Kathleen Wynne makes campaign stop in Barrie

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Kathleen Wynne made a campaign stop in Barrie on Thursday night.

Wynne joined Barrie-area Liberal candidates Jeff Kerk and Ann Hoggarth at Kerk’s campaign kickoff in the city.

When asked what brought her to Barrie, Wynne said it’s about supporting the candidates who put their name in the running.

“I’m trying to get to as many of the campaigns as possible. Trying to be as supportive as possible.” Wynne added that this part of the province is very important to the party, and said the Liberals are vying to secure seats for both Hoggarth and Kerk in Simcoe County.

Wynne said the next 28 days leading up to the election are about getting out and talking to voters all over the province.

“Connecting with people and making sure that people know that we are bringing forward a plan, a doable, practical plan to put more care in our communities, and that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

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That plan is all about care over cuts, she says.

“When we ran in 2014, we made a promise to the people of Ontario that we would build this province up. We said that we were going to make investments in infrastructure, GO transit, roads and bridges. All over the province, we have been doing that and the economy is growing. It’s outstripping growth in other parts of Canada, outstripping growth in the United States.”

Wynne noted the low provincial unemployment rate, free tuition for 235,000 college and university students, and the benefits of full-day kindergarten as some of the markers of her time in office.

Wynne says the Liberal spending has allowed for the construction of 800 new schools, 24 new hospitals, bridges and road work, all while managing to balance the budget this year.

To those wary of the Liberals running a deficit, Wynne says it is necessary to provide the care and services Ontarians need. “We need to make that next step, that next investment in the care of the people in this province,” she said.

Wynne was also critical of her opponents’ platforms.

Wynne was critical of Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford’s tax plan calling it “a Trojan Horse tax cut.” She said at first glance, it looks like a cut for the middle class, but is really a cut for the wealthiest in the province. She says this does not deliver more care for Ontarians, but will cut back on all the things she says people depend on.

Conversely, Wynne called the NDP plan, “magical thinking,” saying there is no way to provide all of the services people in Ontario want and need without a strong economy.

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Ultimately, to people looking for change, Wynne says they should be diligent in asking their candidates exactly how they plan on executing their talking points.

“Really ask for the details about how it’s practically possible, because that’s going to reveal a lot about the different platforms,” she says.

Wynne is the second leader to make the trip to meet Barrie voters in advance of June’s election.

Leader of the Ontario Green Party Mike Schreiner was in Barrie on Thursday morning, Ontario PC Leader Ford will be in the city on Friday evening, and the province’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is expected sometime this weekend.