QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak has released an open letter he has written to New Democratic leader Andrea Horwath.
Here is the text of his letter:
October 27, 2013
Andrea Horwath, MPP
NDP Leader
Room 113, Main Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A2
Dear Ms. Horwath,
I write to you today in hopes that you will agree that it is time to put Ontario on the right track and restore Ontario’s faith in their elected leaders. I concluded some time ago that, given the Liberals’ pattern of self-interest-only decisions, we need to change the team that leads this province.
I remain somewhat astounded, though, that you and your party don’t grasp that continuing to prop up the Wynne government by being at its beck and call is doing Ontario no favours.
The moral bankruptcy and corruptness of the Liberal Party of Ontario is now patently obvious to the majority of Ontarians. I am shocked that this is not as equally troubling to you as well.
The importance of House confidence is no small matter. It is also no “game,” as you once called it.
On every matter of confidence, you and your NDP caucus have supported the Liberals. On back-to-back budgets, on the Speech from the Throne.
Instead of giving taxpayers a say, you opted to support the Liberals. Taxpayers want to understand why you are enabling this government. And they deserve to know why.
What do you find acceptable about the politically-motivated billion-dollar decision to cancel the gas plants in order to save two Liberal seats in the 2011 election? Does the NDP party share the belief of the Liberal party that it is okay to spend taxpayer dollars if it serves your own political interests?
After e-Health, Ornge, massive payouts to members of the union-led Working Families Coalition and now the gas-plant scandals, what more do you need to convince you that this government is concerned only about their short-term political interests, not the long-term interests of Ontario families?
Ms. Horwath, I am very concerned that your priorities are not the priorities of Ontario families, but more in sync with those of the Liberal Party. It is one thing to talk about change, but it is quite another to stand up with a plan to deliver that change.
As I wrote in an open letter to Premier Wynne on October 3, it’s important that we take stock of where we are as a province because it is now more than abundantly clear that Ontario is facing some steep challenges. Under the Liberal government our debt has doubled, household hydro rates have doubled, our economy has shed 300,000 good manufacturing jobs and nearly a million people can’t find work.
This has to end.
When I last met with Premier Wynne, she laid out a list of Bills she wanted passed in the Legislature, including such “vital” legislation as restricting teen access to tanning beds, so she could concentrate on an economic plan for this province.
Well, we cleared the decks as promised, yet the Premier reneged on her commitment to bring a plan and continues to confuse an actual economic plan with the striking of more panels — a staggering 36 panels in all so far — to discuss the possibility of one day coming up with a plan.
Do you not find this both tiresome and non-productive? Because I do, and so does my party and, most importantly, so do hard-working Ontario taxpayers.
The Ontario PC Caucus, unlike members of your party thus far, have chosen to put the needs of Ontario first, and we have the plan to do it.
We long ago made public a series of 14 policy discussion papers that we call Paths to Prosperity that plot the course to better jobs and a better future for Ontarians.
Collectively, those papers represent a solid, do-able plan to lift the dark economic cloud over Ontario and let in the light needed for economic growth. We even offered it to the Liberals, telling them to “steal” our plan if it would help them turn our economy around.
They didn’t take it, of course, because no self-interest was involved. Our only concern is in the best interests of Ontarians and, although it will be a hard slog, we are prepared to get the job done.
Ms. Horwath, you have a clear choice. You can help us put Ontario on the right track, and the priorities of Ontario’s families first, or you can keep Ontario on the wrong track by making your priorities the priorities of the Liberal Party.
I remain of the view that we need to change the team leading this province in order to deal with the problems we are facing.
Ontario’s families know the Ontario PC Party is on their side. They wonder, quite rightly however, if you are too.
So let’s sit down and talk about it, sooner rather than later.
I look forward to our meeting.
Yours truly,
Original signed by
Tim Hudak, MPP
Ontario PC Leader
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