Bill Kelly: Are Red Tories making a comeback in Ontario ?

Make no mistake about it: the release of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ People’s Guarantee, which is basically their election platform for next year’s provincial vote, has the governing Liberals worried.

According to the document, gone are the  draconian days of the Mike Harris Common Sense Revolution that downloaded immense government program costs onto our property taxes.

Instead, Patrick Brown is advocating for a return to the halcion days of John Robarts and Bill Davis, when the PCs ruled Ontario for 42 straight years.

COMMENTARY: Patrick Brown and Ontario PCs play it safe with People’s Guarantee

Robarts and Davis were able to find the perfect blend of fiscal conservatism and social responsibility that propelled Ontario into the economic and socially responsible leader in the Canadian economy.

To be clear, the document is far from perfect; some economists are already shooting holes in some of the financial projections, but what it does do is send a message to Ontario voters that the days of the mean-spirited Common Sense Revolution are gone.

Heck, even the left-leaning Toronto Star suggests that Brown’s plan deserves consideration.

Given his past political record, Brown seems to be an unlikely champion in the renaissance of the moderate Tories in Ontario and that has more than a few political pundits scratching their heads.

And don’t forget that the Tories have snatched defeat from the jaws of certain victory in some recent elections.

But if the rebirth of the Red Tory is for real, this Ontario election just got a lot more interesting.

Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News