Conservative Christine – Facts Still Matter in Ontario

(Toronto) Patrick Brown might be gone, but his legacy of misleading Ontarians is still alive and strong – with four Conservative leadership candidates trotting out daily falsehoods across Ontario.

Today, Christine Elliott led the charge in Cornwall, with a number of misleading statements.

Christine Elliott and the Conservative Candidates need to remember that whether they’re talking about rolling back the $15 minimum wage, walking away from action on climate change, or deciding what services they’re going to cut to fill the massive fiscal hole in their plan, Facts Still Matter in Ontario.

Elliott Claimed: “We’ve also got – I think a pretty good platform with one big exception, and I’ve been pretty vocal about it. I do not stand in favour of a carbon tax…there are other ways that we can be both fiscally responsible and environmentally responsible”

Fact: By abandoning their own plans for a conservative carbon tax, all leadership candidates are walking away from taking any action on climate change. As a result, all of the Conservatives candidates now have a massive fiscal hole in their platform.

Independent economists estimate this hole to be $9.6 billion, which is in addition to the $6 billion in indiscriminate across the board cuts their platform already outlined.

The Conservatives cannot deliver on their previous promises unless they make billions in cuts.

Elliott Claimed: “We’ve got an economy that was once the envy of Canada, that’s now falling into disrepute”

Fact: Ontario’s economy is growing — almost 800,000 jobs have been created since the recession and our growth has been outpacing all of Canada and the G7 nations.

Elliott Claimed: “I’ve also had the experience in a career before politics, working as a bank auditor…I want to be the one that goes through each and every line of the Wynne Liberals budget [and] examine all the programs and services that they offer.”

Fact: As we’ve said, it’s a fact that the Conservatives cannot deliver on their previous promises unless they make billions in cuts – almost $16 billion worth.

That means cuts to funding for upgrading our schools, hospitals and social housing, building more transit, and helping families renovate their homes.

It means cuts to services like education and health care, and it means job cuts. Ontario can’t afford a repeat of those drastic cuts.

Elliott Claimed: “The problem with the last increase to the minimum wage was such a big jump – up to $14 an hour – that many businesses just can’t absorb that.”

Fact: We already know that all of the provincial conservative leadership candidates have said no to a $15 minimum wage – a group of pretty wealthy individuals ganging up against working families.

However, we also know that Elliott has been against an increased minimum wage since the first time she ran for Conservative Leader in 2009. At the time, she promised to “do the right thing and freeze the minimum wage for the next 4 years (Elliott Campaign Press Release, May 4th, 2009).

Elliott Claimed: “We also need to increase our funding for mental health and addiction”

Fact: Our government has increased its spending on mental health every single year, and introduced a comprehensive mental health strategy – Open Minds, Healthy Minds – and have taken strong action to expand access to mental health services and reduce wait times.

We have also provided more than $3.7 billion in annual funding for mental health and addiction services, including more than $440 million every year for child and youth mental health services.

Elliott Claimed: “But liberals didn’t consult parents properly [on the sex-ed curriculum]”

Fact: The 2015 HPE curriculum is the most consulted on curriculum in Ontario history.

Starting in 2007, the government consulted with parents, students, teachers, faculties of education, universities and colleges. Moreover, more than 70 health-related organizations submitted reports for consideration.

Approximately 4,000 parents were given an opportunity to provide their input through a survey.