Advertisement

Ontario NDP promises to hire 4,500 nurses during first year if elected

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath attends a discussion with health care professionals during a campaign stop in Toronto on Thursday, May 24, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO – Ontario’s New Democrats say they’ll hire 4,500 nurses in their first year in office if elected in June.

The NDP says it would also create 2,000 new hospital beds and put a moratorium on layoffs of frontline health-care workers in that time.

The party says the promises will be funded with the $1.2 billion earmarked for health-care investments in its platform but that hadn’t been detailed in the document, which was released before the election campaign began.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath made the announcement Thursday morning at a campaign stop in Toronto, saying it would help ease the strain on hospitals.

WATCH: Doug Ford dismisses alleged membership scandal as being in the past

Click to play video: 'Doug Ford dismisses alleged membership scandal as being in the past'
Doug Ford dismisses alleged membership scandal as being in the past

Horwath says the governing Liberals have left frontline staff without basic resources, and warns that a Progressive Conservative government under Doug Ford would bring cuts and open the door to a two-tier health-care system.

Story continues below advertisement

Ford has not released a platform but has promised to end what he calls “hallway medicine” and add 15,000 new long-term care beds over the next five years if elected.

Sponsored content

AdChoices