budgets, closing neighbourhood schools, and selling off our vital public assets, including Hydro One. The fact of the matter is that after 15 years, anything the Liberals really wanted to accomplish would already be done.

Monday’s throne speech is a pathetic attempt to convince hard working families that, this time around, the Liberals will be different. They want Ontarians to believe they’ll invest in services instead of just cutting them – but didn’t include a single concrete change in today’s throne speech.

This throne speech didn’t fix hallway medicine. It didn’t end the crisis in our long-term care system. It didn’t put Hydro One back into public hands or make life more affordable for people. And it didn’t commit to giving all Ontarians dental care benefits.

The Liberals are heading into this election with a legacy of cuts and broken promises. The services we all count on have been squeezed again and again. And the Ford Conservatives are heading in to this election only promising deeper cuts and more privatization – a vow to eliminate the things that families need.

On June 7, Ontarians don’t have to choose between bad and worse. The choice this time includes a change – a change for the better.”