Open Letter from Ontario PC Finance Critic Lisa MacLeod to Minister Charles Sousa

Dear Minister Sousa,

Life is harder in Ontario. Every single month is becoming more and more of a challenge for hard-working families to make ends meet, pay the bills, put food on the table, or keep a roof above their heads.

While these families are struggling to keep their head above water, Liberal insiders and friends have gotten rich at their expense.

Families are living in energy poverty while the CEO of Hydro One is raking in millions, and Liberal donors received lucrative energy contracts. Billions of hard-earned tax dollars have been wasted on political self-interests like eHealth and the gas plants scandal.

Meanwhile, Ontario is the most indebted province or state in the world, patients are receiving health care in hallways and broom closets, and more schools have been closed than under any other government’s watch in our province’s history.

Kathleen Wynne and your Liberal government have proven time and time again that you will do anything, say anything, or promise anything to cling to power. Simply put, you can’t be trusted to keep your word.

You broke your promise to balance the budget. You broke your promise to reduce auto insurance rates by 15 per cent. You said nothing about your fire sale of Hydro One or cap-and-trade cash grab.

Budgets should be about solving the problems faced by all families and seniors across the province, not about simply buying votes.

That’s why I’m writing to urge you to include the following in your 2018 budget:

1.       A real plan to get back to budget balance immediately.

2.       Match our commitment to get hydro rates down by an additional 12%

3.       Match our commitments on long-term care and mental health to take pressure off of hospitals

4.       Scrap cap-and-trade and include a real plan to bring jobs to Ontario

5.       Provide real tax relief for Ontario families

If all of these are not included, the Ontario PCs will have no choice but to vote against your budget.

Let’s put money back into the people’s pockets and start respecting the taxpayer.

Regards,

Lisa MacLeod

Ontario PC Finance Critic