This week, children across Ontario headed back to the classroom, and come Monday, MPPs will be back at their desks as the legislature returns from its summer break.
“A lot of the discussion we’ve had has centered around what we’re going to offer in the next election as a real change for Ontarians who have really been struggling,” Prince Edward-Hastings MPP Todd Smith said.
It’s clear the Official Opposition is already looking ahead to next year’s election, and with Premier Wynne trailing in the polls — the PCs and their new leader will be looking to take back Queen’s Park, which has been a Liberal stronghold since 2003.
“Every promise they make increases the debt in Ontario,” Smith said. “We’re living in a very precarious situation where the Province says that they’re balancing the budget, but we know that they’re not really.”
However, Kingston and the Islands MPP Sophie Kiwala calls shots like those “nasty, partisan politics.
In fact, the Liberal MPP says most of the policies the government has put in place already, or plan to, will be welcomed by Ontario residents, including investments in infrastructure, health care, and education.
“I think that when you dig into the subject areas, that we have very positive policies that are all about improving the lives of Ontarians,” Kiwala said.
—Heading into the fall session, politicians will be debating controversial labour reforms to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour and also a new pharma-care program.
The next election must be held on or before June 8.