Changing the direction of government after 8 years of Tory mismanagement
Ontario Liberals are delivering real, positive change
QUEEN'S PARK, Dec. 3 /CNW/ - After eight years of Tory mismanagement, the Ontario Liberals are changing the direction of government.
It has been two months since the election, 41 days since the swearing-in,
and 13 days since the Throne Speech. The Legislature has sat for eight days.
And, already, there's a real, positive change.
Some examples:
- The Tories gave hundreds of millions to private schools - we announced
today $112 million to help the public school students who need help
the most.
- They didn't raise the minimum wage, ever - we're increasing the
minimum wage, already.
- They fired meat inspectors - we've hired them.
- They resisted attempts to get to the truth about Ipperwash - we've
launched a public inquiry.
- They sent university and college tuition skyrocketing - we have
announced a tuition fee freeze.
- They pushed privatization of our medicare - we're banning
pay-your-way-to-the-front-of-the-line health care.
- They dragged their feet on accountability in health care to avoid
scrutiny - we will be the first province to set up a health council
that independently reports on the state of health care.
- They snuffed out local democracy by replacing large school boards with
supervisors - we've replaced the supervisors with local democracy.
- Their decision to turn down $250 million from Ottawa meant zero in
federal compensation for SARS - we've negotiated $330 million in
federal compensation.
- They whined about the federal government and health care - we've
negotiated an additional $771 million for health care from the federal
government.
- They presided over skyrocketing auto insurance premiums - we've
introduced a freeze on applications for new rate hikes.
- They were taking money out of our public schools to give seniors an
irresponsible tax break - we're keeping money in our public school by
cancelling that irresponsible tax break.
- They were for private ownership of hospitals - we've taken p3
hospitals and turned them into publicly owned hospitals.
- They were jeopardizing our public services with even more tax
giveaways for large corporations - we're protecting public services by
rolling back the latest portion of the corporate tax giveaway.
- They undermined public schools to fund private schools - we are
cancelling their handout to private schools because that money should
be in our public schools.
- They hid a $5.6 billion deficit from the public - we gave the public
the straight goods on the province's finances.
- They hid a scandal in our food safety system - we're going to get to
the bottom of it.
All this, in the two months since the election, the 41 days since the
swearing-in, and the 13 days since the Throne Speech.
If the Tories had won, they would still be hiding the deficit.
They would still be pushing tax cuts we can't afford.
They would still be damaging public health care and public education, so
they could push private health care and private schools.
There is much, much more to do, and many Tory messes to clean up, but the
Ontario Liberals are changing the direction of government, after eight years
of Tory mismanagement.
And that's a real, positive change.
