New Democrat leader Andrea Horwath stepped up rhetoric Friday that her party isn’t yet prepared to endorse the provincial budget put forth a day earlier by the ruling Liberals – support the government needs to avoid a snap election this spring.
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced the 2013 provincial budget Thursday, which contained numerous proposals the NDP support, like eliminating wait times on home care, a cut on auto insurance premiums and youth job initiatives.
Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne will be appearing on Focus Ontario on Sunday.
But Horwath, whose party’s support the minority government needs to get the bill passed, reiterated the NDP’s position that there’s little in the budget that forces the Liberals to stick to the proposals, like limiting wait times for home care to no more than five days.
“We don’t see a true guarantee for home care for example, we don’t see a real commitment to a time frame for auto insurance reductions,” Howarth said. “We don’t see quite frankly a government that’s learned its lesson that the people expect their money to be invested wisely.”
A day after the release of the budget, Premier Kathleen Wynne was urging support for the bill and said an election this spring would cost taxpayers $100-million. The 2011 Elections Ontario annual report indicates the last election cost taxpayers $79.25-million.
The NDP launched Friday a public campaign aimed at gathering the opinions of citizens of how to make the budget proposal “more accountable” and government “more transparent.”
“If at the end of the day the people are clear that they they’re not interested in allowing this government to continue, we’ll be in a situation where we can’t’ support this government,” Horwath said.
Asked whether the NDP would risk triggering an election – which may end up installing a Progressive Conservative minority government – Horwath said: “We’re prepared to have that discussion with Ontarians.”
With a file from Anna Mahler Paperny
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