Over a month-long election campaign, Ontarians have heard Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne, PC Leader Doug Ford and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath push the platforms and political promises they hope will win over voters.
The results of those efforts – which included three debates and daily campaign stops all over the province – will soon roll out.
Some Ontarians, however, may have just tuned into the campaign or might still be figuring out how they want to cast their ballots.
If you find yourself in that boat – whether you don’t have time to comb through the parties’ promises, or are struggling to cut through the noise – don’t panic. Global News has prepared a quick-and-dirty breakdown of where the major parties stand on some big policy issues and what they’re promising to do on those files.
CENTRAL PLANK
All three parties are proposing to making life more affordable for Ontarians – but in their own ways.
TAXES
Ford wants to reduce taxes across the board – he’s proposed cutting corporate, small business and income taxes. The Liberals want to continue with the current tax rates, while the NDP want to see those who make more money pay more taxes.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
With many Ontarians up in arms about their staggeringly expensive electricity bills, all parties have committed to cutting down the cost of hydro, but at different rates. The NDP wants to go a step further than the other two parties and re-nationalize Hydro One.
HEALTH CARE
The three leaders are throwing out some big promises on health care. A major focus for both the Liberals and NDP is providing extended public drug coverage to more or all Ontarians, while the PCs’ big line items are “ending hallway medicine” and providing dental care for low-income seniors.
CHILD CARE & EDUCATION
While the Liberals and New Democrats’ are proposing new child care spaces and offering free care in some cases, Ford is pitching a new tax credit for parents. On education, the PCs have a lot of ideas for primary and secondary schools but the platform makes little mention of post-secondary institutions. Both Wynne and Horwath have made commitments to making university and college education more accessible to students.
JOBS & WAGES
The Liberals and NDP have promised to go through with the planned minimum wage increase to $15 an hour and have plans to expand the existing ‘Jobs and Prosperity’ Fund. The PCs want to go in the opposite direction and have pledged to cancel both that wage hike and the fund.
TRANSIT & INFRASTRUCTURE
All three parties have promised to throw billions of dollars at transit and infrastructure projects in the province, but there are some differences in the details and how they want to go about bringing those projects to fruition.
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
The NDP and Liberals both have plans to continue with the province’s basic income pilot and increase the rates for Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. All parties want to build more affordable housing.